Cast
- Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne: A well educated banker imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover.
- Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding: Andy's friend and fellow prison inmate, convicted of murder in 1927. Before Freeman was cast, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford were each considered for the role. Although written as a middle-aged Irishman with greying red hair (as in the novella), Darabont cast Freeman for his authoritative presence and demeanor; he could not see anyone else as Red. The short dialogue with Andy is a jest towards this casting decision as Red — when asked about the origin of his nickname — answers "Maybe it's because I'm Irish."
- Bob Gunton as Warden Samuel Norton: The pious, but corrupt warden of Shawshank Penetentiary.
- William Sadler as Heywood: A member of Red's gang of long-serving convicts.
- Clancy Brown as Captain Byron Hadley: The sadistic captain of the prison guards. Brown declined the offer to study real-life prison guards as preparation for his role, because he did not want to base it on any one person.
- Gil Bellows as Tommy Williams: A young convict taken under Andy's tutelage.
- James Whitmore as Brooks Hatlen: An elderly convict and the prison librarian. Darabont cast Whitmore because he was one of his favorite character actors.
The cast also includes: Mark Rolston as Bogs Diamond, the leader of "The Sisters" prison gang and a prison rapist; Bill Boldender as Elmo Blatch, a criminal; Brian Libby as Floyd, David Proval as Snooze, and Joseph Ragno as Ernie, Andy and Red's friends; Frank Medrano as Fat Ass, a new inmate killed by Hadley; and Jeffrey DeMunn as the prosecuting attorney in Andy's trial.
Read more about this topic: The Shawshank Redemption
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