Cast

The cast of The Lost Weekend did a tremendous job bringing the characters to life and generating the sort of sympathy and connection that’s needed for a truly transformative movie viewing experience. Ray Milland played the lead role of Don Birnam, the man whose weekend is lost because of his affair with the bottle. Ray was from the UK and acted for more than 50 years, appearing hundreds of times on screen. Ray’s performance in The Lost Weekend was honored with an Academy Award for Best Actor. It was the only time in his career that he was nominated and there’s no question it’s the performance he is best known for. Other notable film roles include Dial M for Murder and Love Story. His career is a huge success and will long be remembered.

Jane Wyman played the role of Helen, the loving girlfriend and ultimately savior of Don in The Lost Weekend. She was a singer, dancer, and actress and she appeared in more than 80 movies and dozens of TV shows in her career. In 2007 she passed away but her career was strong for several decades, including 200+ episodes on the night time soap Falcon Crest. She was nominated for an Oscar four times and won the award for her role in the 1948 film Johnny Belinda. She was well-respected among her peers and earned that respect with amazing performances. She was twice nominated for an Emmy. It’s tough to have a career as long and successful as Jane Wyman managed and it takes a unique talent.

Phillip Terry plays Wick, the brother of Don. He’s less well-known as a performer but had a long career with roles in more than 70 movies from 1937 to 1972, although he was largely inactive after 1947. He was a football and track star at Stanford University and it was there that he developed an interest in acting that would take him to Hollywood.