Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
Ramon Novarro
Judah Ben-Hur
Francis X. Bushman
Messala
May McAvoy
Esther
Betty Bronson
Mary
Claire McDowell
Princess of Hur
Kathleen Key
Tirzah
Carmel Myers
Iras
Nigel De Brulier
Simonides
Mitchell Lewis
Sheik Ilderim
Leo White
Sanballat
Frank Currier
Quintus Arrius
Charles Belcher
Balthazar
Dale Fuller
Amrah
Winter Hall
Joseph
Reginald Barker
Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
