Honestly, if you look at the 1966 posters for this movie, you see two faces that basically defined "cool" for an entire generation. It's Hepburn. It's O'Toole. When people search for the cast of How to Steal a Million, they aren't just looking for a list of names; they’re looking for why that specific combination of chic Parisian vibes and effortless wit actually worked. Most heist movies are about the mechanics—the lasers, the vaults, the ticking clocks. This one? It’s a character study masquerading as a crime caper.
William Wyler, the director who already had Ben-Hur and Roman Holiday under his belt, knew exactly what he was doing here. He wasn't just casting actors. He was assembling a palette. You have the gamine elegance of Audrey Hepburn mixed with the chaotic, blue-eyed energy of Peter O'Toole. Then you throw in a legendary character actor like Hugh Griffith as a high-society art forger. It’s a miracle the film didn't collapse under its own charm.
The Magnetic Pull of Audrey Hepburn as Nicole Bonnet
Audrey Hepburn was already an icon by 1966. She had nothing to prove. But in this film, she plays Nicole Bonnet, the daughter of a master art forger who spends her days worrying about her father’s inevitable arrest. Nicole is the moral compass, though a slightly crooked one.
What makes her performance stand out among the cast of How to Steal a Million isn't just the acting. It’s the Givenchy. Hubert de Givenchy designed her entire wardrobe for the film, and it basically serves as a third lead character. That lace eye mask? The oversized sunglasses? They aren't just clothes; they are armor for a woman trying to save her father from the French police. Hepburn plays Nicole with a frantic, wide-eyed sincerity that makes you believe she would actually agree to rob a museum with a man she just met in her nightgown.
Peter O'Toole: The Thief Who Wasn't
Then there’s Simon Dermott. Peter O'Toole was coming off the massive, soul-crushing intensity of Lawrence of Arabia and Lord Jim. He needed something light. He needed to smile. As Simon, he plays a "burglar" who Nicole catches breaking into her home. Only, he isn't a burglar. He’s an art expert and investigator.
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The chemistry between O'Toole and Hepburn is the literal engine of the movie. It’s playful. It’s flirtatious without being predatory. O'Toole uses those piercing blue eyes to project a sense of "I know exactly what's going on, and I'm having more fun than you." Most actors would have played the "detective undercover" role with a stiff upper lip. O'Toole plays it like a man who just won the lottery and decided to spend the prize money on a very expensive joke.
The Forger and the Millionaire: Hugh Griffith and Eli Wallach
You can't talk about the cast of How to Steal a Million without mentioning Hugh Griffith. He plays Charles Bonnet, Nicole’s father. Griffith was a Welsh actor known for being larger than life, and here, he’s a delight. He paints "Van Goghs" in his attic while humming to himself. He represents a kind of eccentric, old-world criminality that doesn't exist anymore. He’s not a bad guy. He’s an artist who thinks the world is too stuffy for its own good.
Then we have Eli Wallach as Davis Leland. Wallach is a legend—think The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. In this film, he’s an American tycoon who is obsessed with art, specifically a "Cellini" statue that Nicole’s father forged. Leland is the "villain" in the sense that he’s the obstacle, but he’s really just a man blinded by his own greed and ego. Wallach plays him with a persistent, nagging energy that contrasts perfectly with O'Toole’s laid-back sophistication.
A Quick Look at the Supporting Players
- Charles Boyer: Plays Bernard De Solnay. Boyer was the quintessential "French Lover" of early Hollywood, and seeing him here as an art dealer adds a layer of meta-commentary on the art world's obsession with prestige.
- Fernand Gravey: As Grammont. He provides the bureaucratic pressure that sets the plot in motion.
- Marcel Dalio: A veteran of French cinema (The Grand Illusion, Casablanca), appearing here as a minor but crucial texture in the Parisian landscape.
Why the Casting Choices Still Matter Today
People often think these old movies were just "star vehicles." And sure, Hepburn sold tickets. But the cast of How to Steal a Million works because of the subversion of roles.
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- O'Toole isn't a tough guy; he’s a nerd who happens to be handsome.
- Hepburn isn't a damsel; she’s the one who initiates the crime.
- The "police" aren't the enemy; the insurance company’s insistence on a technicality (the "science" of art validation) is the real threat.
The movie explores the idea that "real" and "fake" are often just matters of opinion. When the cast interacts, they are constantly debating the value of things. Is a forged statue beautiful? If it’s beautiful, does it matter if Cellini didn't touch it? These are deep philosophical questions wrapped in a 60s rom-com.
Behind the Scenes: The Chemistry was Real
It’s a well-known bit of Hollywood trivia that Hepburn and O'Toole got along famously. They spent a lot of time laughing. In fact, some of the scenes in the closet—where they are hiding from the museum guards—took forever to film because they couldn't stop giggling. You can see it on screen. That genuine warmth isn't something you can fake with a script. It’s why, when you look at the cast of How to Steal a Million, you don't just see actors; you see a group of people who were clearly having the time of their lives in Paris.
Technical Nuance: The Wyler Touch
William Wyler was a perfectionist. He was famous for "40-take Wyler." He would make actors do the same scene over and over until they were so tired they stopped "acting" and started just being. This benefited the cast of How to Steal a Million immensely. It stripped away the melodrama. If you watch the scene where Simon explains the plan to Nicole, it feels improvised. It feels like two people actually trying to figure out how to use a boomerang to trigger an alarm system.
The film also avoids the trap of being "too 60s." While the fashion is definitely of its time, the performances are grounded. There’s no camp here. Even Hugh Griffith, as big as his performance is, feels like a real person you might meet at a high-end gallery opening.
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The Legacy of the Bonnet Family
The film leaves us with a weirdly satisfying moral: it's okay to steal if what you're stealing is technically a lie. The cast of How to Steal a Million carries this theme effortlessly. By the end, we aren't rooting for the law. We are rooting for the forger to get away with it and for the "thief" to get the girl.
It’s a masterclass in tone. If you swap out Peter O'Toole for someone more aggressive, the movie becomes a gritty noir. If you swap Audrey Hepburn for someone more cynical, it becomes a heist thriller. Together, they made it a fairy tale.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're revisiting this classic or discovering it for the first time because of the legendary cast, here’s how to dive deeper:
- Watch for the "Givenchy" Silhouette: Pay attention to how the costume design evolves. Nicole starts in very structured, "proper" outfits and ends up in more relaxed, functional clothing as she embraces her inner criminal.
- Spot the Cameos: Keep an eye out for uncredited appearances that capture the 1960s Parisian film scene.
- Compare with Modern Heists: Watch How to Steal a Million back-to-back with Ocean's Eleven (2001). You’ll see how much George Clooney and Brad Pitt owe to the O'Toole/Hepburn dynamic.
- Check the Art History: The "Venus" statue in the film is a fictional creation, but it’s based on real-world scandals involving the "Tiara of Saitaphernes," a famous forgery that fooled the Louvre in the late 19th century.
The cast of How to Steal a Million reminds us that the best special effect in cinema history is simply two charismatic people standing in a room, talking to each other. Everything else—the museum, the magnet, the yellow Jaguar—is just decoration.