Spartacus (film) Spartacus (film) Spartacus is a 1960 American epic historical drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Dalton Trumbo, and based on the novel of the same title by Howard Fast. It is inspired by the life story of Spartacus, the leader of a slave revolt in antiquity, and the events of the Third Servile War, and stars Kirk Douglas in the title role, Laurence Olivier as Roman general and politician Marcus Licinius Crassus, Peter Ustinov, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as slave trader Lentulus Batiatus, John Gavin as Julius Caesar, Jean Simmons as Varinia, Charles
Title role Title role The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in "Aida", "Giselle", "Michael Collins", or "Othello". The actor, singer, or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the "title role". The performer playing the title role is not always the lead and the title role may or may not be the protagonist. In the television miniseries "Shogun", for example, Toshirō Mifune had the title role, but the lead was played by Richard Chamberlain. In the James Bond novel "The Man with the Golden Gun", the