Messala (Ben-Hur) Messala (Ben-Hur) Messala is a fictional character from Lew Wallace's 1880 novel "", and its film adaptations, where he appears as the main antagonist. Messala is a Roman nobleman and the son of a Roman tax collector; he is also Judah Ben-Hur's boyhood friend and turned into his arch-rival after betraying him. When Messala is reunited with Ben-Hur for the first time in five years, their different views and opinions ultimately end their friendship. Later, Messala betrays his former friend when he accuses him of attempting to assassinate Valerius Gratus. Five years later, Judah, having survived the galleys, seeks revenge
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Heston. A BBC Radio 4 dramatization of the book in four parts was first broadcast in the United Kingdom in March–April, 1995, starring Jamie Glover as Ben-Hur, with a cast that included Samuel West and Michael Gambon. "Ben-Hur"s success encouraged the publication of other historical romance stories of the ancient world, including G. J. Whyte-Melville's "The Gladiators: A Tale of Rome and Judea" (1870), Marie Corelli's "Barabbas" (1901), and Florence Morse Kingsley's "Titus, A Comrade of the Cross" (1897). Other novels adapted Wallace's story: Herman M. Bien's "Ben-Beor" (1891), J. O. A. Clark's "Esther: A Sequel to Ben-Hur" (1892),