Young Bess
The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years from Elizabeth's birth to her unexpected ascension to the throne at a mere 25. Charles Laughton reprises his Academy Award®-winning* role as her formidable father Henry VIII. Deborah Kerr plays her last stepmother (and Henry's last of six wives), gentle Catherine Parr. And Simmons' then real-life husband, Stewart Granger, adds heroics as Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour. In a resplendent world of adventure, romance and court intrigue, Young Bess reigns.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Jean SimmonsYoung Bess (Queen Elizabeth I) | Young Bess (Queen Elizabeth I) |
 Stewart GrangerThomas Seymour | Thomas Seymour |
 Deborah KerrCatherine Parr | Catherine Parr |
 Charles LaughtonKing Henry VIII | King Henry VIII |
 Kay WalshMrs. Ashley | Mrs. Ashley |
 Guy RolfeNed Seymour | Ned Seymour |
 Kathleen ByronAnn Seymour | Ann Seymour |
 Cecil KellawayMr. Parry | Mr. Parry |
 Rex ThompsonPrince Edward / King Edward VI | Prince Edward / King Edward VI |
 Robert ArthurBarnaby | Barnaby |
 Leo G. CarrollMr. Mums | Mr. Mums |
 Norma VardenLady Tyrwhitt | Lady Tyrwhitt |
 Alan NapierRobert Tyrwhitt | Robert Tyrwhitt |
 Noreen CorcoranBess as a child | Bess as a child |
 Ivan TriesaultDanish Envoy | Danish Envoy |
 Elaine StewartAnne Boleyn | Anne Boleyn |
 Dawn AddamsKate Howard | Kate Howard |
 Doris LloydMother Jack | Mother Jack |
 Lumsden HareArchbishop Cranmer | Archbishop Cranmer |
 Lester MatthewsSir William Paget | Sir William Paget |
| PPatrick WhyteOfficer | Officer |