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
as Judah Ben-Hur
Francis X. Bushman
as Messala
May McAvoy
as Esther
Betty Bronson
as Mary
Claire McDowell
as Princess of Hur
Kathleen Key
as Tirzah
Carmel Myers
as Iras
Nigel De Brulier
as Simonides
Mitchell Lewis
as Sheik Ilderim
Leo White
as Sanballat
Frank Currier
as Quintus Arrius
Charles Belcher
as Balthazar
