The Best Years of Our Lives
Three World War II veterans return home hoping to rebuild their lives, but each must confront the painful realities of civilian reintegration and personal trauma that threaten to shatter their dreams.
“Three wonderful loves in the best picture of the year!”
Synopsis
It is the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when they will finally return home. For three World War II veterans, that day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to turn into a nightmare.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 109+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Daniel MandellShot by Gregg TolandScored by Hugo Friedhofer
Box Office
1946 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 11× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$23.6M
Also known as
- Die besten Jahre unseres Lebensde
- Los mejores años de nuestra vidaes
- Les Plus Belles Années de notre viefr
- I migliori anni della nostra vitait
Community tags
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Cast & Crew
109 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Cathy O Donnell
as Wilma Cameron
Hoagy Carmichael
as Butch Engle
Harold Russell
as Homer Parrish
Gladys George
as Hortense Derry
Dana Andrews
as Fred Derry
Fredric March
as Al Stephenson
Teresa Wright
as Peggy Stephenson
Virginia Mayo
as Marie Derry
Myrna Loy
as Milly Stephenson
Roman Bohnen
as Pat Derry
Ray Collins
as Mr. Milton
Minna Gombell
as Mrs. Parrish
Supporting cast
91Walter Baldwin
as Mr. Parrish
Steve Cochran
as Cliff Scully
Dorothy Adams
as Mrs. Cameron
Don Beddoe
as Mr. Cameron
Marlene Aames
as Luella Parrish
Charles Halton
as Prew
Ray Teal
as Mr. Mollett
Howland Chamberlain
as Thorpe
Dean White
as Novak
Erskine Sanford
as Bullard
Michael Hall
as Rob Stephenson
Victor Cutler
as Woody Merrill
Claire Du Brey
as Mrs. Talburt - Perfume Customer (uncredited)
Pat Flaherty
as Salvage Foreman (uncredited)
Jackie Jackson
as A Boy (uncredited)
William H O Brien
as Nightclub Waiter (uncredited)
Bert Stevens
as Man at Airport / Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Marion Gray
as Department Store Customer (uncredited)
Jimmy Ames
as Jackie (uncredited)
Carol Andrews
as Saleswoman (uncredited)
Mary Arden
as Miss Barbour (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Edward Biby
as Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Harry Cheshire
as Minister at Wedding (uncredited)
Sidney Clute
as Drugstore Clerk (uncredited)
Tom Coleman
as Waiter (uncredited)
Joyce Compton
as Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
James Conaty
as Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin
as Customer (uncredited)
Bert Conway
as ATC Sergeant (uncredited)
Clancy Cooper
as Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Mady Correll
as Announcer (uncredited)
Roy Darmour
as Parking Lot Attendant (uncredited)
Hal K Dawson
as Man at Airport (uncredited)
Lawrence Dobkin
as Bank Customer with Hat (uncredited)
Lester Dorr
as Bar Patron (uncredited)
Tom Dugan
as Doorman (uncredited)
Dick Earle
as Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Edward Earle
as Steese - Bank (uncredited)
Blake Edwards
as Corporal at ATC Counter (uncredited)
Billy Engle
as Customer (uncredited)
Ben Erway
as Lou Latham - Bank (uncredited)
Doris June Fesetta
as Camera Girl (uncredited)
Tennessee Ernie Ford
as Nightclub/Hillbilly Singer (uncredited)
Louise Franklin
as Ladies' Room Attendant (uncredited)
Harry Gillette
as Card Player at Lucia's (uncredited)
Herschel Graham
as Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins
as Diner Attendant at Lucia's (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Ray Hyke
as Gus - Salvage Worker (uncredited)
John Ince
as Ryan - Bank Guard (uncredited)
Teddy Infuhr
as Dexter - Brat in Drugstore (uncredited)
Georgia Kane
as Singer (uncredited)
Robert Karnes
as Technical Sergeant (uncredited)
Kenner G Kemp
as Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Donald Kerr
as Steve the Bartender (uncredited)
Gene Krupa
as Musician - Drum Solo (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ethelreda Leopold
as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Alyn Lockwood
as Counter Girl (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack
as Man at Airport (uncredited)
Susan Mann
as Announcer (uncredited)
Thomas Martin
as Waiter (uncredited)
Michael Mauree
as Glamour Girl (uncredited)
Doreen Mccann
as A Girl (uncredited)
Peggy Mcintyre
as Girl at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)
Russell Meeker
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Chef Milani
as Giuseppe - Lucia's Restaurant Proprietor (uncredited)
Harold Miller
as Wealthy Man at Nightclub (uncredited)
Ernesto Molinari
as Card Player (uncredited)
William Newell
as Waiter at Bank Dinner (uncredited)
Georgie Nokes
as One of Homer's 'Kids' (uncredited)
Joe Palma
as Card Player (uncredited)
Leo Penn
as ATC Corporal (uncredited)
Caleb Peterson
as Black Soldier at Airfield (uncredited)
Norman Phillips Jr
as Clarence 'Sticky' Merkle (uncredited)
Jack Rice
as Apartment Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgway
as Girl at Table with Cliff (uncredited)
Mickey Roth
as Boy at Soda Fountain - Mollett Scene (uncredited)
Loretta Russell
as Bank Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Ruth Sanderson
as Mrs. Garrett (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford
as George H. Gibbons (uncredited)
Noreen Sayles
as Girl (uncredited)
Stephen Soldi
as Card Player (uncredited)
John Tyrrell
as Angus - Butch's Waiter (uncredited)
Amelita Ward
as Counter Girl (uncredited)
Jan Wiley
as Perfume Saleswoman (uncredited)
Marek Windheim
as Waiter at Lucia's Restaurant (uncredited)
Catherine Wyler
as Department Store Customer (uncredited)
Judy Wyler
as Department Store Customer (uncredited)
William Wyler
as Drug Store customer (uncredited)
Dick Gordon
as Maitre d'Hotel (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
1Other crew
3Parents Guide
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