Hanna Schygulla as Pauline Kropp

Piotr Łysak as Stanislaus

Armin Mueller-Stahl as Mayer

Ralf Wolter as Schulze

Daniel Olbrychski as Wiktorczyk

Bernhard Wicki as Dr. Borg

Gérard Desarthe as Karl Wyler

Elisabeth Trissenaar as Elisabeth Schnittgens

Sigfrit Steiner as Melchior

Erika Wackernagel as Frau Melchior

Ben Becker as Klaus

Otto Sander as Narrator

Friedrich G. Beckhaus as Zinngruber

Gernot Duda as Stackmann

Serge Merlin as Alker

Thomas Ringelmann as Herbert

Heidi Joschko as Frau Zinngruber

Ilse Bahrs as Frau Schnittgens, old

Marie-Hélène Dasté as Maria Wyler, old

Marie-Christine Barrault as Maria Wyler

Jürgen Born as 1 Policeman

Dieter Kursawe as 2 Policeman

Ellen Esser as Prison Guard

Christoph Beyertt as Patient

Evelyn Meyka as Nun

Herbert Weißbach as Druggist

Gudrun Geier as Old Lady

Rainer Basedow as Stackmann's Son (uncredited)

Ulrich Heimann as Prisoner of War (uncredited)

Gerd Holtenau as Chief Physician (uncredited)

Hannes Kaetner as Klages (uncredited)

Dieter Kirchlechner as Mari De Paulina (uncredited)

Jutta Klöppel as Stackmann's Stepdaughter (uncredited)

André Mantz as Prisoner of War (uncredited)

Dietrich Mattausch as Counsel (uncredited)

Dorothea Moritz as Martha (uncredited)

Bernhard Papke as Soldier (uncredited)

Gundula Petrovska as Postal Employee (uncredited)

Jürgen von Alten as (uncredited)