Jean-Louis Barrault as Nicolas Edmé Restif de la Bretonne

Marcello Mastroianni as Casanova, Chevalier de Seingalt

Hanna Schygulla as Countess Sophie de la Borde

Harvey Keitel as Thomas Paine

Jean-Claude Brialy as Monsieur Jacob

Andréa Ferréol as Madame Adélaïde Gagnon

Jean-Louis Trintignant as Monsieur Sauce

Michel Vitold as De Florange

Laura Betti as Virginia Capacelli

Enzo Jannacci as Italian clown

Pierre Malet as Emile Delage, student revolutionary

Daniel Gélin as De Wendel

Hugues Quester as Jean-Louis Romeuf

Dora Doll as Nanette Precy

Caterina Boratto as Madame Faustine

Didi Perego as Madame Sauce

Évelyne as Agnès, Restif's daughter

Aline Mess as Marie-Madeleine, Sophie's servant

Jacques Peyrac as Postilion

Claude Legros as Sergeant at St. Menehould

Vernon Dobtcheff as Judge at the confiscation

Ugo Fangareggi as Soldier Bertrand

Yves Collignon as Drouet, postmaster

Maurice Jacquemont as Innkeeper at Chaintrix

Agnès Nobecourt as Hubertine, Madame Faustine's daughter

Roger Trapp as Blacksmith at Meaux

Annie Belle as Prostitute with green stockings

Fausto Di Bella as Cook at Auberge du Soleil

Jacques Zanetti as Giovane Comiziante

Antonella Cancellieri as

Robert Nogaret as Beggar at Chaintrix

Bruno de Stabenrath as Gabriel Vallet

Michel Piccoli as King Louis XVI (uncredited)

Eléonore Hirt as Marie-Antoinette (uncredited)

Enrico Bergier as Barone Goguelat

Jean Tatu as Contadino

Claude Le Gross as Sergente