A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
William Holden
as Joe Gillis
Gloria Swanson
as Norma Desmond
Erich von Stroheim
as Max von Mayerling
Nancy Olson
as Betty Schaefer
Fred Clark
as Sheldrake
Lloyd Gough
as Morino
Jack Webb
as Artie Green
Franklyn Farnum
as Undertaker
Larry J. Blake
as 1st Finance Man
Charles Dayton
as 2nd Finance Man
Cecil B. DeMille
as Cecil B. DeMille
Hedda Hopper
as Hedda Hopper