The Awakenings Cast of Chaacters:

Protagonists:

Robert De Niro as Leonard Lowe

Robin Williams as Dr. Malcolm Sayer

Julie Kavner as Eleanor Costello

Other Characters:

John Heard as Dr. Kaufman

Ruth Nelson as Mrs. Lowe

Penelope Ann Miller as Paula

Max Von Sydow as Dr. Peter Ingham

Alice Drummond as Lucy

Judith Malina as Rose

Anne Meara as Miriam

Richard Libertini as Sidney

Keith Diamond as Anthony

Peter Stormare as Neurochemist

Bradley Whitford as Dr. Tyler

Dexter Gordon as Rolando

Vincent Pastore as Ward patient (as Vinny Pastore)

George Martin as Frank

Anthony J. Nici as young Leonard Lowe

SUMMARY:

In Bainbridge Hospital, a chronic hospital in the Bronx, Dr. Malcolm Sayer became the

new staff neurologist, in charge of around twenty resident catatonic patients and the neurologic

health of the other hospital residents. As Dr. Sayer slowly begins to adjust once again to the life

of clinical practice, he notices that his catatonic patients actually respond to certain stimuli such

as catching a ball, visual patterns, hearing familiar strains of music, as well as simple human

touch. In his study of the different cases, which were mostly diagnosed as atypical schizophrenia,

he noticed that all patients seemed to have been victims of the 1912-1928 epidemic of

encephalitis lethargic and exhibit some common symptoms and characteristics. After soliciting

the advice of an expert on the subject, Dr. Sayer then continued to work to help his patients,

though he encountered a road block in Leonard Lowe. But later on, they were able to

communicate using the Ouja board.

After attending a symposium about the benefits of the then new miracle drug L-dopa, and

noticing the similarities between a Parkinson’s disease patient and the post-encephalitis

lethargica patient, Dr. Sayer convinced the administration of the hospital to put a patient,

Leonarrd Lowe on a trial run of the dug, as he believed that it would offer a breakthrough for his

patients.