Trivia: Although Martha Scott plays Charlton Heston's mother in this film, she was only ten years his senior.
Trivia: The 'Greek chariot' Mesalla uses in the race is based on the Persian scythed chariots which Darius III attempted to use against Alexander the Great's troops at the battle of Gaugamela, though with only insignificant success.
Trivia: In Ben-Hur (1959), Judah's mother Miriam is played by Martha Scott, and Judah is played by Charlton Heston. Three years prior, they had played mother and son in the film, The Ten Commandments (1956), as Yochabel and Moses. Heston and Scott also played husband and wife in two stage plays.
Trivia: The scene where Judah Ben Hur is nearly tossed out of the chariot during the race was real and unplanned. However, it was Charlton Heston's stunt double, Joe Canutt, son of legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt, who choreographed and directed the race scene, that was flipped over the chariot after refusing to use a safety harness. Although he could have been killed or maimed, Canutt only suffered minor injuries to his chin. The mishap was left in the movie, and the shot of Heston climbing back into the chariot was edited in later.
