Which actor played Colonel Dax in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory?

Kirk Douglas played Colonel Dax in Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory.

Released in 1957, the film is an anti-war drama set during World War I. Dax is a French Army colonel who leads an attack on a heavily defended German position and later defends three soldiers scapegoated for the operation’s failure. Douglas’s performance gives the character both military authority and moral urgency.

The story was adapted from Humphrey Cobb’s 1935 novel, which drew on the real Souain corporals affair. Kubrick’s film emphasizes the divide between front-line troops and senior officers, making Dax a central opponent of institutional injustice.

A common mix-up is confusing Dax with the generals who order the attack. Kirk Douglas is the leading star and Colonel Dax; the senior officers include Adolphe Menjou as General Broulard and George Macready as General Mireau.