Max Cady

Fictional character Max CadyRobert Mitchum as Max Cady in Cape Fear (1962).First appearanceThe Executioners (novel)Cape Fear (film)Created byJohn D. MacDonaldPortrayed byRobert Mitchum (1962)Robert De Niro (1991)Javier Bardem (2026)In-universe informationGenderMaleNationalityAmerican Max Cady is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the John D. MacDonald novel The Executioners. He was portrayed by Robert Mitchum in J. Lee Thompson's Cape Fear, by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's remake, and by Javier Bardem in Nick Antosca's television remake. Character overview Robert De Niro as Max Cady in the 1991 remake. In both film versions of MacDonald's novel, Cady is a criminal with an obsessive grudge against an attorney named Sam Bowden (played by Gregory Peck in the first film and by Nick Nolte in the remake) who sent him to prison for rape. While in prison, Cady learns all he can about law as he nurtures his hatred of Bowden, made especially intense when his wife divorces him and takes their child. Upon his release, he terrorizes Bowden and his family, stalking his wife at their house and attempting to seduce Bowden's teenaged daughter. After Bowden's failed attempts t