Robert Donat made his only trip to Hollywood during the production of this film. Due mainly to his poor health, he was unable to travel to Hollywood again to film any of his other roles.
This was the third film producer Edward Small made for United Artists. Fredric March was the original choice for the title role. Eventually Robert Donat was cast under an international star loan agreement negotiated by Joseph M. Schenck of United Artists.
Included among the American Film Institute's 2001 list of 400 movies nominated for the top 100 Most Heart-Pounding American Movies.
The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), which was named one of the 10 best pictures of 1934 by the Film Daily "poll of critics," marked the American screen debut of Robert Donat. Although his performance in this film was highly touted, Donat, who was plagued by severe asthma, returned to England after the production and never made a career for himself in Hollywood. A sequel, "The Son of Monte Cristo," was announced almost immediately, but took several years to be made. The film had two sequels, The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) and The Return of Monte Cristo (1946).