- Nino Castelnuovo, Les parapluies de Cherbourg, France, 1964. Jacques Demy’s first idea was the French Elvis, and his singer-wife Sylvie Vartan. Hardly a couple for Michel Legrand songs. Anyway, “they didn’t want to do it, neither one or the other.”
- Victor Lanoux, La vieille dame indigne (The Shameless Old Lady), France, 1964 . In what would have been his film debut, the nation’s top rocker would have taken considerable shine off his co-star – the titular, octogenarian actress known as simply, Sylvie… in her first lead role after a lifetime of character studies starting in 1912.
- Gian Maria Violonte, Le Cercle rouge, France, 1970. “Jean-Pierre Melville was the master offilm noir,” said the venerated French rocker. “He offered me a role. Finally, because it becamea co-production with Italy – meaning an Italian hadtobe cast and Volonte tookthe role. I was disappointed butI remained thebestof friendswith Melville”- until his1973 demise. Heswore he’d neverwork with Volonte again – like Sergio Leone afterPer qualche dollaro in piu/For A Few Dollars More, 1965.
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Joe Dallesandro, Sangue per Dracula (UK: Blood for Dracula; US: Andy Warhol’s Dracula), US-France-Italy,1973. Sure and Elvis for Frankenstein! Some French francs were sprinkled into the budget. Would have been more, much more, if the Warhoian director, Paul Morrissey, had accepted the French rock star as Mario the handyman. But Joe was one of Andy’s superstars and had already made the Andy Morrissey companion piece, Flesh For Frankenstein (US: Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein). End of story. Not of Johnny, still rockin’until his death in 2017.
- Eddy Mitchell, A mort l’arbitre, France, 1981. The French rocker didn’t like the script.Nor the role.“I have little affection for referees.”
- Gérard Depardieu, Police, France, 1985. All too easily miffed, auteur Maurice Pialat changed his mind about Johnny – because he had committed the sin of making another (and better) policier, Jean-Luc Godard’s Detective, 1985.
- Francis Huster, Parking, France, 1985. Demy tried again. Now he required a rocker – Jim Morrison was the role-model. Johnny wisely backed off such an almighty flop that Demy vowed never to make another movie. Unfortunately, he reneged…
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Usual occupation: SingerCasting Calls: 7