- Richard Burton, The Robe, 1953. A German refugee in America, going from music arranger Irving Berlin to assistant to Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre company, Van Eyck was due for an “Introducing…” credit from producer Frank Ross, when planning the film in 1943… year of the LA debut of Goetz Van Eyck in Hitler’s Children.
- Harry Andrews, Helen of Troy, US-Italy, 1955. Considered for Hector.So was (the 17 years younger) Stanley Baker.Then again, Warner Bros wanted Baker so much, the studio didn’t care who he played. As long as it wasn’t Helen.Then again, the epic might have made more money if he had!
- Raf Vallone, Se tutte le donne del mondo… (Operazione Paradiso) [US: Kiss the Girls and Make Then Die], Italy, 1966. The iconic Rome Rome producer Dino De Laurentiis thought it was dead easy to make a Bond film (pinching much of Moonraker,not made until 1979) and crush the 1967 releases of You Only Live Twice and the first Casino Royal. Three Bonds in one year was two much, and as bad as it was, Royalewas a better farce than the cardboard Connors as a hero. For the villian, Mr Ardonian, Dino tried to land German stars Van Eyck or Curd Jürgens.Ten years later Jürgenswas the bad old Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me. Surprisingly,Van Eyck, was never never selected for Bond villainy. He would have been perfect. Far better than Jürgens. Quentin Tarantino loved it. Yeah, that bad!
Birth year: 1911Death year: 1969Other name: Casting Calls: 3