- Richard Paul, WKRP in Cincinnati, TV, 1981. Daniels’ gig at WKRP suddenly vanished when the producers found another actor who more closely resembled the basis of the role – Jerry Falwell. Paul later played the right-wing televangelist for real in The People vs Larry Flynt, 1996.
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Richard Dysart, The Thing, 1981. Casting Dr Copper stopped at the Ds… Daniels was seen, Brian Dennehy was almost selected before director John Carpenter decided upon Dysart. His arms get severed – achieved by a using a real double amputee in a Dysart mask. Not a very good one. No one noticed. Too busy screaming! It was that bad. Could have been worse, Universal had wanted Tobe Hooper to direct.
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Jack Colvin, Child’s Play,1988. One of the unlucky 13 actors up for Dr Ardmore – double the total seen for the four other main roles in the tale of a doll inhabited by a serial killer’s soul. Other potential medics were Daniels, Matt Clark, Henry Darrow, Richard Dysart, Art Evans, Clu Gulager, Bruce McGill, Donald Moffat, Dean Stockwell, Al Waxman – plus Charles Hallahan, John P Ryan and Harris Yulin from director Tom Holland’s previous release, Fatal Beauty.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 3