- Jason Robards, The Night They Raided Minsky’s, 1967. Alda was then starring in The Apple Tree on Broadway, directed by almighty Mike Nichols and the film’s helmer, William Friedkin, wanted to pair him, with Joel Grey, still in The Great White Way’s Cabaret. “It was a real coup to land these guys… steeped in theatrical tradition, skilled at musical comedy,” said Billy. Perfect for “the major musical comedy about the last days of burlesque.” Two weeks later, they’d gone – unable to get out of the stage duties. Enter: Robards from Divorce American Style, also produced by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear.
- Jason Miller,The Exorcist, 1972.
- Robert De Niro, Taxi Driver, 1975.
- Roy Scheider, All That Jazz, 1979. When director Bob Fosse was convinced (by his health) not to try and play his screen self, Broadway choreographer Joe Gideo n was chased and/or avoided by… Alda, Alan Bates (“too British,” said Fosse), Warren Beatty (keen, but Gideon must not die at the end!), Robert Blake, Richard Dreyfuss (“afraid of the dancing”), Elliott Gould, Gene Hackman, Jack Lemmon (“too old”), Paul Newman (“Dumb of me… a terrible oversight”), Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, George Segal, Jon Voight. Scheider just grabbed the “outrageous, assaulting, melodramatic, very funny, stupid, silly, simplistic, vulgar… wonderful movie!” Exactly.
- Robert Vaughn, Superman III, 1983.
- Martin Sheen, The West Wing, TV, 1999-2006. Hardly surprising that creator Aaron Sorkin first thought of Sidney Poitier for his US President. “Those talks didn’t get far,” Sorkin recalled. Poitier’s fee was too high for the planned four appearances per season. Next in line for POTUS: Alda, John Cullum, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards. Then producer John Wells remembered Sheen had played JFK (and RFK) and would be the perfect Josiah Bartlett (named after a signatory of the July 4, 1776 Declaration of Independence). In fact, he ruled from his first entrance and was quickly written (front and centre) into all 154 episodes. Alda eventually joined the series Oval Office candidate Arnold Vinick, his fourth screen US senator. (He was almost his fifth when thinking on running for the Senate in 1995).
- Djimon Hounsou, Shazam! 2018. A month after Brie Larson’s Captain Marvelopened in 2019, Zachary Levi arrived as… Captain Marvel. Re-named by DC as Shazam! in 2011. You may not know him, but he sold more comics tham Superman in the 40s. He’s really a kid of 14, given superpowers (and body) by an old called, er, Shazam. Think Superboy in Superbloke’s body. . Alda, F Murray Abraham, Michael Keaton (the 1988 Batman) and Tony (Monk) Shaloub were seen for this wizard. Ron Ceophas Jones (from the opposition, Marvel’s Luke Cage) got the gig. But his TV schedule got in the way and Hounsou took over. Direct from the set of… Brie Larson’s winner!
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 7