- Tom Hanks, Splash, 1984. Hanks always claimed he was director Ron Howard’s 11th choice for Allen Bauer in his breakthrough (mermaid) movie. Sorry, Tom – 15th! And here they be: Jeff Bridges, Chevy Chase, Richard Gere, Steve Guttenberg (Howard chose him for Cocoon a year later), John Heard, Michael Keaton (he also refused Alan’s brother, Freddie), stand-up Robert Klein, Kevin Kline, Dudley Moore, Bill Murray (PJ Soles was to be his mermaid), Christopher Reeve, Burt Reynolds, John Travolta (his agent turned him off it!), Robin Williams. Plus David Morse – he would soon enough win movies due to his work as Dr Boomer Morrison in TV’s St. Elsewhere, 1982-1988, with Alan Arkin, Rae Dawn Chong, Bruce Greenwood, Mark Harmon, Tom Hulce, Helen Hunt, Michael Richards, Tim Robbins, Eric Stolz, Denzel Washington, etc.
- Tom Wilkinson, Rush Hour, 1998. Morse and JT Walsh were flown up the corporate flagpole for UK diplomat Thomas Griffin. Then, a bright(er) someone said the obvious – er, why not a real Brit? That meant Wilkinson, beginning to be in almost everything either side of the pond since The Full Monty in 1996.
- JK Simmons, Justice League, 2016.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 3