- Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu, Le trou,France-Italy, 1959. Cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet helped réalisateurJacques Becker test youngsters for the jailbirds. He invited Costa (just out of film school) to join the hopefuls. He wasn’t keen but never thought of refusing. He said he resembled Humprey Bogart or Dana Andrews as a kid (that’s not what his family pix show) but his test was catastrophic, a humiliating disaster and he was furious with himself and vowed never to accept any other cameos and walk-ons until Yves Montand (star of various Costa films) insisted on a scene for Costa, Montand his pianist Bob Castella in Section spéciale, 1974, as three miliciens having lunch near the Palais de Justice in Paris, inches from where Montand lived with Simone Signoret. (Castella had the flat upstairs). Simone was next to persuade Costa to cameo – as Ramon in her La Vie devant soi (Madame Rosa), 1977. He also popped up in two of his pal John Landis’ US comedies: The Stupids, 1965, among seven other directors ( including the equally political Gillo Pontecorvo) and Spies Like Us, 1985.
Usual occupation: DirectorBirth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 1