- Jean-Paul Belmondo, Moderato Cantabile, France, 1960. The Nobel Prize-winning French author/philosopher was so keen to turn actor, he even agreed to do something about his protruding ears… He’d been suggested by TV director Pierre Cardinal after devoting a documentary to him. The feature’s director and co-star – Peter Brook, Jeanne Moreau – backed the idea. Author Marguerite Duras wasn’t convincd. But first, Camus said he had to complete his fifth book, the autobiographical Le Premier homme/The First Man. He never did – being killed in a car crash. Throughout 1959, Camus (writer, playwright and sometime stage actor) was “working hard to stop myself regretting not making the film.” Brook next considered other non-actors, such as journo-politico Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber and the Spanish author and future Culture Minister, Jorge Semprun.
Usual occupation: Author/philosopherBirth year: 1913Death year: 1960Other name: Casting Calls: 1