- Henry Fonda, Blockade, 1937. The future director of Beatty, Brando (three times), Clift, Dean, etc., was not considered a suitable leading man for Madeleine Carrroll. Nor were Willy Costello and Alan Marshal. The difficulty in finding the right guy had the production shelved for a year. Not a jot about it in Kazan’s 1988 bio, A Life.
- Lee Strasberg, The Godfather: Part II, 1974.
- John Colicos, The Postman Always Ring Twice, 1980. The director was tested, even though he as far too ballsy a type to allow Jack Nicholson’s bum to take his wife – and his life. Bob Rafelson tested some 80 men for the murdered Greek husband, even went to Greece to discuss locals with Michael Cacoyannis, before recalling Colicos as Cyrano de Bergerac20 years before in New York.
- André Gregory, Last Summer in the Hamptons, 1995. Director Henry Jaglom asked Kazan and Viveca Lindfors (in her final film) to play an elderly couple meeting 40 years after their love affair. “No,” said Kazan. “I know what kind of films you make. Expose your own self.”
Birth year: 1909 Death year: 2003 Other name: Usual occupation: Film director Casting Calls: 4