- Colette Castel, Tout l’or du monde, France-Italy, 1961. Old Wave réalisateurRenéClair was directing Bourvil in three roles while all the few agents in Paris were trying to get their young clients into the last dozen roles – walk-on villagers. The future great agent, Gerard Lebovici, called Costa-Gavras, one of Clair’s two assistants, and recommended Claude Berri, Marcel Bozzuffi, Jean-Pierre Cassel, FrançoiseDorleac, Serge Rousseau. Costa passed on the bad news: None matched what was wanted – except Dorleac. Clair, however, kept the faith with Colette Castel from his earlier 1955 film (?) Les Grandes Manœuvres.
- Laura Devon, Red Line 700, 1964. Rather like the young German, Katrine Schaake, a few years later for for Rio Lobo, 1970, Dorléac suddenly proved… unobtainable. Even when Hawks offered her $3,500 a week. (James Caan was only on $500!)
- Anjanette Comer, The Appaloosa (UK: Southwest To Sonora), 1966. Lost her chance to work with Marlon Brando. The following year, the same director, Canadian Sidney J Furie, tried to get Dorléac’s sister, Catherine Deneuve, for The Naked Runner opposite Frank Sinatra.
- Catherine Deneuve, La vie de Chateau (US: A Matter of Resistance), France, 1965. Dorléac didn’t help her cause any by turning up very late for her first meeting with realisateur Jean-Paul Rappeneau. “Ninety minutes, one day… I’d never waited so long for a girl,” said Rappeneau. Dorleac was renowned for being late for almost everything. (It’s what killed her). Her sister was always on time. Hence, Deneuve became Marie. Dorléac died in a car crash while driving – late – to Nice airport. “My fault,” wailed Deneuve, “she was comng to join me…” They were due in Tokyo to promote Les Demoiselles de Rochefort. “The two of us,” said Dorléac, “made the perfect woman.”
Birth year: 1942Death year: 1967Other name: Casting Calls: 4