1. – Gary Cooper, The Winning of Barbara Worth, 1926. Not a name to be found in many cinencyclopedias, but because (a) he was delayed on director Ernst Lubitsch’s The Honeymoon Express and (b) producer Samuel Goldwyn’s secretary, Valeria Belletti, had a crush on a tall, rangy cowboy fella… Goodwin was out and Coop was in! Minus Goodwin for a studio scene before the Nevada locations, director Henry King had Coop dressed in his clothes: “All you have to do is keep your eyes on Vilma Banky.” He did that earnestly enough to to be given a more crucial scene, including a close-up. Goldwyn went mad: “No damn cowboy can play it.” After spying on the shooting, Goldwyn expoloded anew: “He’s the greatest actor I’ve ever seen in my life… An unintentional actor. He never gives the impression of giving a performance.”
Birth year: 1902Death year: 1987Other name: Casting Calls: 0