- Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws, 1975.
- Perry King, Mandingo, 1974. Bottoms, Jan-Michael Vincent and the Bridges bros, Beau and Jeff, all wisely refused to play Hammopn Maxwell in what Chicago critic Roger Ebert called a piece of racist manure. “Obscene in its manipulation of human beings and feelings, excruciating to sit through… This is a film I felt soiled by.”
- James Coburn, Hard Times, 1975. Director Walter Hill’s favourite casting tip came from Broadway legend George Abbot: “Directors like to think there’s only one actor who can play a certain part, but there’s always somebody else.” All true, said Hill, having written the Hard Times lead for a much younger man.“I thought we’d get someone like Jan-Michael Vincent… and I wanted Warren Oates for Coburn’s part. But it worked out.”
- Nick Nolte, The Deep, 1976. Richard Benjamin (who successfully switched from comedy to drama in Westworld In 1973), Jeff Bridges, Paul LeMat, Ryan O’Neal and Jan Michael Vincent were on casting directors Mike Fenton and Jane Feinberg’s list for David Sanders. Plus TV star David Groh which led to people thinking of their TV favourites… like Chevy Chase leading, inevitably, to Nolte – “the hottest thing on television,” said producer Peter Guber’s diary.
- Christopher Reeve, Superman, 1977.
- Richard Cox, Cruising, 1980. When Andu Wahol’s apprentice, Paul Morrissey, was due to direct the walk the gay side.
Birth year: 1944Death year: 2019Other name: Casting Calls: 6