- Ed O’Neill, Married With Children, TV, 1987-1997. Before his iconic triumph as Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, TV, 1900-1998, the Vietnam veteran auditioned for poor Al Bundy… with a lazy wife, dysfunctional son and promiscuous daughter. Richards won a callback and believed he was “head-to-head, probably” with O’Neill. “But God! Look how he played it – he was so perfect for the role.”
- Buddy Hackett, The Little Mermaid, 1989. Two TV stars, the trenchant comic-cum-social critic and Seinfeld’s Kramer neighbour, Richards – were up for voicing Scuttle the Seagull.
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Daniel Stern, Home Alone, 1990. John Hughes wrote Marv for Stern. Director Chris Columbus also considered Seinfeld’s Kramer for the one of two doltish burglars being thwarted by brainy kid Macauley Culkin. When Stern’agent wanted too much moiey, Columbus started shooting with Daniel Roebuck – was soon dropped him, for Stern.
- Randy Quaid, Kingpin, 1996. The Farrelly brothers called himr about tenpin bowing… He even started growing a beard for it.
- Tony Shalhoub, Monk, TV, 2002-2009. . Back in the day, Shaloub auditioned for Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld, 1989-1998 – losing, of course to the, er, distinctive Michael Richards, who never crashed throughJerry’s door the same way twice. He won three Emmy awards. Now, eight years later, his Michael Richards Show broke like a mirror in 2000 and, in common with all Seinfelders, Richards was seeking a new show . A new, non-Kramer career. He was way too extrovert for this cop suffering obsessive compulsive disorder. In more than 100 episodes, the more subtle Shalhoub was nominated six times for an Emmy award – and won three – while Richards’ racist tirade during a 2006 stand-up ruined his career
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5