- Hardy Kruger, Hatari! 1961. The Silver Fox, director Howard Hawks,was impressed by the Irish-American for half of the role Hawkshad divied into two – but more so by the German… and he spoke better English than his fellow Euro-star, Gérard Blain (”the French James Dean”).
- Roger Moore, The Saint, TV, 1962-1969. As well as Simon Templar, he also refused James Bond. Didn’t want his kids seeing him kissing other women than their mother.
- Sean Connery, Dr No, 1962.
- Sean Connery, Thunderball, 1965.
- Keith Michel, Prudence and the Pill, 1967. Rather easy for McGoohan to refuse the doctor behind the birth-control pills causing havoc in the family home of Deborah Kerr and David Niven.
- Dirk Bogarde, Sebastian, 1967. When Rex Harrison just dropped out, UK director Michael Powell tried everyone to be his master code-breaker – McGoohan, Michael Caine, Peter O’Toole, Christopher Plummer, David Warner – in a semi-autobiographical script from Peeping Tom scenarist Leo Marks.
- Robert Mitchum, Ryan’s Daughter, 1969. Robert Bolt composed a new take on Flaubert’s Madame Bovary for Sarah Miles and handed themselves to David Lean. Hmm, sajd Lean, go away, try another take – no Bovarys and no France. Hence the film made in Ireland plus a stunning South African beach. With Mitchum giving a superb acting masterclass to his rivals for Sarah’s husband: Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, Patrick McGoohan, Peter O’Toole, Gregory Peck, Paul Scofield and George C Scott(!). Mitchum tried to refuse the role.: “I was actually planning on committing suicide.” “Well,” said Bolt, if you just finish working on this wretched little film and then do yourself in, I’d be happy to stand the expenses of your burial.”
- Roger Moore, Live and Let Die, 1971.
- Kyle MacLachan, Dune, 1984.
- Bryan Brown, Tai Pan, 1986. Announced in 1967. Author James Clavell had nothing to do with the final movie – “thank goodness.”
- W. Morgan Sheppard, Star Trek The Next Generation #32: The Schizoid Man, TV, 1988. (Stardate 42437.5). No thank you. Been there. GFot the tree-shirt. In fact, got an antifre and an entire serius! And in October 1967, one of the 17 episodes of his McGoohan’s own series creation, The Prisoner, was called… The Schizoid Man.
- Ian McKellen,The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 2001-2003
- Richard Harris, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2001. After no screen offers for three years – apart from voicing his own Number Six in a Simpsons episode – Pat was again topping lists. From London to Wellington. From The Lord of the Rings‘ Gandalf to Harry’s headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, outed as gay by author JK Rowling in 2007.
Birth year: 1928Death year: 2009Other name: Casting Calls: 13