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Iconic Roles and Actors



pasty

pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,272
West, West, West Sussex
Watching a documentary abut the late great Norman Wisdom the other day, I didn't know that he was one of the original choices for Frank Spencer in "Some Mothers Do Have 'Em" but he turned it down, as did Ronnie Barker before Michael Crawford got the role. I also know Jim Broadbent was the original choice for Del-Boy in OFAH before David Jason got it.

Any other iconic roles that were meant for an actor that didn't end up playing it?
 




G

Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,336
Uffern
There are loads of these: ones I found out the other day were in Dad's Army. Mainwaring was supposed to have been played by Jon Pertwee and Jones by Jack Haig - hard now to think of anyone else in those roles
 


Goldstone1976

Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Apr 30, 2013
13,784
Herts
Laurence Olivier was originally slated for Brando's Vito Corleone in The Godfather
 


Doc Lynam

Doc Lynam

I hate the Daily Mail
Jun 19, 2011
7,200
Danny La Rue was asked to play Minder but turned it down; Dennis Waterman stepped in.
 


Publius Ovidius

Publius Ovidius

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
46,019
at home
I haven't got my glasses on so I read that as Islamic roles and actors

Laurence Olivier as the mad Mahdi in the film Gordon ( of Khartoum)
 






Norman Potting

Norman Potting

Well-known member
Nov 5, 2006
13,967
Sussex, Sussex not by the sea and actually nearer
Gwylan said:
There are loads of these: ones I found out the other day were in Dad's Army. Mainwaring was supposed to have been played by Jon Pertwee and Jones by Jack Haig - hard now to think of anyone else in those roles
Click to expand...

Also read (probably Wikipedia so it must be correct) that David Jason was considered as Corporal Jones in Dad's Army, also that due to him appearing in "Do Not Adjust Your Set" (anyone old enough to recall that) he was almost a member of the Monty Python team.

Trivia fans - although Jim Broadbent missed out on being "Del Boy" which occcasional character did he play in OFAH?
 


The Large One

The Large One

Who's Next?
Jul 7, 2003
52,343
97.2FM
Norman Potting said:
Also read (probably Wikipedia so it must be correct) that David Jason was considered as Corporal Jones in Dad's Army, also that due to him appearing in "Do Not Adjust Your Set" (anyone old enough to recall that) he was almost a member of the Monty Python team.

Trivia fans - although Jim Broadbent missed out on being "Del Boy" which occcasional character did he play in OFAH?
Click to expand...

Roy Slater. John Challis (who ended up as Boycie) was also considered.
 












M

Mo Gosfield

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2010
6,284
Peter Sellers was first choice for Fagin in Lionel Bart's Oliver. Ron Moody who ended up in the role, was third or fourth choice.
 










GT49er

GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,720
Gloucester
Gwylan said:
There are loads of these: ones I found out the other day were in Dad's Army. Mainwaring was supposed to have been played by Jon Pertwee and Jones by Jack Haig - hard now to think of anyone else in those roles
Click to expand...
Also at one time it was intended for Arthur Lowe to play the sergeant and John le Mesurier to be Captain Mainwaring - stroke of genius to switch them.
 


vegster

vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,892
GT49er said:
Also at one time it was intended for Arthur Lowe to play the sergeant and John le Mesurier to be Captain Mainwaring - stroke of genius to switch them.
Click to expand...

Almost correct. The plan was for Lowe's Mainwaring to be a bit wet and for Le Mesurier to be the bolshy, loud sergeant, well that's what I heard. Croft and Perry did go back to the original idea though with It Ain't Half Hot Mum In which we had a rather dippy Captain Ashwood and our bombastic Sgt. Major Williams.
 










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