Actors replaced during filming

[midnight sheep]

I was just thinking about this subject having watched a biography of Tyrone Power.He had a massive heart attack on the set of Solomon And Sheba and was replaced by Yul Brenner.

Then there's Peggy Cummins who was filming Forever Amber when filming was shut down and she found herself replaced by Linda Darnell.They said she wasn't projecting the neccessary fire in the role.

Any more examples?.

[Kitty Whiskers]

I'll start with the obvious ones:

Eric Stolz found himself replaced when first choice Michael J Fox became available for Back to the Future.

Harvey Keitel was replaced by Martin Sheen in Apocolypse Now. (Harvey didn't get on with Coppola)

Joan Crawford was replaced by Olivia De Havilland in Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. (Joan didn't want to work with Bette again and feigned illnesses to be replaced)

Judy Garland was replaced by Susan Hayward in Valley of The Dolls. (Judy was having health issues)

Elizabeth Taylor replaced Vivien Leigh in Raintree Forrest (Viv was having health issues)

Bette Davis replaced Claudette Colbert in All About Eve. (Colbert injured her back)

[Toscana]

Not during filming but the producer Euan Lloyd lost just before shooting: Stephen Boyd on Wild Geese, William Holden on Who Dares Wins and Richard Burton on Wild Geese II.

[CaptainWaggett]

Not during filming but Christopher Plummer was Doctor Dolittle for a couple of days until Rex put his toys back in the pram and decided he wanted the part after all. Which meant that Chris got the same amount of money as Rex without the awful hassle of actually having to do any filming

[HUGHJAMPTON]

Wasn't William Hartnell fired from the set of In Which We Serve and replaced by one of the technicians?

[darrenburnfan]

Surely, Kitty Whiskers, Raintree Forest should read Raintree County.

[Dandy Forsdyke]

Bette Davis replaced Claudette Colbert in All About Eve. (Colbert injured her back)

I never knew this. Had Colbert actually begun filming? I thought she hurt her back during the production of another film and filming of All About Eve was delayed, but she never got as far as the set.

[cornershop15]

You mean Raintree County, don't you Kitty? Probably confusing it with The Petrified Forest! I wasn't aware of that story but Elizabeth Taylor also replaced Vivien Leigh in Elephant Walk. The latter's scenes where she was filmed in long-shot were left in and this seems to be a common occurance. As mentioned only a couple of days ago when I paid tribute to Valerie White, who was replaced by Jean Kent in The Wicked Lady.

Another notable substitution was in Billy Liar, when Julie Christie got her 'big break' at the expense
of Topsy Jane (seen here in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner) who fell ill during filming.

Other 'Actors replaced' include Ann Holloway, the original Georgina Jones in Adam Adamant Lives before the part was recast with Juliet Harmer, and Judy Huxtable, whose role as Laura Slade in the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode For the Girl Who Has Everything went to Carol Cleveland ... who wore the same dress in The Baron I noticed!

"But that's another story ..."

Sorry, DBF, I didn't realise you pointed out the same mistake.

[darrenburnfan]

I read somewhere that Jean Peters was originally cast as Diana in The Robe, but by the time filming took place, she was heavily and noticeably pregnant. So she was replaced by Jean Simmons. That's why the artist's illustration of Diana on the film's poster doesn't look like Jean Simmons, although the images of Richard Burton and Victor Mature look exactly like them.

[christoph404]

Irish actor Stuart Townsend was originally hired to play the part of Aragorn in "The Lord of The Rings" trilogy, he spent several months rehearsing and training but was fired and replaced by Viggo Mortensen the day before principal photography began.( some sources say he was fired after four days of filming) Townsend is quite bitter about it, the producers used a contract clause to wriggle out of not paying him a single penny even though he was contracted to appear in the film and had spent two months preparing for the role.

[Ray]

I read somewhere that Jean Peters was originally cast as Diana in The Robe, but by the time filming took place, she was heavily and noticeably pregnant. So she was replaced by Jean Simmons. That's why the artist's illustration of Diana on the film's poster doesn't look like Jean Simmons, although the images of Richard Burton and Victor Mature look exactly like them.

It was Jeanne Crain who was the first choice for The Robe, but she was always getting pregnant, and eventually had six kids. Lucky for us that she got pregnant after she was given the plum role of Eve Harrington in All About Eve, and the lovely Anne Baxter took over and gave a great performance.

A pregnant Crain was replaced again in 1951, this time by Susan Hayward in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain.

Jean Peters wasn't married at the time of The Robe, and it would have been the kiss of death for her career if she had been pregnant. Incidentally, she never did have any children. Jean did replace Anne Baxter that year when she turned down the second female lead in Niagara. If Anne had accepted the role it would have been her third with Marilyn Monroe, who had small roles in A Ticket to Tomahawk and All About Eve.

[midnight sheep]

Russell Mael of Sparks was about to start filming Get Crazy when he was replaced by Malcolm McDowall.He got paid anyway and they did the title track.

[darrenburnfan]

It was Jeanne Crain who was the first choice for The Robe, but she was always getting pregnant, and eventually had six kids. Lucky for us that she got pregnant after she was given the plum role of Eve Harrington in All About Eve, and the lovely Anne Baxter took over and gave a great performance.

A pregnant Crain was replaced again in 1951, this time by Susan Hayward in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain.

Jean Peters wasn't married at the time of The Robe, and it would have been the kiss of death for her career if she had been pregnant. Incidentally, she never did have any children. Jean did replace Anne Baxter that year when she turned down the second female lead in Niagara. If Anne had accepted the role it would have been her third with Marilyn Monroe, who had small roles in A Ticket to Tomahawk and All About Eve.

Thanks for putting me right on this, Ray. I always thought it was Jean Peters, but obviously, it couldn't have been.

[Santonix]

Not whilst filming, but Kim Novak replaced Vera Miles in Vertigo, after Vera fell pregnant.

[Gerald Lovell]

Wasn't William Hartnell fired from the set of In Which We Serve and replaced by one of the technicians?

I don't recall that, and I don't think it's mentioned in his (pretty frank) biography.

[will.15]

Some of these mentioned were replaced before filming. But Charles Laughton defintely began filming David Copperfield and was replaced by W.C. Fields.

James Cagney began Public Enemy in the supporting role of the good older brother and directorl William Wellman told Darryl Zanuck the two actors should switch roles and he agreed after seeing the rushes. They didn't rewrite the script, so the younger looking actor was now the older brother, something I noticed when I saw the movie without knowing the last minute change.

[Mr Sloane]

TV rather than film but Genevieve Bujold was replaced by Kate Mulgrew after a couple of days filming as Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager.

[Mr Sloane]

Betty Hutton replaced Judy Garland in Annie Get Your Gun, I'm not sure if any filming had taken place but Judy had started recording the songs,

[Tigon Man]

The most infamous example of an actor being replaced must be in Edward D. Woods Plan Nine From Outer Space (1956). When Bela Lugosi died during filming he was replaced (I think) by the directors wifes osteopath!

Donald Pleasance replaced the Czech actor Jan Werich when the latter fell ill during the early stages of You Only Live Twice (1967)

[CaptainWaggett]

James Cagney began Public Enemy in the supporting role of the good older brother and directorl William Wellman told Darryl Zanuck the two actors should switch roles and he agreed after seeing the rushes. They didn't rewrite the script, so the younger looking actor was now the older brother, something I noticed when I saw the movie without knowing the last minute change.

I thought he wasn't the brother but the central character's best friend but he and Edward Woods (both presumably unknowns) were swapped after a couple of days filming.

A famous one - Buddy Ebsen in The Wizard of Oz