Michael Sarrazin (May 22, 1940 – April 17, 2011)Actor Michael Sarrazin dies at 70
CBC News, April 18, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011. was a Canadian actor. His most notable film was '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?''.

Early life

Sarrazin was born Jacques Michel André Sarrazin in Quebec City, Quebec, and moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

as a child. After acting in school plays, he landed his first professional role at age 17.''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' obituary p. 67, April 20, 2011.

Career

Sarrazin worked on television productions in Toronto such as ''Festival'' and '' Wojeck''. He then gained a contract with MCA Universal. His early appearances include episodes of '' The Virginian'' (1965) and '' Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' as well as the TV film '' The Doomsday Flight'' (1966) and the feature '' Gunfight in Abilene'' (1967).

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

borrowed him for the lead role in '' The Flim-Flam Man'' (1967), co-starring George C. Scott and Sue Lyon. Universal then cast him with Anthony Franciosa in '' A Man Called Gannon'' (1968) and with

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...

in '' Journey to Shiloh'' (1968). Fox asked him back to star in '' The Sweet Ride'' (1968) alongside

Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in ''The Detective (1968 film), The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet ...

, who became his real-life girlfriend for the next several years. Sarrazin appeared in some thrillers for Universal such as '' Eye of the Cat'' (1969) with Gayle Hunnicutt and

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged (1950 film), Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story (1951 film), Detective Story'' (1951 ...

and '' In Search of Gregory'' (1969) with

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. Christie's accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has appeared in six films ranked in the British Film Institu ...

and

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 28 January 2017) was an English actor. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his time and known for the "most distinctive voice in Cinema of the United Kingdom, Britain", he was described by David Ly ...

. He was originally cast to play Joe Buck in ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted by Waldo Salt from the 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, J ...

'' (1969), but he was unable to gain release from a prior contract and the part went to

Jon Voight Jonathan Vincent Voight (; born December 29, 1938) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and four Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations ...

. He was announced for the male lead in '' Cover Me Babe'', but was replaced by Robert Forster. Sarrazin's breakthrough role was in the dark

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

drama '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' (1969). The

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Pollack is known for directing commercially and critically acclaimed studio films. Over his forty year career he received numerous accolades ...

film earned nine Oscar nominations. Sarrazin starred alongside

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress and activist. Recognized as a film icon, Jane Fonda filmography, Fonda's work spans several genres and over six decades of film and television. She is the recipient of List of a ...

, Susannah York, Gig Young,

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and Golden Globe for '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his work such as ''Harlow'' (1965), '' They Shoot Ho ...

, Bonnie Bedelia and Bruce Dern. He starred in the youth dramas '' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1971) with

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including Wester ...

and '' Believe in Me'' (1971) with Bisset. He supported Henry Fonda and

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

in '' Sometimes a Great Notion'' (1970), then did '' The Groundstar Conspiracy'' (1972) at Universal. Sarrazin supported

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

in '' Harry in Your Pocket'' (1973) and received excellent reviews for the television film '' Frankenstein: The True Story'' (1973). He appeared as

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

's husband in the screwball comedy '' For Pete's Sake'' (1974). He then starred with

Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth Kidder (October 17, 1948 – May 13, 2018) was a Canadian and American actress and activist. She amassed List of Margot Kidder performances, several film and television credits in her career spanning five decades, including her bes ...

and

Jennifer O'Neill Jennifer O'Neill (born February 20, 1948) is a Brazilian-born American author, model, and former actress. Born in Brazil, and moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenaged model (person), model, and for he ...

in '' The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' (1975), about a man doomed to die the same kind of death twice. Sarrazin went to Europe to star opposite Ursula Andress in the sex comedy '' The Loves and Times of Scaramouche'' (1976). He starred in '' The Gumball Rally'' (1976), then had lead roles in the Iran-shot film '' Caravans'' (1978), the Canadian mystery thriller ''

Double Negative A double negative is a construction occurring when two forms of grammatical negation are used in the same sentence. This is typically used to convey a different shade of meaning from a strictly positive sentence ("You're not unattractive" vs "You ...

'' (1980), and the vigilante crime drama '' Fighting Back'' (1982). He hosted the April 15, 1978 episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. Sarrazin increasingly shifted to television work. He starred in '' Beulah Land'' (1980) and '' The Seduction'' (1982) and had a support part in '' Fighting Back'' (1982). He also appeared in '' Joshua Then and Now'' (1985), the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode " The Quickening" (1996) and '' The Outer Limits'' episodes " I Hear You Calling" (1996) and " The Other Side" (1999).

Personal life

For seven years (1967–1974), Sarrazin was in a relationship with actress

, whom he met while making '' The Sweet Ride'' (1968). Before that, he had two children by an unknown girlfriend.

Death

Sarrazin died of

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lini ...

on April 17, 2011, aged 70, in his hometown of Montreal. According to a family spokesman, his daughters Catherine and Michele were at his side when he died.

Filmography

Film

* ''You're No Good'' (1965, NFB Film) — Eddie (German Version: Freddy) * '' Gunfight in Abilene'' (1967) — Cord Decker * '' The Flim-Flam Man'' (1967) — Curley * '' A Man Called Gannon'' (1968) — Jess Washburn * '' Journey to Shiloh'' (1968) — Miller Nalls * '' The Sweet Ride'' (1968) — Denny McGuire * '' Eye of the Cat'' (1969) — Wylie * '' In Search of Gregory'' (1969) — Gregory Mulvey * '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' (1969) — Robert * '' The Pursuit of Happiness'' (1971) — William Popper * '' Believe in Me'' (1971) — Remy * '' Sometimes a Great Notion'' (1971) — Leeland Stamper * ''

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean ''The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' is a 1972 American Western comedy film written by John Milius, directed by John Huston, and starring Paul Newman. It is loosely based on the life of American saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in ...

'' (1972) * '' The Groundstar Conspiracy'' (1972) — John David Welles / Peter Bellamy * '' Harry in Your Pocket'' (1973) — Ray Haulihan * '' For Pete's Sake'' (1974) — Pete Robbins * '' The Reincarnation of Peter Proud'' (1975) — Peter Proud * '' The Loves and Times of Scaramouche'' (1976) — Scaramouche * '' The Gumball Rally'' (1976) — Michael Bannon — Cobra Team * '' Caravans'' (1978) — Mark Miller * '' Deadly Companion'' (1980) — Michael Taylor * '' The Seduction'' (1982) — Brandon * '' Fighting Back'' (1982) — Vince Morelli * ' (1983) — Szilveszter Matuska * '' Joshua Then and Now'' (1985) — Kevin Hornby * ''Mascara'' (1987) — Bert Sanders * ''Keeping Track'' (1986) — Daniel Hawkins * '' Captive Hearts'' (1987) — Sergeant McManus * '' Malarek'' (1988) — Moorcraft * '' La Florida'' (1993) — Romeo Laflamme * '' The Peacekeeper'' (1997) — Lt. Colonel Douglas Murphy * '' Crackerjack 2'' (1997) — Smith * '' The Second Arrival'' (1998) — Prof. Nelson Zarcoff * '' FeardotCom'' (2002) — Frank Bryant * ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagoni ...

'' (2012) — Irish Catholic Priest

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sarrazin, Michael 1940 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Deaths from cancer in Quebec Male actors from Montreal Male actors from Quebec City