10 Actors Who Were Robbed Of Iconic Movie Roles By Injury

3. Peter Sellers As Orville Spooner - Kiss Me, Stupid

Kiss Me Stupid 1 Peter Sellers is probably best known for his roles in Stanley Kubrick's version of Lolita, his dual performances in Dr. Strangelove, and for his turns in the Pink Panther films. He might also have been "best known" for a role in Billy Wilder's comic caper Kiss Me, Stupid, had he not suffered from 13 heart attacks six weeks into filming. That's right, cast as Orville Spooner and starring alongside Dean Martin, Peter Sellers was hit with a mental 13 heart attacks and had to pull out. Anybody who initially thought that Billy Wilder would wait for Sellers to recover and return to the set was wholly wrong - given the six weeks it would apparently take for the actor to get better, Wilder opted instead to fire Sellers and recast the role. So it's Ray Walston who plays Orville Spooner in the movie instead. The movie didn't receive great reviews upon release, of course, but - like Wilder's Ace in the Hole - has since been reappraised and re-evaluated as a minor classic.
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Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.