10 Iconic Movie Roles Almost Played By Totally Different Actors
2. Dirty Harry - Frank Sinatra
Dirty Harry Callahan is an essential part of the Clint Eastwood mythos, marking his distinctive middle period between Spaghetti Westerns the Dollars Trilogy and his work behind the camera, and cementing the capital-B badass status Eastwood enjoys in the Hollywood canon. Nevertheless, the part of the rough-n-ready maverick cop almost went to someone far more unlikely.
Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, was first up for the part, which the studio had offered around to pretty much any big name working at that time, with no takers. Producers struggled to get any interest in the role until they got in touch with Sinatra, who took the part with a 12-gauge shotgun as his weapon of choice.
However, after sustaining a broken hand while filming The Manchurian Candidate, he was unable to hold a gun (never mind a 12-gauge) and walked away from the film, and the part of Dirty Harry, for good.
Given his polished, mobster-like sheen, Sinatra could never really have been right for the part, and if he had stayed on chances are Don Siegel's original 1971 movie wouldn't have spawned any sequels.