Actors who were fired from/left roles

[BroadMagTech]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:23pm

Off the top of my head, I can think of Bradley Dean, Craig Bierko, and Sandy Duncan. Who else?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:24pm

The guy from the nanny from a La Cage revival..

[10086sunset]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:36pm

Believe Daniel Davis is his name.

Updated On: 4/16/16 at 08:36 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:39pm

Many.  The four that come quickest to mind left roles for very different reasons:

Dean Jones, COMPANY 
Madeline Kahn, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Judy Kuhn, SHE LOVES ME
Bette Davis, NIGHT OF THE IGUANA

 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:41pm

Thanks for the name.

 

[Capeguy]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:41pm

Valerie Harper replaced by Marlo Thomas in Theives -- Boston pre-NY

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 8:50pm

Here's a thread: https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1078901#4612148

[musicals1989]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 10:32pm

Barrett Weed-- Heathers

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 10:54pm

Lanie Kazan from Seesaw

[helvizz]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 10:57pm

As people have said, Daniel Davis (Georges) was fired from the 2004 production of La Cage. Another Georges has left the role too: in the 2010 revival Jeffrey Tambor replaced Kelsey Grammer after, Tambor stayed with the show for 10 days, give or take, and then withdrew from it due to 'complications from a hip surgery he'd undergone a few weeks prior', though no one bought that.

Emma Hunton left the tour of Wicked out of the blue too, a couple of weeks before it closed. I don't think there was an announcement of her replacement -something Wicked always does-, so there's that too.

 

 

Updated On: 4/17/16 at 10:57 PM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 4/16/16 at 11:02pm

Barbara Cook famously left CARRIE after near decapitation though she was unable to leave before the Stratford run was through.

Laine Kazan on the other hand was fired in Detroit from SEESAW for reasons even today not agreed entirely upon.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 12:34am

At Cagney was fired from the original "Odd Couple" because of his drinking.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 12:41am

Dolly, put down that bottle . It was Art Carney. At Cagney played Oscar.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 12:44am

Contrary to rumors Betty Buckley was not fired from Into The Woods. She participated in the first workshop pre San Diego and then was in the two week pre Broadway workshop. She did not participate in the show due to negotiation breakdowns. 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 12:56am

Alexandra Socha mysteriously left the off-Broadway production of Fun Home. (I'm still curious about the details of that tbh)

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 12:59am

Socha was wonderful in the part.

 

Chester Gregory was replaced with Daniel Breaker as the Donkey in Shrek. Both good performers. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 1:01am

Good Old Mr Selfridge, Jeremy Piven, left Speed The Plow after swallowing to many thermometers and getting mercury poisoning.

[Tag]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 1:13am

Faye Dunaway, (in)famously was let go from the LA production of Sunset Boulevard.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 1:15am

George Sanders left Sherry out of town due to his wife's illness.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 1:16am

And let's not even get into the Patti situation. 

[The Other One]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 1:16am

Tony Curtis, I Ought To Be In Pictures

Lee Remick, Agnes of God

Louis Jourdan, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Dallas Roberts, The Glass Menagerie

Santino Fontana, A View From The Bridge

Mary Tyler Moore, Rose's Dilemma

Updated On: 4/17/16 at 01:16 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 1:19am

Paul Muni left At The Grand before it was to come to Broadway. Believe it was over a pay dispute. Show closed in Frisco I believe and was reincarnated as Grand Hotel many years later.

[dwirth]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 2:54am

Timothy Nolen - Michael Crawford's replacement in the original Broadway Phantom back a year or so into its run - was allegedly bought out of his contract halfway through - and replaced by Cris Groenendaal (then appearing as Firmin or Andre in the show). Lesser known, opera baritone Nolen was an odd choice for the most sought after tenor part in years (though other baritones have played the role since), reaching for the top notes (as some who have heard recordings would know).  I saw him his last weekend in role with Groenendaal watching from the house...The rumor was that Lloyd Webber and Mackintosh were openly heard in a restaurant debating Nolen's casting.

A decade later, Nolen was back with ALW, starring in his ill-fated Whistle Down the Wind, in a baritone' a role. That he was a Hal Prince favorite, in a Prince-directed show- didn't hurt.

Updated On: 4/17/16 at 02:54 AM

[denali.fire]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 3:24am

Jeremy Jordan , FN

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 4/17/16 at 3:43am

The infamous nerd chorus from "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" 1.0!