MONTREAL – Canadian actor Michael Sarrazin, who played opposite big-screen legends like Paul Newman, Jane Fonda and George C. Scott, has died. He was 70 years old.
Sarrazin died in Montreal on Sunday surrounded by family after a battle with cancer.
He was remembered by loved ones for his "wicked sense of wit," but Hollywood gazers might recall Sarrazin’s "soulful eyes."
The Quebec City-born Sarrazin played alongside many stars, including Newman in "Sometimes a Great Notion," Fonda in "They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?" and Scott in "The Flim-Flam Man."
He also starred in "Joshua Then and Now," adapted from Mordecai Richler’s novel, and in the popular 1973 TV mini-series "Frankenstein: The True Story."
In Frankenstein, Sarrazin’s brother recalled that he was initially offered the lead part of a young Dr. Frankenstein.
It was at the height of the attractive actor’s career and was perhaps his favourite role, Pierre Sarrazin said.
"He said, ‘No, no, I’ll play the monster, it’s a much more interesting role,"’ Sarrazin, himself a producer, said in an interview.
"The brilliance of the whole piece was that this incredibly handsome, charismatic young man was playing the monster.
"It gave a whole different texture and meaning to the story of Frankenstein and it’s a wonderful piece."
Sarrazin recalled how, even as a child, Michael had a sense of humour and spontaneity that made him a local celebrity in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood.
"Michael was a very funny, entertaining boy from an early age," Sarrazin said.
"People from the next neighbourhood would come over and say, ‘We heard there’s a very funny kid on this street."’
By the time Michael Sarrazin, who idolized Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, was a teenager, he was a star in Montreal, according to his brother.
He said his brother, who hosted NBC’s "Saturday Night Live," was known for Robin Williams-style monologues.
Nobody was surprised when Hollywood came calling, Sarrazin said.
"It was a very big thing for us as a family and for the city – for Montreal – when it all happened for him," he said.
Born Jacques Michel Andre Sarrazin on May 22, 1940, he went to high school in Montreal and later studied acting in New York City.
His rise to fame was bumpy at times. He suffered a professional setback in 1969 when he had to give up the role of Joe Buck in "Midnight Cowboy."
His brother said he was on his way to Texas for a costume fitting when he found out his studio wouldn’t release him from his contract. Sarrazin had to turn down a part that eventually went to Jon Voight.
"It was a very disappointing moment for him because the movie was wonderful," Sarrazin said.
"Jon Voight’s always been very gracious in mentioning that Michael had that role."
Michael Sarrazin moved back to Montreal from Los Angeles a few years ago to be closer to his children and grandchildren.
Pierre Sarrazin said his brother’s "wicked sense of wit" didn’t fade with his health, even during a serious discussion with a Montreal doctor about an operation.
"Michael was saying, ‘You don’t want to be known as the doctor who killed Michael Sarrazin’ and he said it with a totally straight face," he recalled.
"The doctor didn’t know how to take it . . . and eventually they all started laughing and took all the tension out of the moment."
The actor completed his final role a few months ago as a priest in "On The Road," based on the famed Jack Kerouac book.
Michael Oscars, his Toronto-based agent and friend of 27 years, said the actor’s daughters, Catherine and Michelle, were at his side when he died.
Oscars said Sarrazin was a gifted conversationalist who had an amazing collection of friends.
"He had a gentleness and a sensibility about him that was very distinct and unique," he said.
"A lot of people always said that he had the most soulful eyes of any actor in Hollywood."
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