Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin (May 22, 1940 – April 17, 2011) was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969). Early life and career. Sarrazin was born Jacques Michel André Sarrazin in Quebec City, Quebec, and moved to Montreal as a child. After acting in school plays, he landed his first professional role at age 17. Sarrazin worked on television productions in Toronto such as "Festival" and "Wojeck". Universal Studios. Sarrazin gained a contract with Universal Studios. 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 borrowed him for a starring role in "The Flim-Flam Man" (1967) with George C. Scott. Universal then cast him with Anthony Franciosa in "A Man Called Gannon" (1968) and with James Caan in "Journey to Shiloh" (1968). Fox asked him back to star in "The Sweet Ride" (1968) alongside Jacqueline Bisset, who became his off-screen partner. Sarrazin appeared in some thrillers for Universal such as "Eye of the Cat" (1969) and "In Search of  Gregory" (1969). Stardom. Sarrazin's breakthrough role was in the dark Great Depression drama "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (1969). The Sydney Pollack film earned nine Oscar nominations, and Sarrazin starring alongside Jane Fonda, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons and Bruce Dern. He starred in the youth dramas "The Pursuit of Happiness" (1971) and "Believe in Me" (1971). He supported Paul Newman in "Sometimes a Great Notion" (1971), then did "The Groundstar Conspiracy" (1972) at Universal. Sarrazin supported James Coburn in "Harry in Your Pocket" (1973) and received excellent reviews for the television film "" (1973). He appeared as  Barbra Streisand's leading man in the screwball comedy film "For Pete's Sake" (1974), then starred in the horror film "The Reincarnation of Peter Proud" (1975), about a man doomed to die the same kind of death twice. Sarrazin went to Europe to star in "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) and the Canadian mystery thriller "Double Negative" (1980). Later career. 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 "" episode "" (1996) and "The Outer Limits" episodes "I Hear You Calling" (1996) and "The Other Side" (1999). He hosted the April 15, 1978 episode of "Saturday Night Live". Sarrazin was originally cast to play Joe Buck in the drama film "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), but he was unable to gain release from a prior contract and the part went to Jon Voight. Personal life. For seven years (1967–1974), Sarrazin was in a relationship with actress Jacqueline Bisset, whom he met while making the drama film  The Sweet Ride (1968). Death. Sarrazin died of mesothelioma 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.