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).

Partner Jacqueline Bisset (1967–1974)

Others partners : ​

• Gayle Hunnicutt, 
• Jane Fonda, 
• Julie Christie, 
• Barbara Hershey, 
• Barbra Streisand, 
• Jennifer O'Neill, 
• Ursula Andress, 
• Charlotte Rampling, 
• Bibi Andersson, 
• Lesley Ann Warren, 
• Lindsay Wagner.

Children: Catherine Sarrazin, Michele Sarrazin

Early life

He was born Jacques Michel André Sarrazin in Quebec City, Quebec, and moved to Montreal, Quebec, as a child. After acting in school plays he landed his first professional role at age 17.

Career

Sarrazin worked on television productions in Toronto, Ontario,[4] and then gained a contract with Universal Studios. His early appearances include The Virginian (1965), the TV film The Doomsday Flight (1966), Gunfight in Abilene (1967), and a starring role in The Flim-Flam Man (1967) with George C. Scott. In 1969 he starred in four films, one of them being the dark Great Depression drama They Shoot Horses, Don't They? The Sydney Pollack film earned nine Oscar nominations, with Sarrazin starring alongside Jane Fonda, Susannah York, Gig Young, Red Buttons, and Bruce Dern. He served as a supporting actor in Sometimes a Great Notion (1971). He starred in a string of successes, including the television filmFrankenstein: The True Story (1973), the crime caper Harry in Your Pocket (1973), the screwball comedy film For Pete's Sake (1974), and the horror film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975), about a man doomed to die the same kind of death twice. His film career as a leading man in mainstream cinema came to a close with his role in The Gumball Rally(1976), although he was later the lead in the obscure, poorly-reviewed Canadian mystery thriller Double Negative (1980).

He also appeared in Joshua Then and Now (1985), the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Quickening" (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); however, he was unable to gain release from a prior contract and the part went to Jon Voight.

Personal life

For seven years (1967–1974) he 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 native Montreal. According to a family spokesman, his daughters Catherine and Michele were at his side when he died.

Filmography

• You're No Good (1965, NFB Film) - Eddie (German Version: Freddy)
• The Doomsday Flight (1966) - Army corporal
• Gunfight in Abilene (1967) - Cord Decker
• The Flim-Flam Man (1967) - Curley
• A Man Called Gannon (1968) - Jess Washburn
• Journey to Shiloh (1968) - Miller Nalls
• The Sweet Ride (1968) - Denny McGuire
• Eye of the Cat (1969) - Wylie
• In Search of Gregory (1969) - Gregory Mulvey
• They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) - Robert
• Sometimes a Great Notion (1970) - Leeland Stamper
• The Pursuit of Happiness (1971) - William Popper
• Believe in Me (1971) - Remy
• The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
• The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972) - John David Welles / Peter Bellamy
• Harry in Your Pocket (1973) - Ray Haulihan
• Frankenstein: The True Story (1973, television film) - The Creature
• For Pete's Sake (1974) - Pete Robbins
• The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975) - Peter Proud
• The Loves and Times of Scaramouche (1976) - Scaramouche
• The Gumball Rally (1976) - Michael Bannon - Cobra Team
• Caravans (1978) - Mark Miller
• Deadly Companion (1980) - Michael Taylor
• Beulah Land (1980, TV mini-series) - Casey Troy
• The Seduction (1982) - Brandon
• Fighting Back (1982) - Vince Morelli
• The Viaduct (1983) - Matuska Szilveszter / Prokopp István
• Joshua Then and Now (1985) - Kevin Hornby
• Murder She Wrote (1985, TV series, "Joshua Peabody Died Here ...Possibly") - David Marsh
• Keeping Track (1986) - Daniel Hawkins
• Mascara (1987) - Bert Sanders
• Captive Hearts (1987) - Sergeant McManus
• Malarek (1988) - Moorcraft
• Passion and Paradise (1989) - Mike Vincent
• The Wind (Ray Bradbury Theater - 1989)
• Murder She Wrote (1991, TV series, "Murder Plain and Simple") - Jacob Beiler
• Tomorrow's Child (Ray Bradbury Theater - 1992)
• La Florida (1993) - Romeo Laflamme
• Bullet to Beijing (1995) - Craig
• Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1995) - Craig
• The Peacekeeper (1997) - Lt. Colonel Douglas Murphy
• Crackerjack 2 (1997) - Smith
• Earthquake in New York (1998) - Dr. Robert Trask
• The Second Arrival (1998) - Prof. Nelson Zarcoff
• A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2002, TV series, "Too Many Clients") - Thomas Yeager
• Feardotcom (2002) - Frank Bryant
• The Christmas Choir (2008; television film) - Irish Catholic Priest
• On the Road (2012) - Irish Catholic Priest (final film role)