As executive producer of The Star Trek Holiday Special, I must point out that the above post is Made-Up, False and Flat-out Wrong Trivia. It was Captain Kirk and Leonard Nimoy who sang, and Khan carved the roast beast. After the special aired, Dr. Seuss himself presented the cast and crew with a special edition of “How Khan Stole Christmas.”
During the filming of Star Trek II, William Shatner and Ricardo Montalban were never in the studio simultaneously and filmed their scenes separately. Ostensibly, this is because their scenes were aboard different ships and didn’t require them to be in the studio together. In reality, Shatner owed Montalban a huge gambling debt and always faked an excuse not to be in the same place with him. Montalban told Shatner he’d take his girdle in lieu of debt, but Shatner never took him up on it. That was also the reason Shatner passed up a chance to appear on Fantasy Island. That, and a tendency to get turned on by little people, leading to his romantic scenes with Meredith Eaton in Boston Legal.
Riding high on the popularity of Star Trek, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were the first choices to play Jesus and Judas in the original concept recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. They both turned it down, what with being Jewish.
Noted Jewish actors who have played Jesus in various productions of Jesus Christ Superstar include Adam Sandler (La Jolla Community Theater, La Jolla, Calif., 1988-1991), Clint Eastwood (Blawnox Repertory, Blawnox, Pa., Summer 2003), Roseanne Barr (National Theater, Washington, D.C., 2005-2010), and Chris Rock (Schubert Theater, New York, June 2-3, 2011).
Noted Atheist actors who have played Jesus in various productions of Jesus Christ Superstar include Neil DeGrasse Tyson (Walla Walla, WA, 1999-2000), Stephen Hawking (Cambridge, UK, 2000-2000 [only 3 performances]), Penn Gillette (2006-2008) and Pat Boone (Minneapolis, France, 2016-present).
Noted female actors who have played Jesus in various productions of Jesus Christ Superstar include Sarah Gilbert (off Broadway, 2014), Rosie O’Donnell (Minneapolis, 2017 - present), Jenna von Oy (La Hola Playhouse, 2004 - 2007, with Mayim Balik playing Mary Magdalene) and Whoopi Goldberg (Broadway 2000 - present), who won a Tony, and is considered "the best Jesus Christ Superstar ever.
Noted superstars who have played Jesus in various productions of Jesus Christ Superstar include Marlon Brando, Uma Therman, Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Willis, Beyonce, Cher, and Harrison Ford.
Orson Bean, of course, has played the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar in productions ever since it was released in 1947. He also played Jesus in Godspell in London, Dublin and Moscow, and did the voice over for Charlton Heston in The Greatest Story Ever Told. He also did the voice of Bilbo Baggins once or twice.
Orson Bean doing the voice of Bilbo Baggins came about by accident. When asked how he felt about voicing as a “hobbit,” he thought the person said “habit” and replied “It’s a living.”
Fortunately, he was turned down when he auditioned to voice Jessica Rabbit.
Orson Bean was not, however, turned down when he propositioned Jessica Rabbit.
Ricardo Montalban–now vanished from most people’s memory even in trivia contests–did a quite respectable voice-over for Claudius in an overseas re-broadcast of a German television production of Hamlet. Maximillian Schell was voice-over by Carole Channing.
Herve Villechaize’s posthumous tell-all book, Little Wonder, includes the time Ricardo Montalban tried to flay Herve’s skin into fine Corinthian leather. The way Mr. Villechaize relates it, one sympathizes with Ricardo.
Herve Villechaize tried to get out of his Fantasy Contract Island to star in “Small Wonder,” but Ricardo Montalban’s reply was “You Khan NOT do that.”
Disney and Lucasfilm executives are keeping this secret but various websites like Ain’t It Cool News and IO9 report that Ricardo Mantalban recorded voice work for an upcoming Star Wars film before his death in 2009. The rumors are that his character (who will be MO capped by Andy Serkis) will be in Solo: A Star Wars Story as a used landspeeder salesman who is trying to get Han Solo to buy one of the vehicles on his lot. His character is pointing out the features of one of the vehicles including the high powered SoroSuub hover engine, sleek and functional spoilers, and the comfortable seats made from “rich Corellian leather.”
Correllian leather comes standard in all 2018 Studebaker S-class sedans, along with heated seats, a minibar, WiFi capability, Dolby digital sound with 20 stereo speakers, a cigar humidor, angora footmats and a built-in electric dog polisher.
Ha! Everyone knows that electric dogs are self-polishing.
Orson Bean is famous for, among other things, his collection of electric dogs. He owns over 200, including a rare 1914 Edison Borzoi Mark VII once owned by Warren G. Harding’s mistress, Ernestine Floyd Mayhew, the Seattle wood-pulp heiress.
One of the more notable facts of Warren G. Harding was that he could write French with his right hand and pat the top of his head with his left.
He could only write the word “French” though. In English.
On, “Family Affair,” Sebastian Cabot was paid a monthly bonus to never disclose why Mr. French was British.