Before reading about his death earlier today, the last time I’d even thought about actor Michael Sarrazin was when I ran into him at Barney’s Beanery ten or eleven years ago. He was a very friendly guy with a nice easy laugh, but I couldn’t help feeling badly that he was hanging out at a joint that’s only a couple steps up from a dive.

Sarrazin had a strong jaw and gentle eyes and a face that exuded vulnerability and a slight but persistent sadness. His two strongest performances were in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? and The Flim-Flam Man. Okay, you can add Sometimes a Great Notion. He and Jacqueline Bisset were lovers for some 14 years (’68 to ’82), and that ain’t hay — any relationship that makes it past five or six years is something to point to with some pride. Sarrazin’s final appearance will be in Walter Salles‘ On The Road. My condolences to family and friends.