# Before his first American movie, Alfred Hitchcock named 11 Hollywood actors he was dying to work with. He only directed two of them

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/before-his-first-american-movie-alfred-hitchcock-named-11-hollywood-actors-he-was-dying-to-work-with-he-only-directed-two-of-them/
- Published: 2026-11-12T15:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T16:38:20+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/alfred-hitchcock-named-11-hollywood-actors-dying-to-work-with-only-directed-two/
- Topics: Americas, Celebrity, Entertainment, Film, World

## Key points

- Hitchcock named 11 Hollywood actors he wanted to direct.
- He worked with only Carole Lombard and Marlene Dietrich from the list.
- His planned collaboration with Audrey Hepburn fell apart.

## Summary

Alfred Hitchcock arrived in Hollywood in 1939 after directing two dozen films in Britain, and his first American feature, *Rebecca* (1940), quickly established his success, earning 11 Academy Award nominations and winning Best Picture. Before the move, he had named 11 American actors he hoped to direct, but only two of those collaborations came about.

His wish list included Luise Rainer, Marlene Dietrich, Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, William Powell, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Greta Garbo, Paul Muni and Audrey Hepburn. Hitchcock directed Lombard in *Mr & Mrs Smith* (1941) and Dietrich in *Stage Fright* (1950); a planned film with Hepburn fell through before production. He later worked with other major stars, including James Stewart, Cary Grant and Grace Kelly.

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