The unlikely sitcom role Ringo Starr almost appeared in
Apocrypha remembers John Lennon as saying Ringo Starr wasn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles, and while that statement didn’t originate from his bandmate, the stickman has presented a solid case for being the best actor in the Fab Four by far, even if he wasn’t sold on boarding a series that continues to bring in big numbers on Netflix.
While it’s never a stretch for a celebrity to play either themselves, thinly-veiled facsimiles of their own personas, or parodies of their own characteristics, Starr expanded his horizons well beyond The Beatles’ back catalogue of features by playing a number of different roles in a multitude of varied productions.
The drummer appeared alongside Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, and John Huston in sex comedy Candy, took second billing behind Peter Sellers in satire The Magic Christian, popped up in spaghetti western Blindman, took a major role in musical Son of Dracula, played the lead in slapstick caper Caveman, and played a dwarf dressed as Frank Zappa in Zappa’s surrealist oddity 200 Motels among others.
Starr hasn’t played a fictional character in a live-action film or TV show since the 1980s, but he was offered the chance when he ended up being courted by one of the most popular sitcoms of its era. It was an ambitious gambit, and while it ultimately amounted to nothing, it was admirable for the creator and show-runner to try nonetheless.
Across 12 seasons and 279 episodes, The Big Bang Theory was a ratings juggernaut that transformed its cast of relative unknowns into not only stars but some of the highest-paid performers on television. Starr was being sought for a recurring gig as the father of a key player, but Chuck Lorre was forced to concede defeat.
Simon Helberg’s Howard Wolowitz may have been defined by his overbearing mother – who was only heard and never seen – but Lorre once revealed that due to the obvious resemblance between a young Starr and Helberg in character, he wanted him to play absent patriarch Sam.
“It was a fun conversation based on Simon’s haircut and physical appearance. You could buy the genetic link to Richard Starkey,” Lorre explained, per TV Line, before revealing he ended up running down one too many blind alleys. “We pursued it to the point where we got a solid no.”
A member of The Beatles swinging by The Big Bang Theory for a guest spot would have come completely out of the blue, but the legendary drummer simply didn’t fancy becoming a part of it.