To some of us old folks, GC Scott was already well known! George was a noted stage and film actor by that time. He’d done “Anatomy of a Murder” and “The Hustler”, plus guest appearances on many TV series of the late 50’s/early 60’s.
The year Strangelove was released, he was starring in his own TV series, “East Side/West Side”, playing a NYC social worker.
I got to see him on stage in “Plaza Suite” in ‘68, co-starring with Maureen Stapleton. It’s a farce, a very demanding role, very physical, lots of running around. He was famous enough by then that he could have just taken it easy, but he did not hold back. When the cast took their bows, he was drenched in sweat.
As fate would have it, George is buried next to Walter Matthau, who played the role in the film version.
Very interesting; thanks for the info.