The Greek Tycoon (1978) [American]

Jacqueline plays "Liz Cassidy", the widow of an assassinated Amreican president; Anthony Quinn plays the titular tycoon, "Theo Tomasis". It is obviously a very thinly disguised retelling of the Jackie and Aristotle Onassis tale.

Jacqueline said: When they handed us the script, the director and the producers made it quite clear: "You are not making the life story of Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis." To which Anthony Quinn and I said, "Fine". But when the time came to read the description of the characters in the script.... Where was the difference?

....The first day of filming dawned. It was the ball scene and when I saw Anthony come out of the make-up room with his dinner jacket, glasses and hair combed backwards, my heart skipped a beat. "My God, it is Omassis. So if he's Onassis, I am... What am I going to do?"

....Years later, Candice Bergen and I were in the Russian Tea Room in New York having lunch with a director friend of ours when suddenly I spot her. "Hello, hello," says Jackie, coming straight up to greet Candice. Two seconds later we were introduced. I felt very strange. I had never played a living person before, and it was a real shock to see her there, right in front of me. She, however, didn't make any comment and minutes later disappeared just as swiftly as she had come. Other people who knew her well told me later that she had quite liked me in it doing her. Phew, what a relief! [Hello!, #250, 1993.]

And 25 years later, Jacqueline Bisset did actually play Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, in "America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story".

"The Greek Tycoon" was directed by J. Lee Thompson, who also directed "St. Ives". Co-stars James Franciscus and Edward Albert also appeared in 1980's "When Time Ran Out...". In "The Greek Tycoon", Franciscus plays "President James Cassidy" (in the beginning of the film); in 1981, he played JFK in a TV movie.

"The Greek Tycoon" has been released on video tape. In fact, the video version runs 6 minutes longer (112 minutes total) than the theatrical version (according to Maltin's). The tape may be out of print.