Some Die Hard Trivia we bet you don't know

Who was offered the starring role in Die Hard before Bruce Willis, and why?

This trivia question is a bit involved, but we hope you'll find it as interesting as we did:

Let's start this trivia question with dispelling the rumor that Die Hard was originated from a script for Commando 2. In an interview with Bristol Bad Film Club, Steven de Souza, who wrote the initial draft of Commando 2 (which was never made), said that he has no idea where that rumor came from and that it is completely false.

Die Hard is based on a novel titled "Nothing Lasts Forever" by Roderick Thorp in which Joe Leland is trapped in a Claxxon Oil Corporation skyscraper after it's taken by German terrorists, and must rescue his daughter and grandchildren. Twenty years later the novel was filmed with some changes: Claxxon became the Nakatomi Corporation, Joe Leland's name was changed to John McClane, and his wife was the hostage. The film was released under the title Die Hard (1988). 

Thorp's prequel to that novel was made into a movie called "The Detective" in 1968, and because of a clause in the lead actor's contract which gave him the right to reprise his role in a sequel, he was actually the first person offered the McClane role, even though he was seventy-three-years-old at the time.

Who was this role first offered to? Click here for the answer!