Last week Dreyfuss caused one of the biggest stirs in London's West End when he pulled out of his lead role in the production just four days (yep, just four days) before it was due to open. Not that his departure was a total surprise. The Oscar-winning actor had been openly hinting that things weren't going well.

The day before he quit, Dreyfuss appeared on a popular British chat show and encouraged British audiences to wait until after Christmas to buy their tickets, intimating that he wasn't ready for his all-singing, all-dancing role as Max Bialystock. Dreyfuss went on to say of his performance, "I sing like a seal and dance like your Uncle Leo."

The day after the seal comment, Dreyfuss gave his notice and Nathan Lane (who played the role on Broadway to great acclaim) agreed to step in at the eleventh hour and save the show.

Apparently.

As is the way in the entertainment industry, rumours are circulating that Dreyfuss was actually fired following his seal/Uncle Leo disclosure. With media spin being what it is, we may never know whether Dreyfuss was forced to walk the plank or voluntarily jumped ship, but if he was given his marching orders, he's certainly not the first star to be fired.

Dreyfuss may have sung like a seal but, in 2002, another actor was fired for not being able to talk like a fish. Apparently Will & Grace actor Megan Mullally (Grace's perennially drunk assistant, Karen Walker) got fired from Finding Nemo because the producers didn't like her real voice. They had assumed that Mullally spoke like her Will & Grace character all the time and were apparently upset when she didn't use Karen's voice for the animated fish.

This year, the biggest "sacking" happened on the hit show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation when two of the main actors were fired for breach of contract. When Jorja Fox (who plays Sara Sidle) and George Eads (Nick Stokes) failed to turn up to the first day of filming of the show's fifth season in an apparent bid to get a pay rise, the producers shocked everyone in the industry by sending both actors letters of termination.

Fox and Eads were later rehired but a message had been sent - loud and clear - to other actors. Refusing to turn up to work unless you get a pay rise may have worked for the entire cast of Friends but that was about it. Either show up for work or you'll leave the set in a body bag - the producers had plans to kill both characters off.

Closer to home, Grundys and Channel Ten are facing legal action over the alleged unfair dismissal of Neighbours actor Shane Conner (Joe Scully). Despite having a year left on his contract, Conner turned up to the Ramsey Street set one morning earlier this year and was informed that he no longer had a job. One minute Joe was stomping around in his blue singlet saying "Strewth, Lynnie" to his klepto wife, the next minute he'd mysteriously vanished to the family property in Bendigo.

Not all sackings are that blatant, of course. Take Chuck Cunningham. Who? My point exactly. On Happy Days Ritchie and Shortcake had an older brother for the first season only. Then big brother Chuck went to "college" and was never to be seen or referred to again (a bit like Brooke "Mikey" Anderson).

It was goodbye Milwaukee and hello shift work at the local 7-Eleven.

And don't go thinking that pets are immune to being given the old heave-ho. Consider Fluffy, the cat owned by Carol, Marcia, Jan and Cindy Martin before Carol met a man named Brady who was busy with three boys of his own. Fluffy played a key role in the pilot episode of The Brady Bunch; she was chased by Tiger the dog and subsequently ruined the wedding cake (insert canned laughter).

By episode two, Fluffy is never to be seen again (and Alice is seen sporting a rather fetching fur scarf). Coincidence? I think not.

Perhaps the most famous sacking in history was that of Marilyn Monroe, in 1962, when she was filming the romantic comedy, Something's Gotta Give. Monroe repeatedly failed to turn up to work and eventually made the classic take-a-sickie-and-then-accidentally-get-spotted-by-your-boss mistake.

On one of the days she called in sick, Monroe was seen live on national television (wearing a dress she was actually sewn into) singing her now-famous Happy Birthday Mr President number.

D'oh.

Monroe was sacked, having shown up for work 12 days out of 33. She was later rehired.