John Cassavetes
Biography
John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as an actor on television and in film, Cassavetes also became a pioneer of American independent cinema, writing and directing movies financed in part with income from his acting work. AllMovie called him "an iconoclastic maverick," while The New Yorker suggested that he "may be the most influential American director of the last half century."
As an actor, Cassavetes starred in notable Hollywood films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including Edge of the City (1957), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and Rosemary's Baby (1968). He began his directing career with the 1959 independent feature Shadows and followed with independent productions such as Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984), in addition to intermittent studio work.
Cassavetes' films employed an actor-centered approach which privileged character examination over traditional Hollywood storytelling or stylized production values. His films became associated with an improvisational, cinéma vérité aesthetic. He collaborated frequently with a rotating group of friends, crew members, and actors, including his wife Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, and Seymour Cassel.
For his role in The Dirty Dozen, Cassavetes received a Best Supporting Actor nomination. As a filmmaker, he was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Faces (1968) and Best Director for A Woman Under the Influence (1974).
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Full filmography
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- Columbo (1971) as Alex Benedict
- Robert Montgomery Presents (1950)
- The Mike Douglas Show (1961) as Self
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Presenter
- The Virginian (1962) as Jonah MacIntosh
- The Philco Television Playhouse (1948)
- Burke's Law (1963) as Eddie Dineen
- Burke's Law (1963) as Stephen Collins
- Burke's Law (1963) as Alfred Algernon
- Burke's Law (1963) as Carlos de Vega
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963)
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964)
- Rawhide (1959) as Cal Fletcher
- Combat! (1962) as Kalb
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) as Rusty Connors
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1962) as Lee Griffin
- Climax! (1954) as Malcolm McCloud
- Climax! (1954) as Abel Winter
- Dr. Kildare (1961) as Makin Saund
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
- The Dick Cavett Show (1968) as Self - Guest
- Studio One (1948) as Paul Greco