John Cassavetes
Known for: Directing
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).
Filmography
Series
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
1962
Series
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
1961
Series
Columbo
Alex Benedict
1971
Series
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Rusty Connors
1962
Series
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Lee Griffin
1962
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee
1944
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter
1944
Series
The Virginian
Jonah MacIntosh
1962
Series
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
1968
Series
Combat!
Kalb
1962
Series
Dr. Kildare
Makin Saund
1961
Series
Studio One
Paul Greco
1948
Series
Robert Montgomery Presents
1950
Series
Climax!
Malcolm McCloud
1954
Series
Climax!
Abel Winter
1954
Series
The Philco Television Playhouse
1948
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
Series
Rawhide
Cal Fletcher
1959
Series
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self
1975
Series
Kraft Suspense Theatre
Peter Chandler
1963
Series
Burke's Law
Eddie Dineen
1963
Series
Burke's Law
Alfred Algernon
1963
Series
Burke's Law
Stephen Collins
1963
Series
Burke's Law
Carlos de Vega
1963
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Sam Cobbett
1955
Series
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
1964
Series
Omnibus
Pepe
1952
Series
Omnibus
1952
Series
The 20th Century Fox Hour
Max Markheim
1955
Series
The United States Steel Hour
Johnny
1953
Series
The Dick Clark Show
Self
1958
Film
Rosemary's Baby
Guy Woodhouse
1968
Series
Johnny Staccato
Johnny Staccato
1959
Series
The Legend of Jesse James
Blackie Dolan
1965
Profiles in Courage
Parsons
1964
Film
The Dirty Dozen
Victor Franko
1967
Series
Channing
Lloyd Sullivan
1963
Film
The Fury
Ben Childress
1978
Series
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Appointment with Adventure
Danny Loomis
1955
Film
The Killers
Johnny North
1964
Series
General Electric Theater
Johnny
1953
Film
Opening Night
Maurice Aarons
1977
Film
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
Steve
1969
Film
Machine Gun McCain
Hank McCain
1969
Film
Two-Minute Warning
Sgt. Chris Button
1976
Film
Fourteen Hours
Reporter (uncredited)
1951
Series
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
Incubus
Dr. Sam Cordell
1981
Film
Flesh & Blood
Gus Caputo
1979
Film
Minnie and Moskowitz
Jim
1971
Film
Capone
Frankie Yale
1975
Film
Mikey and Nicky
Nicky
1976
Series
Flesh & Blood
Gus Caputo
1979
Film
Edge of the City
Axel Nordmann
1957
Film
Love Streams
Robert Harmon
1984
Film
Brass Target
Maj. Joe De Lucca
1978
Film
Heroes
VA Doctor (uncredited)
1977
Film
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Dr. Michael Emerson
1981
Film
Saddle the Wind
Tony Sinclair
1958
Film
Husbands
Gus Demetri
1970
Film
Peter Falk versus Columbo
Self (archive footage)
2019
Film
Tempest
Phillip
1982
Film
Movies Are My Life
Self
1988
Film
Operation Dirty Dozen
Self
2006
Film
Shadows
Pedestrian (uncredited)
1960
Film
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Guy Woodhouse (archive footage)
2008
Film
Crime in the Streets
Frankie Dane
1956
Film
Alexander The Great
Karonos
1968
Film
I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes — The Man and His Work
Self
1984
Film
Bandits in Rome
Mario Corda
1968
Film
The Night Holds Terror
Robert Batsford
1955
Arena - John Cassavetes
Self
1989
Film
150 Miles of Rotting, Rutted, Lumpy, Dilapidated Pavement
Man Talking
2021
Film
Affair in Havana
Nick Douglas
1957
Film
Nightside
Carmine Kelly
1973
Film
Taxi
Man (uncredited)
1953
Film
A Constant Forge
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Fräulein Berlin
himself
1984
Film
The Making of 'Husbands'
Self
1971
Film
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
Self
1960
Film
Anything for John
Self (archive footage)
1993
Film
No Right to Kill
McCloud
1956
Film
Devil's Angels
Cody
1967
Film
Marvin & Tige
Marvin
1985
Film
John Cassavetes par Thierry Jousse
2024
Film
Out of the Shadows: The Films of John Cassavetes
Self
1993
Film
Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film
Self (archive footage)
2019
Film
The Webster Boy
Vance Miller
1962
Film
Virgin Island
Evan
1959
Film
The Haircut
Music Industry Executive
1982
Nederland C
Self - Portrait of the actor / cinematographer
1985