John Cassavetes
- Directing
- December 9, 1929 · New York City, New York, USA
- February 3, 1989
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).
Known for
Filmography
- Mass State Lottery · Thanks
- John Cassavetes par Thierry Jousse
- 150 Miles of Rotting, Rutted, Lumpy, Dilapidated Pavement · Man Talking
- Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film · Self
- Peter Falk versus Columbo · Self
- Iconic Couples of Hollywood · Self
- Castanha · Thanks
- Before Opening Night · Story
- Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired · Guy Woodhouse (archive footage)
- Opening Night · Story
- Operation Dirty Dozen · Self
- A Constant Forge · Self
- Gloria · Original Film Writer
- She's So Lovely · Writer
- Out of the Shadows: The Films of John Cassavetes · Self
- Anything for John · Self
- Arena - John Cassavetes · Self
- Movies Are My Life · Self
- Big Trouble · Director
- Marvin & Tige · Marvin
- Nederland C · Self
- I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes — The Man and His Work · Self
- Love Streams · Robert Harmon, Director
- Fräulein Berlin · Self
- The Haircut · Music Industry Executive
- Tempest · Phillip
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? · Dr. Michael Emerson
- Incubus · Dr. Sam Cordell, Screenplay
- Gloria · Director, Writer
- Flesh & Blood · Gus Caputo
- Flesh & Blood · Gus Caputo
- Brass Target · Maj. Joe De Lucca
- The Fury · Ben Childress
- Opening Night · Maurice Aarons, Director
- Heroes · VA Doctor (uncredited)
- Mikey and Nicky · Nicky
- Two-Minute Warning · Sgt. Chris Button
- The Killing of a Chinese Bookie · Director, Writer
- Capone · Frankie Yale
- Les Rendez-vous du dimanche · Self
- A Woman Under the Influence · Director, Writer
- Nightside · Carmine Kelly
- Minnie and Moskowitz · Jim, Director
- Columbo · Alex Benedict
- The Making of 'Husbands' · Self
- Husbands · Gus Demetri, Director
- If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium · Steve
- Machine Gun McCain · Hank McCain
- Faces · Director, Producer
- Bandits in Rome · Mario Corda
- Rosemary's Baby · Guy Woodhouse
- The Dick Cavett Show · Self
- Alexander The Great · Karonos
- The Dirty Dozen · Victor Franko
- Devil's Angels · Cody
- The Legend of Jesse James · Blackie Dolan
- Profiles in Courage · Parsons
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
- The Killers · Johnny North
- Kraft Suspense Theatre · Peter Chandler
- Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
- Burke's Law · Eddie Dineen, Stephen Collins
- Channing · Lloyd Sullivan
- A Child Is Waiting · Director
- Combat! · Kalb
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson · Self
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour · Rusty Connors, Lee Griffin
- The Virginian · Jonah MacIntosh
- The Lloyd Bridges Show · Director
- The Webster Boy · Vance Miller
- The Mike Douglas Show · Self
- Too Late Blues · Director, Writer
- Dr. Kildare · Makin Saund
- Shadows · Pedestrian (uncredited), Director
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood · Self
- Johnny Staccato · Johnny Staccato, Director
- Virgin Island · Evan
- Rawhide · Cal Fletcher
- Saddle the Wind · Tony Sinclair
- The Dick Clark Show · Self