John Saxon
- Acting
- August 5, 1935 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- July 25, 2020
Biography
John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1935 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor and martial artist who worked on more than 200 projects during a span of 60 years. Saxon is known for his work in Westerns and horror movies, often playing police officers and detectives. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Saxon studied acting with Stella Adler before beginning his career as a contract actor for Universal Pictures, playing in such movies as Rock, Pretty Baby (1956) and Portrait in Black (1961). During the 1970s and 1980s, he established himself as a character actor, frequently portraying law enforcement officials in horror movies such as Black Christmas (1974), Dario Argento's Tenebrae (1982), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). In addition to his roles in horror movies, Saxon co-starred with Bruce Lee in the martial arts movie Enter the Dragon (1973), and has supporting roles in the westerns Death of a Gunfighter (1969) and Joe Kidd (1972), as well as the adventure thriller Raid on Entebbe (1977). In the 1990s, Saxon occasionally appeared in movies, with small roles in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) and From Dusk till Dawn (1996). Saxon died of pneumonia in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on July 25, 2020.
Known for
Filmography
- The Green Fog · Self
- Black Christmas Legacy · Self
- The Dentros · George Dentro
- Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s · Self
- Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy · Self
- Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen · John
- Old Dogs · Lee Robinson
- Clarkworld · Self
- The Mercy Man · Father McMurray
- How Bruce Lee Changed the World · Self
- War Wolves · Tony Ford
- God's Ears · Lee Robinson
- The 12 Days of Black Christmas · Self
- Pelts · Jeb 'Pa' Jameson
- Trapped Ashes · Leo (segment "Stanley's Girlfriend")
- The Craving Heart · Richard Tom
- Stanley's Girlfriend · Leo
- Masters of Horror · Jeb 'Pa' Jameson
- Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon · Self
- Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen · Self
- Pitcher and the Pin-Up · Michael Curtis
- Black Christmas Revisited · Self
- Outta Time · Darabont
- 'Cannibal Apocalypse' Redux · Sarge
- The Unbeatable Bruce Lee · Self
- Night Class · Murphy
- Final Payback · Police Chief George Moreno
- Living in Fear · Rev. Leo Hausman
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation · Walter Gordon
- Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre · Self
- Welcome to Primetime · Self
- Joseph's Gift · Jacob Keller
- The GREATEST : Bruce Lee · Comentador
- The Party Crashers · Mr. Foster
- Bottom Feeders · Antonio DiPaolo Jr.
- The Path of the Dragon · Self
- Lancelot: Guardian of Time · Wolvencroft
- From Dusk Till Dawn · FBI Agent Stanley Chase
- Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities · Self
- Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story · Richard Brooks
- Jonathan of the Bears · Fred Goodwin
- The Killers Within · Detective Lewis
- Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up · Charles Searage
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare · John Saxon / Lt. Donald Thompson
- Killing Obsession · Dr. Sachs
- Beverly Hills Cop III · Orrin Sanderson
- Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon · Self
- No Escape, No Return · James Mitchell
- The Baby Doll Murders · John Maglia
- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues · Straker
- Hellmaster · Professor Jones
- Animal Instincts · Otto Van Horne
- Maximum Force · Captain Fuller
- Melrose Place · Henry Waxman
- Lucky Luke · The Man in Black
- Lucky Luke 2 · The Man in Black (archive footage)
- Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker · Self
- Blackmail · Gene
- Solomon Northup's Odyssey · Epps
- Payoff · Rafael Concion
- The Arrival · Agent Miils
- Aftershock · Oliver Quinn
- Blood Salvage · Clifford Evans
- Crossing the Line · Jack Kagan
- The Final Alliance · Ghost
- The Last Samurai · Haroun Al-Hakim
- The Best of the Martial Arts Films · Self
- Nightmare Beach · Strycher
- My Mom's a Werewolf · Harry Thropen
- Criminal Act · Herb Tamplin
- Zombie Death House · Colonel Gordon Burgess, Director
- Monsters · Ben O'Connell
- In the Heat of the Night · Dalton Sykes
- Stephen King's Monster Stories
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors · Thompson
- Hands of Steel · Francis Turner
- Matlock · John Franklin
- Fever Pitch · Sports Editor
- The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents · Garth December
- The Ray Bradbury Theater · Dudley Stone