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).
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (47)
Mass State Lottery
Thanks (Crew)
2025
John Cassavetes par Thierry Jousse
2024
150 Miles of Rotting, Rutted, Lumpy, Dilapidated Pavement
as Man Talking
2021
Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film
as Self (archive footage)
2019
Castanha
Thanks (Crew)
2014
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
as Robert Harmon (archive footage) (uncredited)
2014
Before Opening Night
Story (Writing)
2011
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
as Guy Woodhouse (archive footage)
2008
Operation Dirty Dozen
as Self
2006
A Constant Forge
as Self (archive footage)
2000
Gloria
Original Film Writer (Writing)
1999
She's So Lovely
Writer (Writing)
1997
Out of the Shadows: The Films of John Cassavetes
as Self
1993
Anything for John
as Self (archive footage)
1993
Arena - John Cassavetes
as Self
1989
Movies Are My Life
as Self
1988
Big Trouble
Director (Directing)
1986
Marvin & Tige
as Marvin
1985
Nederland C
as Self - Portrait of the actor / cinematographer
1985
I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes — The Man and His Work
as Self
1984
Love Streams
as Robert Harmon
1984
Fräulein Berlin
as himself
1984
The Haircut
as Music Industry Executive
1982
Tempest
as Phillip
1982
Incubus
as Dr. Sam Cordell
1982
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
as Dr. Michael Emerson
1981
Gloria
Director (Directing)
1980
Flesh & Blood
as Gus Caputo
1979
Brass Target
as Maj. Joe De Lucca
1978
The Fury
as Ben Childress
1978
Opening Night
as Maurice Aarons
1977
Heroes
as VA Doctor (uncredited)
1977
Mikey and Nicky
as Nicky
1976
Two-Minute Warning
as Sgt. Chris Button
1976
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Director (Directing)
1976
Capone
as Frankie Yale
1975
A Woman Under the Influence
Writer (Writing)
1974
Nightside
as Carmine Kelly
1973
Minnie and Moskowitz
as Jim
1971
The Making of 'Husbands'
as Self
1971
Husbands
as Gus Demetri
1970
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
as Steve
1969
Machine Gun McCain
as Hank McCain
1969
"Cinéastes de notre temps": John Cassavetes
1969
Faces
Producer (Production)
1968
Bandits in Rome
as Mario Corda
1968
Rosemary's Baby
as Guy Woodhouse
1968
