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John Cassavetes

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Birthdate

1929-12-09

Day of Death

1989-02-03

Place of Birth

New York City, New York, USA

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).

Filmography (54)

⭐ 0 Role: Unknown

John Cassavetes par Thierry Jousse

2024
⭐ 0 Role: Man Talking

150 Miles of Rotting, Rutted, Lumpy, Dilapidated Pavement

2021
⭐ 7.2 Role: Self (archive footage)

Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film

2019
⭐ 7.2 Role: Self (archive footage)

Peter Falk versus Columbo

2019
⭐ 7.2 Role: Robert Harmon (archive footage) (uncredited)

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

2014
⭐ 6.3 Role: Guy Woodhouse (archive footage)

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

2008
⭐ 7.3 Role: Self

Operation Dirty Dozen

2006
⭐ 6.8 Role: Self (archive footage)

A Constant Forge

2000
⭐ 0 Role: Self

Out of the Shadows: The Films of John Cassavetes

1993
⭐ 7.3 Role: Self (archive footage)

Anything for John

1993
No Image
⭐ 0 Role: Self

Arena - John Cassavetes

1989
⭐ 6.8 Role: Self

Movies Are My Life

1988
⭐ 5.1 Role: Marvin

Marvin & Tige

1985
No Image
⭐ 4.0 Role: Self - Portrait of the actor / cinematographer

Nederland C

1985
⭐ 8.3 Role: Self

I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes — The Man and His Work

1984