John Saxon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Saxon
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John Saxon in 1958
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| Born |
Carmine Orrico
August 5, 1936 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | July 25, 2020 (aged 83) Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Resting place | Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1954–2017 |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 1 |
John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1936 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor. He worked on over 200 movies and TV shows during his 60-year career. He was famous for his roles in Western and horror films. He often played police officers and detectives.
John Saxon was born and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He studied acting with a famous teacher named Stella Adler. He started his career working for Universal Pictures. Some of his early movies include Rock, Pretty Baby (1956) and Portrait in Black (1961). These roles made him a popular teen idol. He even won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became known for playing different types of characters. He often played law enforcement officers in horror films like Black Christmas (1974) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
Saxon also appeared in many Italian movies starting in the early 1960s. He felt that European films were often more grown-up than many Hollywood movies at that time. He continued to work in Italian movies until 1994.
Besides horror films, Saxon acted with Bruce Lee in the martial arts movie Enter the Dragon (1973). He also had important roles in Westerns like The Appaloosa (1966), Death of a Gunfighter (1969), and Joe Kidd (1972). For The Appaloosa, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. In the 1990s, he appeared in movies like Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) and From Dusk till Dawn (1996).
Contents
Early Life and Acting Start
John Saxon was born Carmine Orrico in Brooklyn, New York, in 1936. His family was of Italian descent. His father, Antonio Orrico, worked on the docks in New York. His mother, Anna, came from Italy. Italian was the main language spoken at home. John also knew some Spanish.
He went to New Utrecht High School. He learned acting from the well-known acting coach Stella Adler. John started in show business when he was a teenager. A modeling scout saw him at a movie theater.
A talent agent named Henry Willson saw John's picture on a magazine cover. John was posing as a character in a detective story. Willson contacted John's family in Brooklyn. With his parents' permission, 17-year-old Carmine signed a contract with Willson. He was given the stage name John Saxon. In April 1954, he signed a contract with Universal Studios.
Becoming a Star: Early Career Highlights
John Saxon worked at Universal for 18 months before getting his first movie role. His first important part was playing a troubled teenager in Running Wild (1955). Young John Saxon had a serious, thoughtful look that was popular in movies during the mid-1950s.
He then got a good role in The Unguarded Moment (1956). In this movie, he played a young man who seemed to be following Esther Williams. Universal was happy with his work. They offered him a new contract in February 1956.
Rising to Teen Idol Status
Saxon played the main role in a low-budget movie for teenagers called Rock, Pretty Baby (1956). This movie became a surprise hit. It made John Saxon a popular teen idol. Universal executives were very pleased. John quickly starred in a sequel, Summer Love (1958). At this time, he was getting thousands of fan letters every week!
He then made The Restless Years (1958) with Sandra Dee. Universal also put him in a bigger movie, This Happy Feeling (1958). In this film, directed by Blake Edwards, Saxon acted alongside Debbie Reynolds. He also appeared with Sandra Dee again in The Reluctant Debutante (1958). This movie was directed by Vincente Minnelli and was widely seen.
Saxon had a supporting role in a large movie about Simon Peter, called The Big Fisherman (1959). He also worked with famous director John Huston in the Western The Unforgiven (1960). In this movie, he played a Native American character. He continued to appear in supporting roles, like in Portrait in Black (1960) with Lana Turner.
He also starred in the Western Posse from Hell (1961) with Audie Murphy. He appeared as a guest on TV shows like General Electric Theater. In 1960, he said he wanted to play many different kinds of characters.
International and Diverse Roles
John Saxon traveled to Italy to make the movie Agostino (1962). In 1963, he co-starred in the Italian thriller The Girl Who Knew Too Much.
He returned to Hollywood for The Cardinal (1963). Then he went back to Europe for The Cavern (1964). He also filmed The Ravagers (1965) in the Philippines. Night Caller from Outer Space (1965) was a science fiction movie filmed in Britain.
In 1966, he starred in the science fiction/horror movie Queen of Blood. He then appeared with Marlon Brando in The Appaloosa (1966). For his role as a Mexican bandit, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Saxon said this was a "terrific role" for him.
He also appeared in TV shows. He played Marco Polo in an episode of The Time Tunnel in 1967. He was a guest on Bonanza and The Virginian. In 1969, he appeared on Bonanza again.
Saxon was in a comedy called For Singles Only (1968). He also appeared in Westerns like One Dollar Too Many (1968) and Joe Kidd (1972). For three years, he played Dr. Theodore Stuart in the TV series The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969–1972).
Action and Horror Films of the 1970s
John Saxon had been practicing martial arts since 1957. In 1973, he played the martial artist Roper in Enter the Dragon. This was Bruce Lee's first big role in a Hollywood movie. Saxon almost didn't take the role because the script seemed too simple. He felt there wasn't enough for him to act. But the filmmakers convinced him, promising to include his ideas. After Enter the Dragon, Saxon wasn't interested in making more martial arts movies.
He appeared in many action films, including Mitchell (1975) and The Swiss Conspiracy (1975). He was also in several Italian action movies.
In 1974, he played police Lieutenant Fuller in the horror movie Black Christmas. From 1974 to 1976, he appeared in The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. His face was even used for a toy action figure called "Maskatron" based on the show.
Saxon played Dylan Hunt in the 1974 TV movie Planet Earth. He played a similar character in the 1975 TV movie Strange New World.
In 1976, Saxon was in an episode of Starsky & Hutch called "Vampire". He also played Captain Radl in two episodes of Wonder Woman. He showed his martial arts skills in an episode of The Rockford Files. Raid on Entebbe (1977) was an important TV movie for him. He also made movies for Roger Corman's company, like The Bees (1978). He even appeared in a Bollywood movie, Shalimar (1978).
In 1979, Saxon played Hunt Sears, a boss of a breakfast cereal company, in the Oscar-nominated movie The Electric Horseman. He acted alongside Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.
Later Career: 1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, John Saxon continued to work a lot. He appeared in the 1982 TV movie Rooster. He also had regular roles on popular TV shows. He played Tony Cumson on Falcon Crest (1982, 1986–1988). He also played Rashid Ahmed on Dynasty (1982–84). He appeared twice on The A-Team in different roles.
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Saxon starred in Dario Argento's movie Tenebrae (1982). He was also in Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and Prisoners of the Lost Universe. A very famous role for him was Lieutenant Donald Thompson in Wes Craven's horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). He played the father of the main character, Nancy Thompson. He played this role again in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) and Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). In New Nightmare, he played himself and his character.
In 1987, he directed his first movie, a horror film called Zombie Death House. Many people think he had a great career in horror movies because he was willing to take on those roles. He was good at playing police officers, which are common roles in slasher films. He could also look scary, making him a good choice for villain roles.
He starred in Maximum Force (1992) and appeared in From Dusk till Dawn (1996).
Final Roles and Public Appearances
In his later years, Saxon mostly appeared in independent films. He also had guest roles on several TV series. He had a notable part in "Grave Danger", an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, directed by Quentin Tarantino. He also appeared in an episode of the horror series Masters of Horror, which reunited him with director Dario Argento.
John Saxon was a regular guest at horror and cult film conventions. His last acting role was in the movie Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen.
Personal Life
John Saxon was married three times. His first wife was Mary Ann Saxon, a screenwriter. His second wife was Elizabeth Saxon. His last wife was Gloria Martel Saxon, a model. He had one son, Antonio, with Mary Ann Saxon. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Saxon was skilled in martial arts. He held a black belt in Shotokan Karate. He also knew Judo.
Death
John Saxon passed away on July 25, 2020, at the age of 83. He died from problems caused by pneumonia. He lived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Seattle, Washington. This is the same cemetery where his co-star Bruce Lee is buried.
Selected Filmography
John Saxon appeared in many films and TV shows throughout his long career. Here are some of his notable works:
Films
- Running Wild (1955)
- Rock, Pretty Baby (1956)
- The Reluctant Debutante (1958)
- The Unforgiven (1960)
- The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963)
- The Appaloosa (1966)
- Death of a Gunfighter (1969)
- Joe Kidd (1972)
- Enter the Dragon (1973)
- Black Christmas (1974)
- Mitchell (1975)
- The Electric Horseman (1979)
- Battle Beyond the Stars (1980)
- Tenebrae (1982)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
- From Dusk till Dawn (1996)
Television Shows
- Gunsmoke (1965–1975)
- The Time Tunnel (1967)
- Bonanza (1967–1969)
- The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969–1972)
- Kung Fu (1972)
- The Six Million Dollar Man (1974–1976)
- The Bionic Woman (1976)
- Starsky and Hutch (1976)
- Wonder Woman (1976)
- Raid on Entebbe (1977)
- Fantasy Island (1978–1984)
- Dynasty (1982–1984)
- Falcon Crest (1982–1988)
- The A-Team (1983–1985)
- Murder, She Wrote (1984–1994)
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2005)
- Masters of Horror (2006)
Awards and Recognition
John Saxon received several awards and nominations for his acting:
- 1958: Won the New Star of the Year – Actor award for This Happy Feeling.
- 1967: Nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for The Appaloosa.
Other Awards
- 2006: Won Best Supporting Actor at the Action On Film International Film Festival for The Craving Heart.
- 2009: Won Best Actor at the Beverly Hills Shorts Festival for Old Dogs.
- 1967: Won a Bronze Wrangler at the Western Heritage Awards for The Appaloosa.
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See also
In Spanish: John Saxon para niños
