Highest rated as cast or director
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).
Directed 14
1980s
- 1986
Big Trouble
Director
- 1984
Love Streams
Director
- 1980
Gloria
Director
1970s
- 1977
- 1976
- 1974
- 1971
Minnie and Moskowitz
Director
- 1970
Husbands
Director
1960s
- 1968
- 1963
- 1962
- 1961
Too Late Blues
Director
- 1960
1950s
- 1959
Acted in 63
2020s
- 2024
John Cassavetes par Thierry Jousse
Movie
- 2021
150 Miles of Rotting, Rutted, Lumpy, Dilapidated Pavement
Man Talking
2010s
- 2012
Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby'
Movie
2000s
- 2008
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Guy Woodhouse (archive footage)
1980s
- 1985
Marvin & Tige
Marvin
- 1984
Love Streams
Robert Harmon
- 1982
The Haircut
Music Industry Executive
Tempest
Phillip
- 1981
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Dr. Michael Emerson
1970s
- 1979
Flesh & Blood
Gus Caputo · 2 episodes
- 1978
Brass Target
Maj. Joe De Lucca
- 1977
- 1976
Two-Minute Warning
Sgt. Chris Button
- 1975
- 1973
Nightside
Carmine Kelly
- 1971
Minnie and Moskowitz
Jim
- 1970
Husbands
Gus Demetri
1960s
- 1969
- 1968
Bandits in Rome
Mario Corda
Alexander The Great
Karonos
- 1967
Devil's Angels
Cody
- 1965
- 1964
The Killers
Johnny North
- 1963
- 1962
The Webster Boy
Vance Miller
- 1961
- 1960
1950s
- 1959
Virgin Island
Evan
- 1958
Saddle the Wind
Tony Sinclair
- 1957
Affair in Havana
Nick Douglas
Edge of the City
Axel Nordmann
- 1956
No Right to Kill
McCloud
Crime in the Streets
Frankie Dane
- 1955
The Night Holds Terror
Robert Batsford
- 1954
- 1953
General Electric Theater
Johnny · 1 episode
Taxi
Man (uncredited)
- 1952
- 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
TV
- 1950
Wrote 15
2010s
- 2011
Before Opening Night
Story
2000s
- 2006
Opening Night
Original Story
1990s
- 1999
- 1997
1980s
- 1984
Love Streams
Screenplay
- 1981
- 1980
Gloria
Writer
1970s
- 1977
- 1976
- 1974
- 1971
Minnie and Moskowitz
Writer
- 1970
Husbands
Writer
1960s
- 1968
- 1961
Too Late Blues
Writer
- 1960
Edited 3
1970s
- 1970
Husbands
Editor
1960s
- 1968
- 1960
Produced 2
1960s
- 1968
- 1961
Too Late Blues
Producer
Appearances19
2010s
- 2019
Gena Rowlands: A Life on Film
Self (archive footage)
Peter Falk versus Columbo
Self (archive footage)
- 2015
Iconic Couples of Hollywood
Self (archive footage) · 1 episode
2000s
- 2006
Operation Dirty Dozen
Self
- 2000
A Constant Forge
Self (archive footage)
1990s
- 1993
Out of the Shadows: The Films of John Cassavetes
Self
Anything for John
Self (archive footage)
1980s
- 1988
- 1984
I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes — The Man and His Work
Self
Fräulein Berlin
himself
1970s
- 1975
- 1971
The Making of 'Husbands'
Self
1960s
- 1968
- 1962
- 1961
- 1960
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood
Self
1950s
- 1958
Thanked in the credits2
2020s
- 2025
Mass State Lottery
Thanks
2010s
- 2014
Castanha
Thanks