John Sayles

Biography

John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist.

Known For

Poker Face

Chief Hal

Baseball

Self

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

Self

Little Vegas

Mike

Matinee

Bob

Matewan

Hardshell Preacher

The Normals

Dr. Marx

Malcolm X

FBI Agent

Filmography

Year	Movie	Role
2024	John Sayles and Gregory Nava	Themself
2021	Algren	Self
2021	Texas Red	Governor Johnson (voice)
2021	Corona Film Club	Self
2020	Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi	Self
2019	Them That Work	Self
2016	The Umbrella	Pastor Jim
2015	The Third Man: A Filmmaker's Influence	Self
2014	That Guy Dick Miller	Self
2012	Casting By	Self
2012	The Normals	Dr. Marx
2011	Corman's World	Self - Filmmaker
2009	In the Electric Mist	Michael Goldman
2009	The Toe Tactic	Cramden
2009	Great Directors	Self
2008	Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press	Self
2007	Honeydripper	Zeke
2007	Alligator Author	Self
2006	Edge of Outside	Self
2006	Howard Zinn: Voices of a People's History of the United States	Self
2004	Tell Them Who You Are	Self
2003	Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’
2002	Sunshine State	Man who almost got hit by a golf ball (uncredited)
2000	A Constant Forge	Self
2000	Girlfight	Science Teacher
2000	When It Was a Game 3	Self (voice)
1997	Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western	Self
1997	Gridlock'd	Cop #1
1994	My Life's in Turnaround	Marginal producer
1993	Matinee	Bob
1992	Passion Fish	Soap Opera Doctor (uncredited)
1992	Straight Talk	Guy Girardi
1992	Malcolm X	FBI Agent
1991	City of Hope	Carl
1990	Little Vegas	Mike
1989	Untamagiru	US High Commissioner
1989	La fine della notte	Wayne
1988	Eight Men Out	Ring Lardner
1987	Matewan	Hardshell Preacher
1986	Unnatural Causes	Lloyd
1986	Something Wild	Motorcycle Cop
1985	Hard Choices	Don
1984	The Brother from Another Planet	Man in Black
1983	Lianna	Jerry
1981	The Howling	Morgue Attendant (uncredited)
1980	Return of the Secaucus Seven	Howie
1978	Piranha	Army Sentry (uncredited)
	An Ode to Mary Jo

Year	TV Show	Role
2023	Poker Face	Chief Hal
2011	The Story of Film: An Odyssey	Self
2010	Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood	Self
1998	Independent Focus	Self
1997	Scene by Scene	Self
1994	Baseball	Self
1990	Shannon's Deal	Ronnie Nash
1987	Square One Television	Roy 'Lefty' Cobbs