Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
August 5, 1935
Place of Birth:
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Social Media
John Saxon
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico; August 5, 1935 – July 25, 2020) was an American actor and martial artist who worked on more than 200 projects during a span of 60 years. Saxon is known for his work in Westerns and horror movies, often playing police officers and detectives.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Saxon studied acting with Stella Adler before beginning his career as a contract actor for Universal Pictures, playing in such movies as Rock, Pretty Baby (1956) and Portrait in Black (1961). During the 1970s and 1980s, he established himself as a character actor, frequently portraying law enforcement officials in horror movies such as Black Christmas (1974), Dario Argento's Tenebrae (1982), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
In addition to his roles in horror movies, Saxon co-starred with Bruce Lee in the martial arts movie Enter the Dragon (1973), and has supporting roles in the westerns Death of a Gunfighter (1969) and Joe Kidd (1972), as well as the adventure thriller Raid on Entebbe (1977). In the 1990s, Saxon occasionally appeared in movies, with small roles in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) and From Dusk till Dawn (1996).
Saxon died of pneumonia in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on July 25, 2020.
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Black Christmas Legacy | Self (archive footage) |
| 2015 | The Dentros | George Dentro |
| 2012 | Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s | Self |
| 2010 | Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy | Self |
| 2010 | Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen | John |
| 2009 | War Wolves | Tony Ford |
| 2009 | Clarkworld | Self |
| 2009 | How Bruce Lee Changed the World | Self |
| 2008 | God's Ears | Lee Robinson |
| 2006 | Stanley's Girlfriend | Leo |
| 2006 | Trapped Ashes | Leo (segment "Stanley's Girlfriend") |
| 2006 | The Craving Heart | Richard Tom |
| 2006 | Pelts | Jeb 'Pa' Jameson |
| 2006 | The 12 Days of Black Christmas | Self |
| 2004 | Edgar G. Ulmer – Der Mann im Off | Self |
| 2004 | Blood and Steel: The Making of 'Enter the Dragon' | Self |
| 2003 | Pitcher and the Pin-Up | Michael Curtis |
| 2002 | Black Christmas Revisited | |
| 2002 | Outta Time | Darabont |
| 2002 | 'Cannibal Apocalypse' Redux | Sarge |
| 2001 | Night Class | Murphy |
| 2001 | Final Payback | Police Chief George Moreno |
| 2000 | Living in Fear | Rev. Leo Hausman |
| 2000 | Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre | Self |
| 1999 | Welcome to Primetime | Self |
| 1999 | Bottom Feeders | Antonio DiPaolo Jr. |
| 1999 | Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On | Self (scenes Enter the Dragon) (archive footage) |
| 1999 | Joseph's Gift | Jacob Keller |
| 1998 | The GREATEST : Bruce Lee | Comentador |
| 1998 | The Party Crashers | Mr. Foster |
| 1998 | Bruce Lee: In His Own Words | Self (archive footage) |
| 1998 | The Path of the Dragon | Self |
| 1998 | Bruce Lee: The Intercepting Fist | Self (archive footage) |
| 1997 | Lancelot: Guardian of Time | Wolvencroft |
| 1996 | From Dusk Till Dawn | FBI Agent Stanley Chase |
| 1995 | Jonathan of the Bears | Fred Goodwin |
| 1995 | Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities | Self |
| 1995 | The Killers Within | Detective Lewis |
| 1994 | Beverly Hills Cop III | Orrin Sanderson |
| 1994 | New Nightmare | John Saxon / Donald Thompson |
| 1994 | Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon | Self |
| 1994 | Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up | Charles Searage |
| 1994 | Killing Obsession | Dr. Sachs |
| 1993 | The Baby Doll Murders | John Maglia |
| 1993 | No Escape, No Return | James Mitchell |
| 1992 | Animal Instincts | Otto Van Horne |
| 1992 | Lucky Luke 2 | The Man in Black (archive footage) |
| 1992 | Hellmaster | Professor Jones |
| 1992 | Maximum Force | Captain Fuller |
| 1991 | The Arrival | Agent Miils |
| 1991 | Blackmail | Gene |
| 1991 | Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker | Self (archive footage) |
| 1991 | Payoff | Rafael Concion |
| 1990 | Blood Salvage | Clifford Evans |
| 1990 | Aftershock | Oliver Quinn |
| 1990 | The Final Alliance | Ghost |
| 1990 | The Best of the Martial Arts Films | Self - Host |
| 1990 | Crossing the Line | Jack Kagan |
| 1990 | The Last Samurai | Haroun Al-Hakim |
| 1989 | My Mom's a Werewolf | Harry Thropen |
| 1989 | Criminal Act | Herb Tamplin |
| 1989 | Nightmare Beach | Strycher |
| 1988 | Zombie Death House | Colonel Gordon Burgess |
| 1988 | Stephen King's Monster Stories | |
| 1987 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | Donald Thompson |
| 1986 | Hands of Steel | Francis Turner |
| 1985 | Fever Pitch | Sports Editor |
| 1985 | Brothers-in-Law | Royal Cane |
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Lieutenant Thompson |
| 1984 | Solomon Northup's Odyssey | Epps |
| 1983 | Prisoners of the Lost Universe | Kleel |
| 1983 | The Big Score | Davis |
| 1982 | Wrong Is Right | Homer Hubbard |
| 1982 | Scorpion with Two Tails | Arthur Barnard |
| 1982 | Desire | Joe Hale |
| 1982 | One Too Many | Sergio Puccini |
| 1982 | Tenebre | Bullmer |
| 1982 | Rooster | Jerome Brademan |
| 1982 | Lo Scorpione a Due Code | Arthur Barnard |
| 1981 | Golden Gate | Monty Sager |
| 1980 | Cannibal Apocalypse | Norman Hopper |
| 1980 | Battle Beyond the Stars | Sador |
| 1980 | Blood Beach | Captain Pearson |
| 1980 | Beyond Evil | Larry Andrews |
| 1980 | Running Scared | Captain Munoz |
| 1979 | The Electric Horseman | Hunt Sears |
| 1979 | Fast Company | Phil Adamson |
| 1979 | The Glove | Sam Kellog |
| 1978 | Shalimar | Colonel Columbus |
| 1978 | The Bees | John Norman |
| 1978 | The Immigrants | Alan Brocker |
| 1977 | The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist | Frank Di Maggio |
| 1977 | Moonshine County Express | J.B. Johnson |
| 1976 | Raid on Entebbe | Maj. Gen. Benny Peled |
| 1976 | The Swiss Conspiracy | Robert Hayes |
| 1976 | Mark Strikes Again | Altman |
| 1976 | Shadows in an Empty Room | Sgt. Ned Matthews |
| 1976 | Violent Naples | Francesco Capuano |
| 1976 | A Special Cop in Action | Albertelli |
| 1976 | Cross Shot | Commissario Jacovella |
| 1975 | Mitchell | Walter Deaney |
| 1975 | Strange New World | Capt. Anthony Vico |
| 1975 | Fight to the Death | Mariano Beltrán |
| 1975 | Crossfire | Dave Ambrose |
| 1974 | Black Christmas | Lt. Fuller |
| 1974 | Planet Earth | Dylan Hunt |
| 1974 | Can Ellen Be Saved? | James Hallbeck |
| 1973 | Mr. Kingstreet's War | Mr. Kingstreet |
| 1973 | Enter the Dragon | Roper |
| 1973 | Family Killer | Gaspare Ardizzone |
| 1973 | Linda | Jeff Braden |
| 1973 | Snatched | Paul Maxvill |
| 1973 | Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon | Self |
| 1972 | Joe Kidd | Luis Chama |
| 1972 | House Made of Dawn | Tosamah |
| 1970 | The Intruders | Billy Pye |
| 1970 | Company of Killers | Dave Poohler |
| 1969 | Death of a Gunfighter | Lou Trinidad |
| 1969 | Istanbul Express | Cheval |
| 1968 | One Dollar Too Many | Clay Watson |
| 1968 | Western, Italian Style | Self |
| 1968 | For Singles Only | Bret Hendley |
| 1967 | Winchester '73 | Dakin McAdam |
| 1966 | The Appaloosa | Chuy |
| 1966 | Queen of Blood | Allan Brenner |
| 1966 | The Doomsday Flight | George Ducette |
| 1965 | The Night Caller | Dr. Jack Costain |
| 1965 | The Ravagers | Capt. Kermit Dowling |
| 1964 | The Cavern | Joe Cramer |
| 1963 | The Cardinal | Benny Rampell |
| 1963 | The Girl Who Knew Too Much | Dr. Marcello Bassi |
| 1962 | War Hunt | Pvt. Raymond Endore |
| 1962 | Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation | Byron Grant |
| 1962 | Agostino | Renzo |
| 1961 | Posse from Hell | Seymour Kern |
| 1960 | The Unforgiven | Johnny Portugal |
| 1960 | Portrait in Black | Blake Richards |
| 1960 | The Plunderers | Rondo |
| 1959 | Cry Tough | Miguel Antonio Enrico Francisco Estrada |
| 1959 | The Big Fisherman | Voldi |
| 1958 | The Reluctant Debutante | David Parkson |
| 1958 | The Restless Years | Will Henderson |
| 1958 | This Happy Feeling | Bill Tremaine |
| 1958 | Summer Love | Jimmy Daley |
| 1956 | The Unguarded Moment | Leonard Bennett |
| 1956 | Rock, Pretty Baby | Jimmy Daley |
| 1955 | Running Wild | Vince Pomeroy |
| 1954 | A Star Is Born | Movie Premiere Usher (uncredited) |
| 1954 | It Should Happen to You | Boy Watching Argument in Park (uncredited) |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Masters of Horror | Jeb 'Pa' Jameson |
| 2000 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Walter Gordon |
| 1992 | Lucky Luke | |
| 1992 | Melrose Place | Henry Waxman |
| 1992 | Lucky Luke | The Man in Black |
| 1986 | Matlock | John Franklin |
| 1985 | The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Garth December |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Marco Gambini |
| 1984 | Finder of Lost Loves | Zach Donahue |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Bernardo Bonelli |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Jerry Lydecker |
| 1983 | Masquerade | |
| 1983 | The A-Team | Martin James |
| 1983 | The A-Team | Kalem |
| 1983 | Hardcastle and McCormick | Martin Cody |
| 1983 | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Dirk Fredericks |
| 1982 | Hotel | Jack Curtis |
| 1981 | Falcon Crest | Tony Cumson |
| 1980 | Magnum, P.I. | Ed Russler |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Dr. Roger Sullivan |
| 1977 | 79 Park Avenue | Harry Vito |
| 1976 | Once an Eagle | Capt. Townshend |
| 1976 | Quincy, M.E. | Publisher Charles Desskasa |
| 1975 | Wonder Woman | Captain Radl |
| 1975 | Starsky & Hutch | René Nadasy |
| 1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Maj. Frederick Sloan |
| 1974 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Nedlick |
| 1974 | The Rockford Files | Dave Delaroux |
| 1974 | Petrocelli | Richie Martin |
| 1972 | Banyon | Johnny Clay |
| 1972 | Banacek | Harry Harland |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | Vincent 'Vince' Hagopian Jr. |
| 1972 | Kung Fu | Raven |
| 1970 | The Mary Tyler Moore Show | Mike Tedesca |
| 1970 | Night Gallery | Ianto |
| 1969 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Dr. Theodore Stuart |
| 1968 | Hawaii Five-O | Harry Clive |
| 1968 | The Name of the Game | Peter Max |
| 1968 | It Takes a Thief | Dead Man |
| 1967 | Ironside | Eric Saginor |
| 1963 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Mario Silvetti |
| 1963 | Burke's Law | Bud Charney |
| 1963 | Burke's Law | Gil Lynch |
| 1962 | The Virginian | Dell Stetler |
| 1962 | The Virginian | Ben Oakes |
| 1962 | The Virginian | Sgt. Terence Mulcahy |
| 1961 | The Mike Douglas Show | Self |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Chief Jocova |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Blas |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Steven Friday |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Virgil Stanley |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Pedro Manez |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Gristy Calhoun |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Dingo |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Cal Strom, Jr. |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater | Martin Glass |
| 1944 | Golden Globe Awards | Self - Presenter |
| 1944 | Golden Globe Awards | Self - Audience Member |