John Saxon Biography

MARITAL STATUS
Profession Actor
Nationality American
Birth August 5, 1935 (Brooklyn, New York, United States)
Death July 25, 2020
BIOGRAPHY
Born into a family of Italian origin, John Saxon (born Carmine Orrico) developed a passion for comedy very early on. After dropping out of school, he trained with the famous drama teacher Stella Adler then went to Hollywood to do castings (this is when he took the name Saxon).

John Saxon found his first film role in A Woman Who Flaunts (1953) by George Cukor . Uncredited in the credits, he plays a young man watching an argument in a park. He continued with another performance in a Cukor film (also uncredited): A Star is Born (1954). Building on these two brief but conclusive experiences, the young actor multiplies the roles, often alongside prestigious directors. Thus, he worked with Blake Edwards (The Demon of Midday, 1958), Vincente Minnelli (What Does Mom Understand About Love?, id.), John Huston (The Wind of the Plain, 1960) and even Mario Bava (The Girl Who Knew Too Much, 1963).

John Saxon continues to star alongside great actors like Marlon Brando (The Sierra Man, 1966), Richard Widmark (A Fistful of Lead, 1969) and Clint Eastwood (Joe Kidd, 1972), showing at the same time how the western is a genre he likes. In Operation Dragon (1973), led by Bruce Lee, the actor slips into the skin of a seasoned fighter. An important role which allows him to show his physical abilities and which undoubtedly constitutes his best-known performance.

At the same time, John Saxon distinguished himself in various television series, through more or less recurring characters, including The Man with the Rolls, Dr. Kildare Bonanza, The Iron Man, The Virginian, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, The Streets of San Francisco, Banacek, Gunsmoke, The $3 Billion Man, Once an Eagle, Harold Robbins’ 79, Park Avenue and Hawaii, State Police. In the 1980s, his roles took on more importance as evidenced by his appearances in Fantasy Island, Dynasty and Falcon Crest.

Often playing police officers, John Saxon is Lieutenant Kenneth Fuller in the horrific Black Christmas (1974), a particularly grim horror film. An eternal supporting role despite his charisma, he played in several Italian films (the actor is bilingual thanks to his parents, which makes things easier) such as Operation Jaguar (1976), The Cynic, the Infamous and the Violent (1977), Cannibal impulses(1980) and Crime in the Etruscan Cemetery (1982). Most of the time, these feature films relate to “modest” cinematographic genres.

Accustomed to horror films, John Saxon found an important role in the cult slasher Claws of the Night (1984), by Wes Craven, that of police sergeant Donald Thompson, a divorced and alcoholic father who loves his daughter Nancy Thompson very much ( the heroine of the film). The actor will reprise this role in the third Freddy: The Claws of the Nightmare in 1987.

Among his other notable performances, we can also mention that of Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1993), the third part of the adventures of Axel Foley. He plays the villain Orrin Sanderson, director of the WonderWorld park. Becoming increasingly rare in the cinema, John Saxon plays a small role in the cult vampire film A Night in Hell by Robert Rodriguez, that of FBI agent Stanley Chase. Subsequently, in the 2000s, most of his performances were limited to films previously unreleased and relatively unknown to the general public, such as Criminal Minds, Night Class, The Road Home, Old Dogs and The Mercy Man. Still active on screens despite his advancing age, John Saxon also stars in the comedy The Extra (2017).