John Cassavetes began his career in film in 1953 and ended it in 1986, between which times he was involved in every aspect of the film, television, and stage arts, including acting, directing, scoring, shooting, editing, producing, and marketing.Raymond Carney, The films of John Cassavetes, New York and London: Cambridge University Press, 1994: p. 28.Ray Carney, Cassavetes on Cassavetes, Macmillan, 2001: p. 254.
Cassavetes became known for directing a string of critically acclaimed independent films including Shadows (1959), Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Opening Night (1977), Gloria (1980), and Love Streams (1984). Cassavetes also had leading roles in both Opening Night and Love Streams opposite his wife Gena Rowlands.
He is also known for acting in films such as Martin Ritt's film noir Edge of the City (1957), and Roman Polanski's horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968), Giuliano Montaldo's Italian crime film Machine Gun McCain (1969), and Elaine May's crime drama Mikey and Nicky (1976). He earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in the war film The Dirty Dozen (1967).
Filmmaker YearTitleFunctioned asNotes Director Writer ProducerOther 1959 Shadows Co-written with Robert Alan Aurthur 1961 Too Late Blues Co-written with Richard Carr 1963 A Child Is Waiting 1968 Faces Also uncredited editor 1970 Husbands Also uncredited editor and actor 1971 Minnie and Moskowitz Also uncredited actor 1974 A Woman Under the Influence 1976 The Killing of a Chinese Bookie 1977 Opening Night Also actor 1980 Gloria 1984 Love Streams Co-written with Ted Allan, also actor 1986 Big Trouble
Actor Film Year Title Role Notes 1951 Fourteen Hours Bit Role Uncredited 1953 Taxi 1955 The Night Holds Terror Robert Batsford 1956 Crime in the Streets Frankie Dane 1957 Edge of the City Axel Nordmann Affair in Havana Nick 1958 Saddle the Wind Tony Sinclair Virgin Island Evan 1959 Shadows Pedestrian Uncredited 1961 Too Late Blues Narrator 1962 The Webster Boy Vance Miller 1963 A Child Is Waiting Adult Patient Uncredited 1964 The Killers Johnny North 1967 Devil's Angels Cody The Dirty Dozen Victor Franko 1968 Rosemary's Baby Guy Woodhouse Bandits in Rome Mario Corda 1969 Machine Gun McCain Hank McCain If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium Steve 1970 Husbands Gus Demetri 1971 Minnie and Moskowitz Jim Uncredited 1975 Capone Frankie Yale 1976 Two-Minute Warning Sgt. Button Mikey and Nicky Nicky Godalin 1977 Heroes VA Doctor Uncredited Opening Night Maurice Aarons 1978 The Fury Ben Childress Brass Target Maj. Joe De Lucca 1981 Whose Life Is It Anyway? Dr. Michael Emerson 1982 The Incubus Sam Cordell Tempest Phillip Dimitrius The Haircut Music Industry Executive Short film 1983 Marvin & Tige Marvin Stewart 1984 Love Streams Robert Harmon 1984 Fräulein Berlin Himself
Television Year Title Role Notes 1953 You Are There Plato Episode: "The Death of Socrates (399 B.C.)" 1954 Robert Montgomery Presents Episode: "Diary" 1954 NBC Opera Theatre Jochanaan Episode: "Salome" 1954–55 Danger Various 3 episodes 1955 Kraft Television Theatre Episode: "Judge Contain's Hotel" The Elgin Hour Private Tommy Fitch / Frankie Dane 2 episodes Armstrong Circle Theatre Arthur / Clay Cochran 3 episodes Pond's Theater Episode: "Coquette" Goodyear Television Playhouse Paul Davis Episode: "The Expendable House" 1956 The United States Steel Hour Johnny Episode: "Bring Me a Dream" Alfred Hitchcock Presents Sam Cobbett Season 1 Episode 16: "You Got to Have Luck" Appointment with Adventure Episode: "All Through the Night" The 20th Century Fox Hour Max Markheim Episode: "The Last Patriarch" Climax! Abel Wintery / McCloud 2 episodes 1957 O. Henry Playhouse Episode: "Two Renegades" Playhouse 90 Dexter Green Episode: "Winter Dreams"1958 Westinghouse Studio One Private Paul Greco Episode: "Kurishiki Incident" Alcoa Theatre Tony Benedetti Episode: "The First Star" Pursuit Sam Caldwell Episode: "Calculated Risk" 1959 General Electric Theater Johnny Episode: "Train for Tecumseh" Lux Video Theatre Christo Sierra Episode: "The Dreamer" Decoy Carl Walton Episode: "Across the World" 1959–60 Johnny Staccato Johnny Staccato / The Killer 27 episodes 1961 Rawhide Cal Fletcher S3:E19, "Incident Near Gloomy River"1962 The Lloyd Bridges Show Castigo Episode: "El Medico" Dr. Kildare Makin Saund Episode: "The Visitors" 1963 Channing Lloyd Sullivan Episode: "Message from the Tin Room" Breaking Point Evan Price Episode: "There Are the Hip, and There Are the Square" 1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Lee Griffin Season 2 Episode 19: "Murder Case" The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Rusty Connors Season 3 Episode 3: "Water's Edge" 1964–65 Burke's Law Alfred Algeron / Various 4 episodes 1965 Profiles in Courage Parsons Episode: "John Peter Altgeld" Kraft Suspense Theatre Peter Chandler Episode: "Won't It Ever Be Morning?" Combat! Kalb Episode: "S.I.W." The Legend of Jesse James Blackie Dolan Episode: "The Quest" Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Everett Lang Episode: "The Peacemaker" 1965–67 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Various 3 episodes 1966 The Virginian Jonah MacIntosh Episode: "Long Ride to Wind River" The Long, Hot Summer Tim Demming Episode: "The Intruders" 1968 Off to See the Wizard General Karonos Episode: "Alexander the Great" 1972 Columbo Alex Benedict Episode: "Étude in Black" 1973 Nightside Carmine Kelly Television film 1979 Flesh and Blood Gus Caputo 1985 King Kongs Faust Himself
Documentary appearances Year Title Notes 1989 I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes, the Man and His Work Filmed in 1984
References
Further reading Carney, Raymond Francis, Junior, “American Dreaming: The Films of John Cassavetes and the American Experience,” (Berkeley and Los Angeles, California and London: University of California Press, 1985).