Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films and television shows, with a career spanning over 50 years. He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/director John Cassavetes. The first of these was Too Late Blues (1961), followed by Faces (1968), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and won a National Society of Film Critics Award. Cassel went on to appear in Cassavetes's Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984).
He also appeared in other notable films, including: Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), Valentino (1977), Convoy (1978), Johnny Be Good (1988), Mobsters (1991), In the Soup (1992), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), It Could Happen to You (1993), Imaginary Crimes (1994), The Sleepy Time Gal (2001), Beer League (2006), and Fort McCoy (2011). Like Cassavetes, Wes Anderson frequently cast Cassel — first in Rushmore (1998), then in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and finally in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
Early life Cassel was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Pancretia Ann (née Kearney), a performer, and Seymour Joseph Cassel, a nightclub owner.
His mother was remarried to a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the family moved to Panama, where Cassel's stepfather was said to have won a nightclub in a game of craps. After his mother filed for divorce in the late 1940s, she sent Seymour to live with his godmother in Detroit, where he soon joined a gang. He later said that at 17, he was given a choice: join the Navy, or go to jail. He picked the military, and after three years of service and a brief stint in college, he returned to Detroit, where he built props for a theater company and took small acting roles. Convinced he had a future in theater, he bought a bus ticket to New York, only to bomb at an Actors Studio audition.Seymour Cassel, mischievous character actor of independent films, dies at 84. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
Career
Cassel's early career was tied to fellow actor John Cassavetes, who was informally part of his clan of actors. He made his film debut in the first film Cassavetes directed, Shadows, on which he also served as associate producer. In 1961 he co-starred with Cassavetes in Too Late Blues and 1962's The Webster Boy.
Cassel also appeared in The Lloyd Bridges Show in the episode "A Pair of Boots", directed by his friend Cassavetes. Cassel appeared on such popular programs as Twelve O'Clock High, Combat!, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and The F.B.I. He also appeared as "Cancelled", one of Colonel Gumm's henchmen in the 1960s Batman TV episode "A Piece of the Action", which also featured guest stars Van Williams and Bruce Lee as The Green Hornet and Kato, respectively.
In 1968, Cassel was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Chet in John Cassavetes's Faces. Other collaborations with Cassavetes included a starring role with Gena Rowlands in Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), supporting roles in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Love Streams (1984), and a cameo appearance in Opening Night (1977).
Cassel appeared in many major Hollywood productions such as Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), Valentino (1977), Convoy (1978), Tin Men (1987), Johnny Be Good (1988), Dick Tracy (1990), Mobsters (1991), In the Soup (1992), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), It Could Happen to You (1993), Imaginary Crimes (1994), Beer League (2006), and Fort McCoy (2011). He was also very supportive of the American independent film community, especially in the wake of Cassavetes's death. Cassel had a small role in Steve Buscemi's directorial debut Trees Lounge (1996) and appeared in three films by Wes Anderson: Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic (2004). He had a featured role alongside Jacqueline Bisset in Christopher Münch's critically acclaimed low-budget drama The Sleepy Time Gal (2001). Cassel appeared for four seasons on comedian Tracey Ullman's television series Tracey Takes On....
Personal life Cassel married Elizabeth Deering in 1964; they had two children before divorcing in 1983.
Guitarist Slash, who was childhood friends with Cassel's son, credited Cassel with giving him his nickname, because he was "always zipping from one place to another and never sitting still."Slash (autobiography) by Slash, 2007
Cassel died on April 7, 2019, aged 84, of Alzheimer's disease.
Accolades In 2009, the San Diego Film Festival awarded the actor with the Indie Icon Award.
In 2012, the Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany introduced an actors' prize named the Seymour Cassel Award.
He won the National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Faces.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes1958ShadowsMinor roleUncredited1960Man on a StringHotel PageboyUncredited1960Juke Box RacketSeymour1960Murder, Inc.TeenagerUncredited1961Too Late BluesRed1962The Webster BoyVic1963The Nutty ProfessorBored ManUncredited1964The KillersPostal Clerk1968Coogan's BluffJohn, Young Hood1968FacesChetNominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor1968The Sweet RideSurfer, CyclistUncredited1970The RevolutionaryLeonard II1971Minnie and MoskowitzMoskowitz1975Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos TonightWise GuyUncredited1976The Killing of a Chinese BookieMort Weil1976The Last TycoonSeal TrainerCredited as Seymour Cassell1977Death GameGeorge Manning1977Black Oak ConspiracyHomer Metcalf1977ValentinoGeorge Ullman1977Scott JoplinDr. JaelkiCredited as Seymour Cassell1977Opening Nightunknown roleUncredited1978ConvoyGovernor Haskins1979California DreamingDuke Slusarski1979RavagersBlind Lawyer1979SunburnDobbs1980The Mountain MenLa Bont1980The Jazz SingerUnnamed1981King of the MountainBarry Tanner1982Double ExposureDr. Frank Curtis1984Love StreamsJack Lawson1986Eye of the TigerSheriff1987Tin MenCheese1987Best SellerCarterUncredited1987Survival GameDave Forrest1987 Plain ClothesEd Malmburg1988Johnny Be GoodWallace Gibson1988ColorsSullivan1988Track 29Dr. Bernard1989Wicked StepmotherFeldshine, Magick Shop Owner1990Dick TracySam Catchem1990Cold Dog SoupJojo1991White FangSkunker1991MobstersFather Bonotto1991Cold HeavenTom Farrelly1991Diary of a HitmanKoenig1992In the SoupJoe1992Bad LoveUncle Bud1992Chain of DesireMel1992Honeymoon in VegasTony Cataracts1992Adventures in SpyingRay Rucker1992What Happened to PeteBartenderShort1993Trouble BoundSantino1993Indecent ProposalMr. Shackleford1993Boiling PointLeach1993When Pigs FlyFrank1994Hand GunJack McCallister1994ChasersMaster Chief Bogg1994It Could Happen to YouJack Gross1994There Goes My BabyPop1994Dark Side of GeniusSamuel Rourke1994Imaginary CrimesEddie1994Whew!unknown roleShort1994TollboothLarry, Leon1995Dead PresidentsSaulUncredited1996Things I Never Told YouFrank1996Dream for an InsomniacUncle Leo1996Trees LoungeUncle Al1996Slaughter of the CockAhilleas1996Dead GirlIra Golub1996ChameleonFrancis1996JuiceheadDr. WattShort1996TurnpikeOlder manShort1996The Last Home RunOlder Jonathan1996SeedFirst ClientShort1997This World, Then the FireworksDetective Harris1997Cannes ManSy Lerner1997ObsessionJacob Frischumuth1997Motel BlueCapistrano Minister1998Johnny 316Minor Role1998Relax...It's Just SexEmile Pillsbury1998HoodsPop MartinelliUncredited1998The TreatChip O'Herlihee1998SnappedBob1998RushmoreBert Fischer1998Stingersunknown role1999 Getting to Know Youunknown role1999TempsArthur, the studio president1999Ballad of the NightingaleJimmy1999Smoking Cuban StyleDragan1999Me and WillRoy1999Black and WhiteSal2000Animal FactoryLieutenant Seeman2000The CrewTony "Mouth" Donato2000Just One NightArthur Imperial2000Next Stop, EternityLawrenceShort2001The Sleepy Time GalBob200161*Sam Simon2001BartlebyFrank Waxman2001Women of the NightSally2001The Cure for BordomEddie2001The Royal TenenbaumsDusty2001The ChameleonRichard Cavanaugh2002PassionadaDaniel Vargas2002SonnyAlbert2002Stealing HarvardUncle Jack2002Manna from HeavenStanley2002The Burial SocietySam Goldberg2002Time & AgainSteveShort film2002The BizEugene Hinkle2003Wishing TimeThe AngelShort film2003A Good Night to DieGuy2003Stuck on YouMorty O'Reilly2004Sweet UndergroundWally2004ThanksgivingDelShort film2004The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouEsteban du Plantier2005Lonesome JimDon2005The Wendell Baker StoryBoyd Fullbright2005Bittersweet PlaceJack "Pappy" Schaffer2005The TenantsLevenspiel2005Before It Had a NameJeff2005Main StreetBig BusinessShort film2005Welcome to CaliforniaJim's Father2005Circadian RhythmHoover2006Bye Bye BenjaminMr. RubyShort film2006Sea of DreamsTomaso2006Hollywood DreamsRupert2006Ray of SunshineVictor2006PropertyThe SuperintendentShort film2006Beer LeagueDirt2007Chasing 3000Poppy2007The Happiest Day of His LifeMr. Jacobs2007PostalPaul2008Beau JestAbe Goldman2008Barbiere, ILMort2008Big Heart CityLarry2008Reach for MeAlvin2009Little New YorkJasper Sabiano2009Not Dead YetFrancis2010Kissing StrangersMr. Koster2010Pete Smalls Is DeadSaco2010Now HereCommissioner2011Fort McCoyFather Mivkovek2011Without BordersDetective McKenneth2011Life HappensPop Pop2011FreerunnerGramps2011Pass the Salt, PleaseManShort film2012Silver CaseDealer2012BoosterHarold2012Broken KingdomClayton2012Lost AngelesFilm Critic2013The Secret Lives of DorksPrincipal2014The DependablesDominic Ackers2014The AlgerianProfessor Wright2014At the Maple GroveBoyle2015Silver Case: Director's CutDealer2015Lucky DogThe Real Spencer2021Cosmic RadioMalcolm StoneTBRTime FramedBoris EslaCompleted
Television