John Saxon
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.
197 acting credits · 1 directing credit
Acting · 197
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
Murder, She Wrote
1984
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
Falcon Crest
1981
Bonanza
1959
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Melrose Place
1992
The A-Team
1983
Ironside
1967
Magnum, P.I.
1980
Hawaii Five-O
1968
The Rockford Files
1974
Quincy, M.E.
1976
The Virginian
1962
The Six Million Dollar Man
1974
Hotel
1982
Matlock
1986
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
Fantasy Island
1978
Burke's Law
1963
Starsky & Hutch
1975
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1985
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
1970
Masters of Horror
2005
Night Gallery
1970
The Name of the Game
1968
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1983
Gunsmoke
1955
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
Hardcastle and McCormick
1983
The Time Tunnel
1966
Monsters
1988
Wonder Woman
1975
A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984
It Takes a Thief
1968
Banacek
1972
Petrocelli
1974
Finder of Lost Loves
1984
From Dusk Till Dawn
1996
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
Banyon
1972
Enter the Dragon
1973
Masquerade
1983
Once an Eagle
1976
Animal Instincts
1992
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
1994
The Fantastic Journey
1977
Lucky Luke
1992
Beverly Hills Cop III
1994
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
1987
General Electric Theater
1953
Battle Beyond the Stars
1980
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
2010
Joe Kidd
1972
Old Dogs
2009
79 Park Avenue
1977
The Unforgiven
1960
Western, Italian Style
1968
Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story
1995
A Star Is Born
1954
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
2009
Black Christmas
1974
Tenebre
1982
The Cardinal
1963
Cannibal Apocalypse
1980
Raid on Entebbe
1976
Blood Beach
1980
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
1963
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
1990
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s
2012
Death of a Gunfighter
1969
Kung Fu
1972
The Electric Horseman
1979
Night Class
2001
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991
Snatched
1973
It Should Happen to You
1954
The Appaloosa
1966
War Hunt
1962
Nightmare Beach
1989
Payoff
1991
Hands of Steel
1986
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
1962
Planet Earth
1974
Trapped Ashes
2006
Wrong Is Right
1982
The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist
1977
The Immigrants
1978
Moonshine County Express
1977
One Dollar Too Many
1968
Jonathan of the Bears
1995
Winchester '73
1967
Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon
2004
Prisoners of the Lost Universe
1983
Posse from Hell
1961
The Plunderers
1960
The Intruders
1970
Pelts
2006
The Glove
1979
Solomon Northup's Odyssey
1991
Running Wild
1955
Golden Gate
1981
Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen
2010
The Doomsday Flight
1966
Shalimar
1978
Shadows in an Empty Room
1976
Aftershock
1990
Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities
1995
My Mom's a Werewolf
1989
The Arrival
1991
Rooster
1982
Mitchell
1975
The Big Fisherman
1959
Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up
1994
The Reluctant Debutante
1958
Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen
2004
The Path of the Dragon
1998
Scorpion with Two Tails
1982
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
Portrait in Black
1960
Istanbul Express
1969
Cry Tough
1959
Living in Fear
2000
The Bees
1978
The Killers Within
1995
Agostino
1962
No Escape, No Return
1993
Fight to the Death
1975
The Unguarded Moment
1956
The Cavern
1964
Blackmail
1991
Strange New World
1975
Queen of Blood
1966
Maximum Force
1992
Pitcher and the Pin-Up
2003
Killing Obsession
1994
War Wolves
2009
Cross Shot
1976
Final Payback
2001
Fast Company
1979
Crossfire
1975
The Night Caller
1965
The Immigrants
1978
Criminal Act
1989
Violent Naples
1976
The Big Score
1983
Running Scared
1980
Fever Pitch
1985
Outta Time
2002
Clarkworld
2009
The Baby Doll Murders
1993
Family Killer
1973
Beyond Evil
1980
Linda
1973
Mark Strikes Again
1976
Hellmaster
1992
The Last Samurai
1990
Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon
1973
The Swiss Conspiracy
1976
Blood Salvage
1990
The Ravagers
1965
Joseph's Gift
1999
Rock, Pretty Baby
1956
A Special Cop in Action
1976
Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon
1994
This Happy Feeling
1958
Zombie Death House
1988
Lancelot: Guardian of Time
1997
Summer Love
1958
Desire
1982
The Final Alliance
1990
Black Christmas Legacy
2015
The Craving Heart
2006
House Made of Dawn
1972
Can Ellen Be Saved?
1974
Brothers-in-Law
1985
The Party Crashers
1998
The Restless Years
1958
Company of Killers
1970
For Singles Only
1968
The 12 Days of Black Christmas
2006
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
2000
Welcome to Primetime
1999
Crossing the Line
1990
One Too Many
1982
Lucky Luke 2
1992
The GREATEST : Bruce Lee
1998
Black Christmas Revisited
2002
Mr. Kingstreet's War
1973
Lo Scorpione a Due Code
1982
God's Ears
2008
Bottom Feeders
1998
Stanley's Girlfriend
2006
Stephen King's Monster Stories
1988
'Cannibal Apocalypse' Redux
2002
The Dentros
2015
The Mercy Man
2009