John Saxon
ActingAlso Known As
Carmine Orrico
Biography
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.
Movies
(147 total)
From Dusk Till Dawn
as FBI Agent Stanley Chase
A Nightmare on Elm Street
as Lt. Donald Thompson
Beverly Hills Cop III
as Orrin Sanderson
Enter the Dragon
as Roper
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
as John Saxon / Lt. Donald Thompson
Black Christmas
as Lt. Fuller
Tenebre
as Bullmer
Joe Kidd
as Luis Chama
A Star Is Born
as Movie Premiere Usher (uncredited)
The Unforgiven
as Johnny Portugal
Battle Beyond the Stars
as Sador
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
as Dr. Marcello Bassi
The Electric Horseman
as Hunt Sears
Cannibal Apocalypse
as Norman Hopper
Nightmare Beach
as Strycher
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
as Byron Grant
Hands of Steel
as Francis Turner
Blood Beach
as Captain Pearson
TV Shows
(61 total)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
as Walter Gordon
The A-Team
as Martin James
The A-Team
as Kalem
Wonder Woman
as Captain Radl
Bonanza
as Chief Jocova
Bonanza
as Blas
Bonanza
as Steven Friday
Magnum, P.I.
as Ed Russler
Murder, She Wrote
as Marco Gambini
Murder, She Wrote
as Bernardo Bonelli
Murder, She Wrote
as Jerry Lydecker
The Six Million Dollar Man
as Maj. Frederick Sloan
The Six Million Dollar Man
as Nedlick
Masters of Horror
as Jeb 'Pa' Jameson
Kung Fu
as Raven
Starsky & Hutch
as René Nadasy
The Time Tunnel
as Marco Polo
Melrose Place
as Henry Waxman
Hawaii Five-O
as Harry Clive
Matlock
as John Franklin