John Saxon
Known for Acting · 200 credits
- Born
- 1935-08-05
- Died
- 2020-07-25
- Place of birth
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- Also 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.
Known For
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Walter Gordon
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Marco Gambini / Bernardo Bonelli / Jerry Lydecker
Melrose Place
1992
as Henry Waxman
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter / Self - Audience Member
The A-Team
1983
as Martin James / Kalem
TV Shows (49)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
2000
as Walter Gordon
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Marco Gambini / Bernardo Bonelli / Jerry Lydecker
Melrose Place
1992
as Henry Waxman
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter / Self - Audience Member
The A-Team
1983
as Martin James / Kalem
Bonanza
1959
as Chief Jocova / Blas / Steven Friday
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
1970
as Mike Tedesca
Hawaii Five-O
1968
as Harry Clive
Ironside
1967
as Eric Saginor
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
as Mario Silvetti
Falcon Crest
1981
as Tony Cumson
Matlock
1986
as John Franklin
The Virginian
1962
as Sgt. Terence Mulcahy / Ben Oakes / Dell Stetler
Magnum, P.I.
1980
as Ed Russler
Quincy, M.E.
1976
as Publisher Charles Desskasa
The Rockford Files
1974
as Dave Delaroux
The Six Million Dollar Man
1974
as Maj. Frederick Sloan / Nedlick
Fantasy Island
1978
as Roger Sullivan
Burke's Law
1963
as Bud Charney / Gil Lynch
American Playhouse
1982
as Epps
Hotel
1982
as Jack Curtis
Gunsmoke
1955
as Virgil Stanley / Pedro Manez / Gristy Calhoun / Dingo / Cal Strom, Jr.
Starsky & Hutch
1975
as René Nadasy
Night Gallery
1970
as Ianto
The Name of the Game
1968
as Peter Max
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1983
as Dirk Fredericks
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1985
as Garth December
Finder of Lost Loves
1984
as Zach Donahue
Masters of Horror
2005
as Jeb 'Pa' Jameson
Hardcastle and McCormick
1983
as Martin Cody
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
as Vincent 'Vince' Hagopian Jr.
The Time Tunnel
1966
as Marco Polo
Monsters
1988
as Ben O'Connell
It Takes a Thief
1968
as Dead Man
Petrocelli
1974
as Richie Martin
Wonder Woman
1975
as Captain Radl
Banacek
1972
as Harry Harland
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
as Dr. Theodore Stuart
Masquerade
1983
The Fantastic Journey
1977
as Consul Tarant
Banyon
1972
as Johnny Clay
Once an Eagle
1976
as Capt. Townshend
Lucky Luke
1992
as The Man in Black
General Electric Theater
1953
as Martin Glass
The Immigrants
1978
as Alan Brocker
79 Park Avenue
1977
as Harry Vito
Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story
1995
as Richard Brooks
Kung Fu
1972
as Raven
Movies (151)
A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984
as Lt. Donald Thompson
From Dusk Till Dawn
1996
as FBI Agent Stanley Chase
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
1994
as John Saxon / Lt. Donald Thompson
Enter the Dragon
1973
as Roper
Beverly Hills Cop III
1994
as Orrin Sanderson
Animal Instincts
1992
as Otto Van Horne
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
1987
as Thompson
Final Payback
2001
as Police Chief George Moreno
Black Christmas
1974
as Lt. Fuller
Old Dogs
2009
as Lee Robinson
Criminal Act
1989
as Herb Tamplin
Fight to the Death
1975
as Mariano Beltrán
The Unforgiven
1960
as Johnny Portugal
Joe Kidd
1972
as Luis Chama
Battle Beyond the Stars
1980
as Sador
New Line: Independent Legacies
as Self (archive footage)
Maximum Force
1992
as Captain Fuller
Istanbul Express
1969
as Cheval
Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen
2004
as Self
A Star Is Born
1954
as Movie Premiere Usher (uncredited)
Zombie Death House
1988
as Colonel Gordon Burgess
Stanley's Girlfriend
2006
as Leo
Pitcher and the Pin-Up
2003
as Michael Curtis
The Electric Horseman
1979
as Hunt Sears
Posse from Hell
1961
as Seymour Kern
Night Class
2001
as Murphy
Tenebre
1982
as Bullmer
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
The Cardinal
1963
as Benny Rampell
Hands of Steel
1986
as Francis Turner
Death of a Gunfighter
1969
as Lou Trinidad
Pelts
2006
as Jeb 'Pa' Jameson
Moonshine County Express
1977
as J.B. Johnson
The Big Score
1983
as Davis
The Path of the Dragon
1998
as Self
It Should Happen to You
1954
as Boy Watching Argument in Park (uncredited)
Raid on Entebbe
1976
as Maj. Gen. Benny Peled
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
2010
as Self
The Immigrants
1978
as Alan Brocker
House Made of Dawn
1972
as Tosamah
Brothers-in-Law
1985
as Royal Cane
The Swiss Conspiracy
1976
as Robert Hayes
Wrong Is Right
1982
as Homer Hubbard
Western, Italian Style
1968
as Self
Nightmare Beach
1989
as Strycher
Bottom Feeders
1998
as Antonio DiPaolo Jr.
A Special Cop in Action
1976
as Albertelli
This Happy Feeling
1958
as Bill Tremaine
The Reluctant Debutante
1958
as David Parkson
The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist
1977
as Frank Di Maggio
Welcome to Primetime
1999
as Self
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
2009
as Self
The GREATEST : Bruce Lee
1998
as Comentador
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
1962
as Byron Grant
Running Scared
1980
as Captain Munoz
Clarkworld
2009
as Self
Blood Beach
1980
as Captain Pearson
The Doomsday Flight
1966
as George Ducette
Fast Company
1979
as Phil Adamson
Shadows in an Empty Room
1976
as Sgt. Ned Matthews
Portrait in Black
1960
as Blake Richards
The Intruders
1970
as Billy Pye
The Appaloosa
1966
as Chuy
The Party Crashers
1998
as Mr. Foster
Fever Pitch
1985
as Sports Editor
Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up
1994
as Charles Searage
The Baby Doll Murders
1993
as John Maglia
Prisoners of the Lost Universe
1983
as Kleel
Jonathan of the Bears
1995
as Fred Goodwin
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991
as Self (archive footage)
Stephen King's Monster Stories
1988
War Hunt
1962
as Pvt. Raymond Endore
Violent Naples
1976
as Francesco Capuano
The Killers Within
1995
as Detective Lewis
The Bees
1978
as John Norman
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s
2012
as Self
Cannibal Apocalypse
1980
as Norman Hopper
One Dollar Too Many
1968
as Clay Watson
Trapped Ashes
2006
as Leo (segment "Stanley's Girlfriend")
The Unguarded Moment
1956
as Leonard Bennett
The Restless Years
1958
as Will Henderson
Company of Killers
1970
as Dave Poohler
The Big Fisherman
1959
as Voldi
The Plunderers
1960
as Rondo
Living in Fear
2000
as Rev. Leo Hausman
Queen of Blood
1966
as Allan Brenner
War Wolves
2009
as Tony Ford
Killing Obsession
1994
as Dr. Sachs
Strange New World
1975
as Capt. Anthony Vico
My Mom's a Werewolf
1989
as Harry Thropen
Planet Earth
1974
as Dylan Hunt
The Glove
1979
as Sam Kellog
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
1963
as Dr. Marcello Bassi
Mitchell
1975
as Walter Deaney
Beyond Evil
1980
as Larry Andrews
Lancelot: Guardian of Time
1997
as Wolvencroft
Crossing the Line
1990
as Jack Kagan
The Arrival
1991
as Agent Miils
Solomon Northup's Odyssey
1991
as Epps
Can Ellen Be Saved?
1974
as James Hallbeck
Scorpion with Two Tails
1982
as Arthur Barnard
God's Ears
2008
as Lee Robinson
The Last Samurai
1990
as Haroun Al-Hakim
Agostino
1962
as Renzo
Summer Love
1958
as Jimmy Daley
Lucky Luke 2
1992
as The Man in Black (archive footage)
Mark Strikes Again
1976
as Altman
The Cavern
1964
as Joe Cramer
Joseph's Gift
1999
as Jacob Keller
No Escape, No Return
1993
as James Mitchell
Cross Shot
1976
as Commissario Jacovella
Blood Salvage
1990
as Clifford Evans
Aftershock
1990
as Oliver Quinn
The Night Caller
1965
as Dr. Jack Costain
Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon
2004
as Self
One Too Many
1982
as Sergio Puccini
Cry Tough
1959
as Miguel Antonio Enrico Francisco Estrada
Running Wild
1955
as Vince Pomeroy
Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities
1995
as Self
Snatched
1973
as Paul Maxvill
About 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… With 200 credits spanning from 1944 to 2018, John Saxon has appeared in 151 films and 49 TV shows.
Fans searching for John Saxon movies, John Saxon filmography, or the latest projects starring John Saxon can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular John Saxon Movies
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) — as Lt. Donald Thompson
- From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) — as FBI Agent Stanley Chase
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) — as John Saxon / Lt. Donald Thompson
- Enter the Dragon (1973) — as Roper
- Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) — as Orrin Sanderson
Where to Watch John Saxon Films
Most John Saxon movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring John Saxon, check our movies catalogue and browse page.