John Saxon
Date of birth: 1935-08-05
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
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.
Movie Credits
Beverly Hills Cop III
1994-05-24
When his boss is killed, Detroit cop Axel Foley finds evidence that the murderer had ties to a Calif
A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984-11-09
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing t
From Dusk Till Dawn
1996-01-19
After kidnapping a father and his two kids, the Gecko brothers head south to a seedy Mexican bar to
My Mom's a Werewolf
1989-05-11
The frustrated housewife Leslie visits an animal shop to purchase a flea-collar. Unknowing that the
The Cardinal
1963-12-12
A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
1987-02-27
A psychiatrist, familiar with the knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger, helps teens at a mental
Mr. Kingstreet's War
1973-05-01
A couple sets up an African game preserve, only to have British and Italian armies fight over the wa
The Electric Horseman
1979-12-21
A former champion rodeo rider is reduced to using his saddle skills to promote a breakfast cereal in
Zombie Death House
1988-12-01
A renegade federal agent uses a new drug to create an army of unbeatable warriors.
The Unforgiven
1960-04-06
The neighbors of a frontier family turn on them when it is suspected that their beloved adopted daug
New Nightmare
1994-10-13
A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather Langenkamp pl
Wrong Is Right
1982-04-16
Political double-talk, dirty tricks, hidden microphones, spy satellites, bugging the Oval Office and
Raid on Entebbe
1976-12-26
Based on a true operation by Israeli commandos. An Air France flight is hijacked by the Popular Fron
Cannibal Apocalypse
1980-08-04
Released from captivity in Vietnam, two American Army officers return to civilian life and discover
War Hunt
1962-05-01
Dispatched to the front lines during the Korean War, an idealistic American soldier discovers the ho
Mitchell
1975-09-10
A tough-guy cop pursues two drug runners across the city to bust a large syndicate. Very much an an
Enter the Dragon
1973-08-17
A martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there
The Appaloosa
1966-09-15
A man tries to recover a horse stolen from him by a Mexican bandit.
Shalimar
1978-12-08
Kumar, a thief by profession poses as the son of Raja Bahadur Singh to accept an invitation to the i
Queen of Blood
1966-03-01
A spaceship is sent to Mars after an alien distress signal is picked up. They find one survivor, but
The Girl Who Knew Too Much
1963-02-10
A tourist witnesses a murder and finds herself caught up in a series of bloody killings.
Bruce Lee: The Immortal Dragon
1994-01-18
A video tribute to a martial arts legend, Bruce Lee. Examined are his early years in Hong Kong and h
Stanley's Girlfriend
2006-05-17
Set in 1950's Hollywood, two filmmakers become unlikely friends: Leo, who writes violent B-movies, a
War Wolves
2009-03-08
Jack Ford leads a special forces unit back to the United States to hunt down Jake Gabriel, a soldier
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
1962-06-15
Banker Roger Hobbs wants to spend his vacation alone with his wife, Peggy, but she insists on a fami
The Bees
1978-11-01
Corporate smuggling of South American killer bees into the United States results in huge swarms terr
Battle Beyond the Stars
1980-09-08
A young farmer assembles a band of diverse mercenaries to defend his peaceful planet from an evil ty
Trapped Ashes
2006-09-12
Trapped in a house of horror, seven people discover that the only way they'll get out alive is to te
Jonathan of the Bears
1995-04-21
A young boy witnesses his parents' murder. Later, as he grows up, he befriends a bear in the wildern
The Night Caller
1965-12-31
The inhabitants of Ganymede need to find mates from another world or they will become extinct. They
Joe Kidd
1972-07-19
A band of Mexicans find their U. S. land claims denied and all the records destroyed in a courthouse
The Swiss Conspiracy
1976-03-01
A Swiss bank discovers some of its clients are becoming the victim of a brilliant blackmailer. The b
Cry Tough
1959-08-01
After getting out of prison, a Latino criminal tries to go straight.
House Made of Dawn
1972-03-24
A young Native American, Abel has come home from war to find himself caught between two worlds. The
Blood Beach
1980-09-01
Something or someone is attacking people one by one on the beach. Some of them are mutilated, but mo
Fast Company
1979-03-18
An over the hill drag racer finds himself considering retirement and ceding the spotlight to his pro
The Craving Heart
2006-07-28
Scientist, Alexander Tom thought he had it all, great wife, great house, career... that was until th
The Reluctant Debutante
1958-08-14
While visiting her father, an American teenage girl is thrown into London society during its final "
Scorpion with Two Tails
1982-09-17
An archeologist's wife has recurring nightmares about ritual killings in an Etruscan tomb while her
Black Christmas
1974-10-11
As the residents of the Pi Kappa Sigma sorority house prepare for the festive season, a stranger beg
Portrait in Black
1960-07-27
A pair of lovers plot to kill the woman's rich husband.
Hands of Steel
1986-03-26
A story about a cyborg who is programmed to kill a scientist who holds the fate of mankind in his ha
Animal Instincts
1992-10-21
A cop and his sexually frustrated wife are struggling to keep their failing marriage intact, when by
The Glove
1979-12-01
In this actioner, a bounty hunter is assigned to bring back an enormous and angry ex-convict who wea
Agostino
1962-12-06
Agostino is a 13-year-old boy on vacation in Venice with his widowed mother. When a local stud seduc
Prisoners of the Lost Universe
1983-08-15
Three people are transported into a parallel universe. There they find that they must use modern tec
Mark Strikes Again
1976-10-20
A murderous drug dealer breaks his partner out of police custody. An undercover cop is assigned to t
The Cynic, the Rat & the Fist
1977-02-03
A vengeful criminal targets the inspector who put him away, but the inspector survives and fakes his
The GREATEST : Bruce Lee
1998-10-06
Clarkworld
2009-11-03
Documentary on the life and death of Bob Clark, a director of movies such as Christmas Story, Porky'
Planet Earth
1974-04-23
The time: the 22nd century. The place: the Confederacy, a matriarchy where men are enslaved and impo
Death of a Gunfighter
1969-05-08
In the turn-of-the century Texas town of Cottownwood Springs, marshal Frank Patch is an old-style la
Shadows in an Empty Room
1976-03-09
After his younger sister is poisoned, a tough Ottawa cop embarks on a violent journey through Montre
Black Christmas Legacy
2015-11-24
An examination of the effects and lasting impact of the cult-classic horror film 'Black Christmas',
Posse from Hell
1961-03-01
Banner Cole is a tough sheriff's deputy who forms a small posse to go after 4 death cell escapees wh
The Unguarded Moment
1956-12-27
A high-school music teacher is the victim of a student who writes indecent notes and assaults women.
Violent Naples
1976-08-07
Inspector Betti (Maurizio Merli) is transferred to Naples and immediately after his arrival receives
Blood Salvage
1990-09-14
Twisted tale about a crazy, preaching redneck named Jake who kidnaps people off the highway and perf
Beyond Evil
1980-05-01
Middle-aged newlyweds Larry & Barbara spend their honeymoon at a palatial Filipino mansion, unaware
The Restless Years
1958-12-01
A pretty, sheltered teenager falls for a boy from the wrong side of town.
A Special Cop in Action
1976-11-27
A school bus with young children being kidnapped. Commissario Betti will solve the case. High action
Eurocrime! The Italian Cop and Gangster Films That Ruled the '70s
2012-03-30
A documentary concerning the violent Italian 'poliziotteschi' cinematic movement of the 1970s which,
The Big Score
1983-03-17
A narcotics detective, played by Fred Williamson, lets nothing stand in the way of his bringing down
Moonshine County Express
1977-06-01
The three surviving daughters of a murdered moonshiner band together with a racecar driver to run hi
One Dollar Too Many
1968-08-12
Suave gambler Clay Watson, cocky sharpshooter Moses Lang, and wily thespian Edwin Kean are a trio of
The Cavern
1964-06-26
Adventure drama during WW2 in Italy where a mixed group of people get trapped inside a cave after a
The Baby Doll Murders
1993-04-14
A Los Angeles cop tracks a serial killer who leaves a broken baby doll at the site of each grisly cr
Lucky Luke 2
1992-01-01
Cowhairs want to drive farmers away from their lands. Luke takes matters into his own hands, and eve
Western, Italian Style
1968-01-01
A featurette (most likely shot for American television) about the Spaghetti Western genre during the
This Happy Feeling
1958-06-18
Janet Blake leaves a party when her boss drunkenly makes passes at her and is offered a ride to the
The Arrival
1991-01-01
An old man, who has been near a fallen meteor, starts to get younger and younger, with a terrible th
Hellmaster
1992-12-16
A psychotic college professor uses unwitting students as laboratory rats, injecting them with a drug
Fever Pitch
1985-11-22
An investigative journalist gets hooked on the subject of his inquiry — organized gambling.
Strange New World
1975-07-13
In the near future, a group of scientists living in a space ship wake up from a hibernation state an
Aftershock
1990-10-05
An alien visits Earth during World War III, learns English by absorbing a dictionary, and meets good
The Plunderers
1960-11-05
Four young toughs have ridden into Trail City and claimed it as easy pickings for their bullying and
The Big Fisherman
1959-08-04
Drama that focuses on the later life of Peter, one of the closest disciples of Jesus.
Cross Shot
1976-12-30
A mobster kills a cop during a robbery and then finds himself pursued by the police, his gang, and t
The Final Alliance
1990-06-30
A drifter and his pet puma stand up against a motorcycle gang in a small American town.
Blackmail
1991-10-23
Loving a mobster's wife (Susan Blakely) takes a con man (Mac Davis) away from his partner (Dale Midk
Rock, Pretty Baby
1956-12-01
A high school rock group enters a band contest.
Summer Love
1958-03-10
A neighborhood rock band gets a job playing at a summer camp.
No Escape, No Return
1993-12-29
Two cops go undercover to infiltrate a violent drug ring, and are in for a shock when they find out
Can Ellen Be Saved?
1974-02-05
A young girl in search of spiritual enlightenment joins a religious cult, and becomes the focus of a
Night Class
2001-10-23
When Jake, a security guard in a small hotel, inadvertently helps out a beautiful burglar, he become
Welcome to Primetime
1999-09-08
A documentary about the Nightmare on Elm Street series.
The Intruders
1970-11-10
The James and Younger outlaw gangs ride into town, and it is up to the local marshal, who has lost b
Running Scared
1980-11-01
It's 1961. Two servicemen smuggle a box of military gear to USA. Leroy tries out a military camera a
Running Wild
1955-11-11
To get evidence against a crooked garage owner, a rookie cop masquerades as a hard case who wants a
The Doomsday Flight
1966-12-13
A bomb on board an airliner has an altitude-sensitive trigger. Unless a ransom is paid, it will expl
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
2010-05-04
For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring
Fight to the Death
1975-01-27
The parallel stories of a police commissioner and a bank robber whose lives eventually come together
Family Killer
1973-02-23
Stefano, son of the Mafia Don Angelino Ferrante, is killed by Gaspare Ardizzone (John Saxon) for ref
Linda
1973-11-03
A woman kills her lover's wife, then sets out to frame her husband for the murder.
Company of Killers
1970-08-26
A gunman working for a crime ring is hunted by both the police and his employers after a cop is murd
Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen
2004-09-04
Documentary on the life and work of B-movie filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer, spanning from his early life t
Istanbul Express
1969-03-07
An art dealer on a special mission is pulled into dangerous intrigue while railway detective Cheval
Encyclopedia of Martial Arts: Hollywood Celebrities
1995-08-28
The first video to combine international martial arts together with interviews and demonstrations by
Pelts
2006-12-01
Jake Feldman is a furrier struggling to build a business while being tormented by his obsession with
For Singles Only
1968-06-05
Anne and Helen move into a California apartment complex for single only where all the occupants are
Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up
1994-12-27
The bank president in a small California town isn't quite the upstanding citizen he appears to be--h
Winchester '73
1967-03-14
TV Remake of the 1950 James Stewart Western movie of the same title has two brothers, one an ex-con
A Star Is Born
1954-10-01
A movie star helps a young singer-actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career
The Ravagers
1965-01-08
A story about a Filipino guerilla Sargent who was tasked to ambush a company of Japanese soldiers st
Maximum Force
1992-10-07
Three renegade cops team up to take on the corrupt chief of police and a crime lords hatchet-man.
Criminal Act
1989-09-27
Two investigative reporters track down reports of giant rats in a city sewer system.
The Best of the Martial Arts Films
1990-01-01
The most explosive barehanded combat sequences ever filmed. An electrifying video of martial arts ma
Desire
1982-12-25
The movie tells a tale of a young Filipino woman who believes that her American father has died, but
It Should Happen to You
1954-01-15
Gladys Glover has just lost her modeling job when she meets filmmaker Pete Sheppard shooting a docum
Snatched
1973-01-31
The wives of three wealthy men are kidnapped and held for a $3 million ransom, but one of the men do
Living in Fear
2000-12-31
A man returning to his childhood home for the reading of a will is met with hostility. Do the townsf
The Party Crashers
1998-09-10
An aspiring filmmaker decides to finance his first movie by kidnapping and ransoming the daughter of
Bottom Feeders
1999-01-01
Life on the food chain keeps sinking lower after a vicious, inept gang of psychopaths and misfits se
The Immigrants
1978-11-20
The rags-to-riches saga of a young Italian immigrant who battles his way out of the San Francisco ea
Mario Bava: Maestro of the Macabre
2000-10-01
Director Garry S. Grant’s insightful documentary celebrates the work and legacy of auteur filmmaker
Crossing the Line
1990-08-08
A rich kid, with a fondness for fast bikes, is blamed when a motorcycle accident puts his best frien
God's Ears
2008-06-10
Noah Connelly is a boxer with a tireless opponent: Autism. But when he meets a dancer named Alexia,
The Killers Within
1995-01-01
A man must track down the reasons behind his brother's mysterious death, and uncovers a secret neo-N
Killing Obsession
1994-07-20
Albert (John Savage) is a psychopath who, after brutally murdering a woman, becomes obsessed with he
Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen
2010-01-01
When '80s B-movie icon Tim Thomerson wakes up one day to realize the acting roles are not coming his
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
2009-05-17
More than just a biography, this film explores Bruce Lee's global impact to see how he has influence
The Path of the Dragon
1998-01-01
Produced and directed by Walt Missingham who, in 1983, became the first non-Chinese to practice Kung
Black Christmas Revisited
2002-12-03
A featurette hosted by Art Hindle and Lynne Griffin, who revisit the original house from the movie '
One Too Many
1982-06-06
An exploration of the relationship between a lawyer and a beautiful heiress, from scandal to a myste
Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker
1991-10-28
This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director O
Crossfire
1975-03-24
Vince Rossi is a cop who has been asked by the department to go undercover. Part of the process was
Final Payback
2001-04-24
In this action-packed thriller, ex-cop Joey Randall (Richard Grieco) suddenly finds his affair with
The Last Samurai
1990-02-28
Following the trail of a samurai ancestor, two Japanese businessmen on a quest for spiritual fulfill
Outta Time
2002-03-28
A handsome and talented college student, David Morales, is devastated when a bum knee causes him to
Joseph's Gift
1999-01-01
Joseph is the youngest member of a large family that owns a successful garment business in Los Angel
Nightmare Beach
1989-07-14
In Miami, Florida, biker gang leader Edward "Diablo" Santer is about to be executed for murder when
Tenebre
1982-10-28
A razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, murdering those around Peter Neal, an American myste
Brothers-in-Law
1985-04-28
T.K. Kenny and Mickey Gubiacci are a highway patrolman and a trucker respectively. Now the two of th
Pitcher and the Pin-Up
2003-06-14
Growing up in Las Vegas, Danny and Melissa meet at age eight and are destined to become life-long fr
Blood and Steel: The Making of Enter the Dragon
2004-11-28
Documentary on the making of Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973).
'Cannibal Apocalypse' Redux
2002-03-19
Retro century docu-drama for horror anthologies in mind.
Golden Gate
1981-09-25
A venerable San Francisco publishing family becomes embroiled in a bitter power struggle between the
Lancelot: Guardian of Time
1997-01-03
Lancelot is sent through time by Merlin to protect young Arthur before he becomes King of Camelot, b
Rooster
1982-08-19
A physically small police psychologist and a physically large insurance detective team up on an arso
The 12 Days of Black Christmas
2006-12-05
An interview with the cast and crew of the cult horror film Black Christmas (1974), hosted by John S
Payoff
1991-01-10
A kid unknowingly carries a bomb to his parents. When they get killed he is traumatized. Many hellis
Solomon Northup's Odyssey
1984-12-10
This is based on a true story. Solomon Northrop is a black man in the mid 19th century before slaver
Location: Hong Kong with Enter the Dragon
1973-08-01
Promotional film on the making of 'Enter the Dragon.'
The Dentros
2015-02-01
In some families, roots run deeper.
Stephen King's Monster Stories
1988-03-05
Lo Scorpione a Due Code
1982-01-01
Joan Mulligan is waiting in vain for her husband, Arthur Blanc, an Etruscologist who has traveled to
The Mercy Man
2009-10-24
A copycat serial killer is stalking Manhattan. When an old friend of NYPD undercover cop, Willy Diaz