John Saxon(1936-2020)

John Saxon appeared in nearly 200 roles in the movies and on television in a more-than half-century-long career that has stretched over seven decades since he made his big screen debut in 1954 in uncredited small roles in Une femme qui s'affiche (1954) and George Cukor's Une étoile est née (1954). Born Carmine Orrico on August 5, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Italian-American parents, Antonio Orrico and Anna (née Protettore), he studied acting with Stella Adler after graduating from New Utrecht High School.

He was discovered by talent agent Henry Willson, the man most famous for creating and representing Rock Hudson (as well as a stable of "beefcake" male stars and starlets), who signed him up after he saw Saxon's picture on the cover of a magazine. Willson brought the 16-year-old to Southern California, changed his name to John Saxon, and launched his career. Saxon made his television debut on Richard Boone's series Medic (1954) in 1955 and got his first substantial (and credited) role in Le gang des jeunes (1955), playing a juvenile delinquent. In the Esther Williams vehicle L'enquête de l'inspecteur Graham (1956) (one of her rare dramatic roles), the film's marketing campaign spotlighted him, trumpeting the movie as "Co-starring the exciting new personality John Saxon.".

By 1958, he seemed to have established himself as a supporting player in A-List pictures, being featured in Blake Edwards's comedy Le démon de midi (1958) headlined by Debbie Reynolds and Vincente Minnelli's Qu'est-ce que maman comprend à l'amour! (1958) with Rex Harrison and Sandra Dee. In the next five years, he worked steadily, including supporting roles in John Huston's Le Vent de la plaine (1960), the James Stewart comedy Monsieur Hobbs prend des vacances (1962) and Otto Preminger's Le Cardinal (1963) while having first billing in the B-movies La fin d'un voyou (1959) and Le Mal de tuer (1962). Fluent in Italian, he made his first pictures in Italy in the period, Agostino (1962) and Mario Bava's La fille qui en savait trop (1963). Despite his good work with major directors, he failed to succeed as a star.

By 1965, he was appearing in the likes of The Night Caller (1965), albeit, top-billed. A more emblematic picture was Sidney J. Furie's L'Homme de la Sierra (1966), in which he appeared in Mexican bandito drag as the man who steals the horse of Marlon Brando, another Stella Adler student. Saxon would reprise the role, of sorts, in John Sturges Joe Kidd (1972) in support of superstar Clint Eastwood. In those less politically correct times, many an Italian-American with a dark complexion would be relied on to play Mexicans, Native Americans and other "exotic" types like Mongols. Saxon played everything from an Indian chief on Bonanza (1959) to Marco Polo on Au coeur du temps (1966).

From 1969 to 1972 season, he was a star of the television series The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969), playing the brilliant surgeon Theodore Stuart. When the series ended, he took one of his most famous roles when Bruce Lee demurred over casting Rod Taylor as he was too tall. A black belt in karate, Saxon appeared as Roper in Opération dragon (1973). He continued to play a wide variety of roles on television and in motion pictures, with key roles in 1974's classic slasher Black Christmas (1974), 1984's groundbreaking Les griffes de la nuit (1984), and the 1990s self-referential horror films Freddy sort de la nuit (1994) and Une nuit en enfer (1996).

John Saxon died of pneumonia on July 25, 2020, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He was 83.