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IMDbPro

John Dugan(I)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Stunts
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
John Dugan
New, future cult classic, practical FX heavy, old school video store style, monster movie, horror anthology. True vhs style horror at its finest.
Play trailer1:16
The Macabre (2022)
5 Videos
7 Photos
John Dugan was born in Brazil, Indiana. He attended the Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago. During his time in Chicago, he performed in several theatrical productions. While he was in Chicago, screenwriter Kim Henkle approached him to portray an old patriarch of a cannibalistic family, and he enthusiastically accepted the offer. He was cast as Grandpa in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", a film directed by Tobe Hooper. He was 20 years old at the time of filming, playing a 113-year old man whose family lured young people to their Texas homestead, where they were killed and eaten. The low-budget film has become a classic in the horror genre, spawning several sequels and a remake.

After filming, John returned to theater acting in Chicago, and eventually moved to Los Angeles. He took several years off to focus on his family and raising his daughter.

Thankfully to his fans, John's hiatus was short lived and he began filming again. True to his roots, he did a cameo appearance in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre:The Next Generation". He has appeared in several independent horror films, including Monstrosity", "The Butcher Boys" and in "The Hospital". He also appeared in the film rendition of Stephen King's The Boogeyman. And almost forty years later, he appeared in the iconic movie "Texas Chainsaw 3D" (2013) as Grandpa Sawyer.

John finished filming Rock Paper Dead written by Victor Brooke Miller, due out in October 2017.

John resides in the Nashville area with his fiance.
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IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins total

    Photos6

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    Known for

    The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
    The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
    7.4
    • Grandfather
    • 1974
    Texas Chainsaw (2013)
    Texas Chainsaw
    4.8
    • Grandpa Sawyer
    • Grandfather
    • 2013
    The Macabre (2022)
    The Macabre
    4.8
    • Mr. Macabre
    • 2022
    Robert Jacks in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
    Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
    3.4
    • Cop At Hospital
    • 1994

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Book of Ash
      • Father Peter Heier
      • In Development
    • Lookout Weekend: Cruel Summer IV
      • John
      • In Production
    • Skate to Hell
      • Pauly
      • Post-production
    • The Killing Game!
      • Kowalski
      • In Production
    • The Mangled
      • Uncle Bates
      • In Production



    • Michelle Lea Cook, Keshawn Lee Kinslow, Jack Hager, Kyle Smithson, and James Stokes in Great White Throne Judgment (2024)
      Great White Throne Judgment
      TV Movie
      • God
      • 2024
    • Game of Death: The Six Doors to Hell (2024)
      Game of Death: The Six Doors to Hell
      • Grandpa Higgins
      • 2024
    • Cruel Summer III: Pray for Fall (2024)
      Cruel Summer III: Pray for Fall
      5.3
      • Saxon
      • 2024
    • DonnaJean's Coffee House of Horror (2020)
      DonnaJean's Coffee House of Horror
      Podcast Series
      • (Guest)
      • 2023
    • John Dugan, Jonathan Montes, Aimee Rolfsen, Christine Therese, Dylan Intriago, and Braille Babcock in Harlow's Haunt (2022)
      Harlow's Haunt
      4.0
      • Harlow Greer
      • 2022
    • Michael St. Michaels, Bill Weeden, Michael J. Epstein, and Sophia Cacciola in The Once and Future Smash (2022)
      The Once and Future Smash
      7.7
      • John Dugan
      • 2022
    • The Macabre (2022)
      The Macabre
      4.8
      • Mr. Macabre
      • 2022
    • Attack of the Killer Chickens: The Movie (2022)
      Attack of the Killer Chickens: The Movie
      2.7
      • Prime Minister Dugan
      • 2022
    • The Indie Escape Network (2021)
      The Indie Escape Network
      8.3
      TV Series
      • (2021-2022)
      • 2021
    • Holy Shit Man! (2021)
      Holy Shit Man!
      4.4
      • (voice)
      • 2021
    • Harp Brothers (2020)
      Harp Brothers
      Short
      • Major William Love
      • 2020
    • Rock, Paper, Scissors (2017)
      Rock, Paper, Scissors
      4.2
      • Uncle Charles
      • 2017
    • Devils Ink (2017)
      Devils Ink
      • The Mayor
      • 2017
    • Deviant Behavior (2016)
      Deviant Behavior
      3.4
      • Murphy
      • 2016
    • Belly Timber (2016)
      Belly Timber
      5.2
      • Grandpa McCormick
      • 2016

    Producer



    • The Hush (2015)
      The Hush
      Short
      • assistant producer
      • 2015

    Stunts



    • Cruel Summer III: Pray for Fall (2024)
      Cruel Summer III: Pray for Fall
      5.3
      • stunts
      • 2024

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Videos5

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:16
    Official Trailer
    The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary
    Trailer 1:40
    The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary
    The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary
    Trailer 1:40
    The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 40th Anniversary
    The Hospital
    Trailer 0:58
    The Hospital
    Butcher Boys
    Trailer 2:03
    Butcher Boys
    Hell-ephone
    Trailer 1:06
    Hell-ephone

    Personal details

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    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Article

    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Dugan played Leatherface's "grandfather" in the original 1974 film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and played the role again 39 years later in the 2013 film "Texas Chainsaw 3D". A record until Nick Castle reprized his role as "The Shape" in Halloween (2018) forty years after Halloween (1978). He Usurped Gene Kelly's 36-year gap between Cover Girl and Xanadu.

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