John Saxon

**John Saxon**, born **Carmine Orrico** on August 5, 1936, was an eminent American actor with more than 200 film and television projects to his credit over a 60-year career. Best known for his performances in Westerns and horror films, he often portrayed police officers and detectives. Saxon began his career as a contract actor for Universal Pictures and quickly gained fame as a teen idol with roles in films like 'Rock, Pretty Baby (1956)' and 'Portrait in Black (1961)', earning him a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. Saxon continued to solidify his status as a versatile character actor into the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in horror films such as 'Black Christmas (1974)' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)'. In the early 1960s, Saxon broadened his acting repertoire with roles in numerous Italian films, expressing a preference for the mature quality of European films at the time. He maintained his presence in Italian cinematic productions through the 1970s and 1980s, until 1994 when he completed his role in 'Jonathan of the Bears'. Beyond his horror film roles, Saxon co-starred with Bruce Lee in the martial arts film 'Enter the Dragon (1973)', and he had supporting roles in the Westerns 'The Appaloosa (1966)', 'Death of a Gunfighter (1969)', and 'Joe Kidd (1972)', as well as the made-for-television thriller 'Raid on Entebbe (1977)'. In the 1990s, Saxon intermittently appeared in films such as Wes Craven's 'New Nightmare (1994)' and 'From Dusk till Dawn (1996)'.