John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as an actor on television and in film, Cassavetes also became a pioneer of American independent cinema, writing and directing movies financed in part with income from his acting work. AllMovie called him "an iconoclastic maverick," while The New Yorker suggested that he "may be the most influential American director of the last half century." As an actor, Cassavetes starred in notable Hollywood films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including Edge of the City (1957), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and Rosemary's Baby (1968). He began his directing career with the 1959 independent feature Shadows and followed with independent productions such as Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984), in addition to intermittent studio work. Cassavetes' films employed an actor-centered approach which privileged character examination over traditional Hollywood storytelling or stylized production values. His films became associated with an improvisational, cinéma vérité aesthetic. He collaborated frequently with a rotating group of friends, crew members, and actors, including his wife Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, and Seymour Cassel. For his role in The Dirty Dozen, Cassavetes received a Best Supporting Actor nomination. As a filmmaker, he was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Faces (1968) and Best Director for A Woman Under the Influence (1974).
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 9, 1929
- February 3, 1989 (aged 59)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Actor, director and writer, also editor and producer
- 41 on MovieCove · 78 credits in all
What are John Cassavetes' films like?
Across their 36 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 34
Light 4 · Serious 8 · Dark 24
Grounded 26 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 3 · Charged 16 · Intense 17
Steady 13 · Shifting 16 · Whiplash 7
Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 1
Slow burn 18 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 25 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 12 · Heavy 18
A split, not a type: Resolved 18 · Open-ended 13 · Ambiguous 5
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 9 of 21 analyzed roles.
Show the 21 rolesHide the roles
- Shadowas Robert Batsford in The Night Holds Terror (1955)
- Heroas Frankie Dane in Crime in the Streets (1956)
- Heroas Axel Nordmann in Edge of the City (1957)
- Shadowas Tony Sinclair in Saddle the Wind (1958)
- Shadowas Johnny North in The Killers (1964)
- Heroas Cody in Devil's Angels (1967)
- Tricksteras Victor R. Franko in The Dirty Dozen (1967)
- Heroas Hank McCain in Machine Gun McCain (1969)
- Mentoras Stuart in Husbands (1970)
- Tricksteras Gus Demetri in Husbands (1970)
- Shapeshifteras Frankie Yale in Capone (1975)
- Shadowas Nicky (Nick Godalin) in Mikey and Nicky (1976)
- Heroas Sgt. Button in Two-Minute Warning (1976)
- Mentoras Maurice Aarons in Opening Night (1977)
- Shadowas Childress in The Fury (1978)
- Heroas Maj. Joe De Lucca in Brass Target (1978)
- Mentoras Gus in Flesh & Blood (1979)
- Allyas Dr. Michael Emerson in Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981)
- Heroas Sam Cordell in The Incubus (1981)
- Heroas Phillip in Tempest (1982)
- Heroas Robert Harmon in Love Streams (1984)
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet17
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous11
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch John Cassavetes' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 41 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (7).
- A Woman Under the Influence (1974) · director, writer
- Rosemary's Baby (1968) · actor
- Opening Night (1977) · actor, director, writer
- Faces (1968) · director, writer, producer, editor
- Mikey and Nicky (1976) · actor
- The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) · director, writer
- Shadows (1958) · actor, director, writer, editor
Subscription and free streaming for John Cassavetes' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
78 credits, 41 with a MovieCove page; 21 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Mass State Lottery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
John Cassavetes par Thierry Jousse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
150 Miles of Rotting, Rutted, Lumpy, Dilapidated Pavement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Castanha(2014)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Before Opening Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Gloria(1999)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
She's So Lovely(1997)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Big Trouble(1986)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Marvin & Tige (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Love Streams(1984)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Haircut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Tempest(1982)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Incubus(1981)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Whose Life Is It Anyway?(1981)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Gloria(1980)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Flesh & Blood(1979)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Flesh & Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Brass Target(1978)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
The Fury(1978)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Opening Night(1977)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Heroes(1977)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Mikey and Nicky(1976)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Two-Minute Warning(1976)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Capone(1975)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Nightside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Minnie and Moskowitz(1971)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Columbo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Husbands(1970)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Machine Gun McCain(1969)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Faces(1968)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Bandits in Rome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Rosemary's Baby(1968)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Alexander The Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Dirty Dozen(1967)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Devil's Angels(1967)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
The Legend of Jesse James (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Profiles in Courage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
The Killers(1964)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Burke's Law (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Channing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
A Child Is Waiting(1963)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Combat!(1962)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Lloyd Bridges Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Webster Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Too Late Blues(1961)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Dr. Kildare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Shadows(1958)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Johnny Staccato (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Virgin Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Rawhide (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Saddle the Wind(1958)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Affair in Havana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Edge of the City(1957)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
No Right to Kill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Crime in the Streets(1956)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The 20th Century Fox Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
The Night Holds Terror(1955)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all filmsAppointment with Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Climax! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The United States Steel Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Taxi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Omnibus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Fourteen Hours(1951)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Robert Montgomery Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)
Career shape
A full career of 78 titles from 1948 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981)
Highest rated
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Most popular right now
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Film career
Top draw in 14 MovieCove titles.
- 1951Screen debut· Fourteen Hours
- 1957First top-billed film· Edge of the City
- 1968Career best· Rosemary's Baby
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do John Cassavetes' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 37; across their 36 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up21
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th9
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
20 of their 41 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved9
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser20
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is John Cassavetes' work okay for kids?
Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does John Cassavetes work with?
People who share at least 2 of John Cassavetes' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gena Rowlands shares the most, 10.
Directors
- John HoughShared titles: The Incubus (1981), Brass Target (1978)See all 2 shared titles with John Hough
- Don SiegelShared titles: The Killers (1964), Crime in the Streets (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Don Siegel
Writers
- Reginald RoseShared titles: Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981), Crime in the Streets (1956)See all 2 shared titles with Reginald Rose
- Robert Alan AurthurShared titles: Shadows (1958), Edge of the City (1957)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Alan Aurthur
Actors
- Gena RowlandsShared titles: I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes - the Man and His Work (1984), Love Streams (1984), Tempest (1982), Gloria (1980), Opening Night (1977), Two-Minute Warning (1976), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Faces (1968), A Child Is Waiting (1963)See all 10 shared titles with Gena Rowlands
- Seymour CasselShared titles: I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes - the Man and His Work (1984), Love Streams (1984), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), Faces (1968), Shadows (1958)See all 6 shared titles with Seymour Cassel
- Peter FalkShared titles: Big Trouble (1986), Mikey and Nicky (1976), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Husbands (1970), Machine Gun McCain (1969)See all 5 shared titles with Peter Falk
- Ben GazzaraShared titles: Opening Night (1977), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Capone (1975), Husbands (1970)See all 4 shared titles with Ben Gazzara
Composers and editors
- Bo HarwoodShared titles: I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes - the Man and His Work (1984), Love Streams (1984), Opening Night (1977), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), A Woman Under the Influence (1974)See all 5 shared titles with Bo Harwood
- Maurice McEndreeShared titles: Faces (1968), Devil's Angels (1967), Shadows (1958)See all 3 shared titles with Maurice McEndree
- Bill ContiShared titles: Big Trouble (1986), Gloria (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Conti
- Donn CambernShared titles: Big Trouble (1986), Tempest (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Donn Cambern
Producers
- Sam ShawShared titles: Gloria (1980), Opening Night (1977), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Husbands (1970)See all 4 shared titles with Sam Shaw
- Menahem GolanShared titles: I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes - the Man and His Work (1984), Love Streams (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Menahem Golan
- Yoram GlobusShared titles: I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes - the Man and His Work (1984), Love Streams (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Yoram Globus
- Roger CormanShared titles: Capone (1975), Devil's Angels (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Roger Corman
Mixed roles
- Ted AllanShared titles: I'm Almost Not Crazy: John Cassavetes - the Man and His Work (1984), Love Streams (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Ted Allan
- Brian De PalmaShared titles: Movies Are My Life (1978), The Fury (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Brian De Palma
