Character actor was in ‘Enter the Dragon’
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — John Saxon, a versatile actor with a lengthy and prolific career who starred with Bruce Lee in “Enter the Dragon” and appeared in several “Nightmare on Elm Street” movies, died at his home in Tennessee, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was 83.
The entertainment news outlet quoted Mr. Saxon’s wife, Gloria, as confirming that the actor died of pneumonia on Saturday in Murfreesboro.
Mr. Saxon won a Golden Globe for best supporting actor in 1966 for his role alongside Marlon Brando in “The Appaloosa.”
Born Carmine Orrico, the son of Italian American parents,
Mr. Saxon grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and began modeling while still a teenager. He then caught the eye of legendary talent agent Henry Willson, who spotted Mr. Saxon on the cover of a magazine and brought him to Hollywood. Willson was credited for representing and helping to develop the careers of male stars such as Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, the outlet said.
Then just 17, the aspiring actor signed with Willson, studied dramatics and then flew to Hollywood, where he was signed by Universal. His name was changed to John Saxon.
According to internet movie website IMDB, Mr. Saxon appeared in nearly 200 roles in the movies and on television in a career that stretched more than seven decades since he made his big-screen debut in 1954 in uncredited roles in “It Should Happen to You” and George Cukor’s “A Star Is Born.”
In 2017, the Tennessee retirement community where Mr. Saxon and his wife lived honored him with a film festival after residents requested screenings of his movies.