Nick Cassavetes | |
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![]() Cassavetes in June 2009 | |
Born | Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes May 21, 1959 New York City, New York, U.S. |
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Years active | 1970–present |
Spouses | |
Children | 3 |
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Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes (born May 21, 1959) [1] is an American actor, director, and writer. He has directed such films as She's So Lovely (1997), John Q. (2002), The Notebook (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), and My Sister's Keeper (2009). His acting credits include an uncredited role in Husbands (1970)—which was directed by his father, John Cassavetes—as well as roles in the films The Wraith (1986), Face/Off (1997), and Blow (2001).
Cassavetes was born in New York City, [2] the son of Greek-American actor and film director John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. [1] As a child, he appeared in his father's film Husbands (1970). After spending so much of his youth surrounded by the film industry, Cassavetes initially decided he did not want to go into the field. He instead attended Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship, but after an injury effectively ended his athletic career, he decided to rethink his aspirations, ultimately deciding to attend his parents' alma mater, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. [3]
He has appeared in the films Face/Off , The Wraith , Life , Class of 1999 II: The Substitute , Backstreet Dreams and The Astronaut's Wife , among others. [1] He has directed several films, including John Q , Alpha Dog , She's So Lovely , Unhook the Stars , The Notebook , and My Sister's Keeper . [1] He also adapted the screenplay for Blow [3] and wrote the dialogue for the Justin Timberlake music video "What Goes Around... Comes Around". [4]
Cassavetes finished in fifth place in the World Poker Tour Invitational Season 5, attempting a bluff. [5] He also appeared on season 5 of The Game Show Network's High Stakes Poker . [6]
He also has played himself in the season 7 opener of Entourage on HBO and Tattoo Joe as a cameo in The Hangover: Part II , replacing Liam Neeson from the cast due to scheduling conflicts. [7]
In 1985, Cassavetes married Isabelle Rafalovich. [8] They had two daughters together before divorcing. Sasha was born with a heart defect and underwent substantial surgery; Cassavetes' film John Q. was dedicated to Sasha, and his later adaptation of My Sister's Keeper was based in part on Sasha's medical experience. [9]
Cassavetes later married Heather "Queenie" Wahlquist, [8] and they have a daughter together. Wahlquist has appeared in several of his films, including a small role in The Notebook as Sara, a secondary character and best friend to the female lead Allie Hamilton, portrayed by Rachel McAdams. [10] Cassavetes' own mother, Gena Rowlands, appears as the older, married Allie (Hamilton) Calhoun.
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
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1970 | Husbands | Nick | Uncredited |
1985 | Mask | T.J. | |
1986 | The Wraith | Packard Walsh | |
1986 | Black Moon Rising | Luis | |
1986 | Quiet Cool | Valence | |
1988 | Under the Gun | Tony Braxton | |
1988 | Assault of the Killer Bimbos | Wayne-O | |
1989 | Blind Fury | Lyle Pike | |
1990 | Backstreet Dreams | Mikey | |
1991 | Delta Force 3: The Killing Game | Charlie | Direct-to-DVD |
1992 | Twogether | Wolfgang Amadeus "John" Madler | |
1993 | Sins of Desire | Barry Mitchum | |
1993 | Sins of the Night | Jack Neitsche | |
1993 | Broken Trust | Alan Brogan | |
1994 | Class of 1999 II: The Substitute | Emmett Grazer | |
1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Robert Sherwood | |
1996 | Black Rose of Harlem | Johnny | |
1997 | Face/Off | Dietrich Hassler | |
1997 | Farticus | Adonis Papadapadopounopoulopoulos | |
1999 | Life | Sergeant Dillard | |
1999 | The Astronaut's Wife | Capt. Alex Streck | |
2001 | Blow | Man in Derek's Salon | Uncredited |
2011 | The Hangover Part II | Tattoo Joe | |
2013 | Love and Skin | Uncle Nicky | Short film |
2021 | Prisoners of the Ghostland | Psycho | [11] |
2021 | Queenpins | Captain Pain |
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
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1980 | Reunion | Steve Cowan | TV movie |
1987 | Matlock | Foley | Episode: "The Convict" |
1987 | L.A. Law | Richard Bertrand | Episode: "Sparky Brackman R.I.P. ????-1987" |
1988 | Shooter | Tex | TV movie |
1989 | Quantum Leap | Primo La Palma | Episode: "Double Identity - November 8, 1965" |
1990 | The Marshall Chronicles | Gus | Episode: "Do the Write Thing" |
2010 | Entourage | Nick Cassavetes | 2 episodes |
2017 | Tales | Rodney King | Episode: "F*ck the Police" |
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
1996 | Unhook the Stars | |
1997 | She's So Lovely | |
2002 | John Q. | |
2004 | The Notebook | |
2006 | Alpha Dog | |
2009 | My Sister's Keeper | |
2012 | Yellow | |
2014 | The Other Woman | |
2023 | God Is a Bullet |
Year | Film | Notes |
---|---|---|
1996 | Unhook the Stars | |
2001 | Blow | |
2003 | Whatever We Do | Short film |
2006 | Alpha Dog | |
2007 | Justin Timberlake: What Goes Around ...Comes Around | Short film |
2009 | My Sister's Keeper | Co-writer |
2012 | Yellow | Co-writer |
2023 | God Is a Bullet |
A Woman Under the Influence is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband and family. It received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Actress and Best Director.
Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands is an American retired actress, whose career in film, stage, and television has spanned nearly seven decades. A four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe winner, she is known for her collaborations with her actor-director husband John Cassavetes in ten films, including A Woman Under the Influence (1974) and Gloria (1980), both of which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Opening Night (1977). She is also known for her performances in Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988), and her son Nick Cassavetes's film, The Notebook (2004). In 2021, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, “The most important and original movie actor of the past half century-plus is Gena Rowlands.” In November 2015, Rowlands received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her unique screen performances.
Gloria is a 1980 American neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It tells the story of a gangster's former girlfriend who goes on the run with a young boy who is being hunted by the mob for information he may or may not have. It stars Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry, and John Adames.
John Nicholas Cassavetes was a Greek-American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often producing and distributing his films with his own money. He received nominations for three Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and an Emmy Award.
Faces is a 1968 American drama film written, produced, and directed by John Cassavetes. It is his fourth directorial work. The film, shot in cinéma vérité-style, depicts the final stages of the disintegrating marriage of a middle-aged couple, played by John Marley and newcomer Lynn Carlin. Cassavetes regulars Gena Rowlands, Seymour Cassel, Fred Draper and Val Avery also star.
Seymour Joseph Cassel was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films and television shows, with a career spanning over 50 years. He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/director John Cassavetes. The first of these was Too Late Blues (1961), followed by Faces (1968), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and won a National Society of Film Critics Award. Cassel went on to appear in Cassavetes' Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984). He also appeared in other notable films, including: Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), Valentino (1977), Convoy (1978), Johnny Be Good (1988), Mobsters (1991), In the Soup (1992), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), The Sleepy Time Gal (2001), Beer League (2006), and Fort McCoy (2011). Like Cassavetes, Wes Anderson frequently cast Cassel – first in Rushmore (1998), then in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and finally in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
She's So Lovely is a 1997 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes, written by John Cassavetes. At the time of its release, it received special attention because, eight years after his death, it was the first posthumous film to feature previously unreleased material from John Cassavetes. The film stars Sean Penn and John Travolta as two men who bid for the affection of Maureen Murphy Quinn. Harry Dean Stanton co-stars as a friend of Penn's character, and James Gandolfini plays the abusive neighbor.
Opening Night is a 1977 American psychological drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes, and starring Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Joan Blondell, Paul Stewart, Zohra Lampert, and Cassavetes. Its plot follows a stage actress who, after witnessing the accidental death of one of her fans, is haunted by a recurring apparition of the deceased woman, spurring a nervous breakdown while she prepares for the premiere of a Broadway play.
Katherine Cassavetes was an American actress. She was the mother of actor-director John Cassavetes and mother-in-law of actress Gena Rowlands. Her grandchildren are actor-directors Nick Cassavetes, Zoe Cassavetes, and Alexandra Cassavetes. She appeared in four films, three of which were written and directed by her son, including Minnie and Moskowitz (1971).
Alexandra Barrese better known as Sasha Barrese is an American actress and professional poker player. She is best known for her role as Tracy Billings in The Hangover Trilogy.
Minnie and Moskowitz is a 1971 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes and starring his wife Gena Rowlands and Seymour Cassel in the title roles of Minnie and Moskowitz, respectively.
Too Late Blues is a 1961 black-and-white American film directed by John Cassavetes and starring Bobby Darin, Stella Stevens and Everett Chambers. It is the story of jazz musician "Ghost" Wakefield and his relationship with both his fellow band members and his love interest, Jess, a beautiful would-be singer. The film was written by Cassavetes and Richard Carr.
My Sister's Keeper is a 2009 American drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva and Alec Baldwin. Based on Jodi Picoult's 2004 novel of the same name, on June 26, 2009, the film was released to cinemas in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
Zoe Rowlands Cassavetes is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She is the daughter of filmmaker John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. She is best known for her 2007 film Broken English.
The Notebook is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes, from a screenplay by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi, and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love in the 1940s. Their story is read from a notebook in the present day by an elderly man, telling the tale to a fellow nursing home resident.
Machine Gun McCain is a 1969 English-language Italian crime film directed by Giuliano Montaldo and starring John Cassavetes, Britt Ekland, Peter Falk, Gabriele Ferzetti, and Florinda Bolkan. Cassavetes' spouse and regular collaborator Gena Rowlands appears in a supporting role. The film is based on the Ovid Demaris novel Candyleg, adapted by Montaldo, Mino Roli, and American playwright Israel Horovitz. It premiered at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.
The Hangover Part II is a 2011 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The sequel to the 2009 film The Hangover and the second installment in The Hangover trilogy, the film was directed by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong, and stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Jeffrey Tambor, Justin Bartha, and Paul Giamatti.
Heather Wahlquist is an American film and television actress. She was married to director/writer Nick Cassavetes and has appeared in several of his films.
Lady Rowlands was an American film actress. Most of her work came in the films of John Cassavetes, who was married to her daughter, actress Gena Rowlands.
Yellow is a 2012 American drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Cassavetes and Heather Wahlquist. The film stars Wahlquist, Riley Keough, Sienna Miller, David Morse, Ray Liotta, Melanie Griffith and Lucy Punch.