Nick Cassavetes

Last updated

Nick Cassavetes
NickCassavetesJune09.jpg
Cassavetes in June 2009
Born
Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes

(1959-05-21) May 21, 1959 (age 64)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
  • writer
Years active1970–present
Spouses
Isabelle Rafalovich
(m. 1985,divorced)
(div. 2017)
Children3
Parents
Family

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).

Contents

Early life and career

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]

Personal life

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.

Filmography

Actor

Film

YearFilmRoleNotes
1970 Husbands NickUncredited
1985 Mask T.J.
1986 The Wraith Packard Walsh
1986 Black Moon Rising Luis
1986 Quiet Cool Valence
1988Under the GunTony 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
1993Broken TrustAlan Brogan
1994 Class of 1999 II: The Substitute Emmett Grazer
1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle Robert Sherwood
1996Black Rose of HarlemJohnny
1997 Face/Off Dietrich Hassler
1997FarticusAdonis Papadapadopounopoulopoulos
1999 Life Sergeant Dillard
1999 The Astronaut's Wife Capt. Alex Streck
2001 Blow Man in Derek's SalonUncredited
2011 The Hangover Part II Tattoo Joe
2013Love and SkinUncle NickyShort film
2021 Prisoners of the Ghostland Psycho [11]
2021 Queenpins Captain Pain

Television

YearFilmRoleNotes
1980 Reunion Steve CowanTV movie
1987 Matlock FoleyEpisode: "The Convict"
1987 L.A. Law Richard BertrandEpisode: "Sparky Brackman R.I.P. ????-1987"
1988 Shooter TexTV movie
1989 Quantum Leap Primo La PalmaEpisode: "Double Identity - November 8, 1965"
1990The Marshall ChroniclesGusEpisode: "Do the Write Thing"
2010 Entourage Nick Cassavetes2 episodes
2017 Tales Rodney King Episode: "F*ck the Police"

Director

YearFilmNotes
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

Writer

YearFilmNotes
1996 Unhook the Stars
2001 Blow
2003Whatever We DoShort 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

Related Research Articles

<i>A Woman Under the Influence</i> 1974 film by John Cassavetes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gena Rowlands</span> American actress (born 1930)

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.

<i>Gloria</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by John Cassavetes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cassavetes</span> Greek-American filmmaker and actor (1929–1989)

John Nicholas Cassavetes was a Greek-American filmmaker and actor. The son of actress Katherine Cassavetes, 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.

<i>Faces</i> (1968 film) 1968 film written and directed by John Cassavetes

Faces is a 1968 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It stars John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin, Seymour Cassel, Fred Draper, and Val Avery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seymour Cassel</span> American actor (1935–2019)

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), 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).

<i>Shes So Lovely</i> 1997 film directed by Nick Cassavetes

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.

<i>Opening Night</i> (1977 film) 1977 film by John Cassavetes

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 former actress and professional poker player. She is best known for her role as Tracy Billings in The Hangover Trilogy.

<i>Minnie and Moskowitz</i> 1971 film by John Cassavetes

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.

<i>Too Late Blues</i> 1961 film by John Cassavetes

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.

<i>My Sisters Keeper</i> (film) 2009 film by Nick Cassavetes

My Sister's Keeper is a 2009 American drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva, Jason Patric, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Cassavetes</span> American actress

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.

<i>The Notebook</i> 2004 American romantic drama film by Nick Cassavetes

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.

<i>Machine Gun McCain</i> 1969 crime film by Giuliano Montaldo

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.

<i>The Hangover Part II</i> 2011 film by Todd Phillips

The Hangover Part II is a 2011 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the sequel to the 2009 film The Hangover and the second installment in The Hangover trilogy. Directed by Todd Phillips, who co-wrote the script with Craig Mazin and Scot Armstrong, the film 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, the Academy Award-nominated and four-time Emmy Award-winning actress Gena Rowlands.

<i>Yellow</i> (2012 film) 2012 American film

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Nick Cassavetes". NNDB. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  2. "Nick Cassavetes." Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 76. Gale, 2007. Gale Biography In Context. Web. March 21, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Nick Cassavetes". VideoDetective.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  4. "What Goes Around, Comes Around". JustinTimberlake.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  5. "Nick Cassavetes WPT Celebrity Invitational Profile". World Poker Tour. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  6. "High Stakes Poker 5 - Nick Casavetes". GSN Pressroom. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  7. Ward, Kate (April 9, 2011). "'The Hangover Part II': Liam Neeson's cameo cut from film". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Nick Cassavetes". Yahoo! Movies . Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  9. Dedications at the end of movies, and what they mean
  10. Cassavetes, Nick (Director) (February 8, 2005). The Notebook (DVD). United States of America: New Line Home Entertainment. ISBN   978-0-7806-4883-8 . Retrieved September 19, 2009.
  11. Evangelista, Chris (January 26, 2021). "'Prisoners of the Ghostland' With Nicolas Cage Picked Up by RLJE Films Ahead of Sundance Premiere". /Film . Retrieved February 1, 2021.