John Saxon entered the show business as a teenage boy, now, he has grown white hairs in the game. In six decades of acting, the actor has garnered accolades and has become more of a living transition between the old and the new in Hollywood. Here is everything you need to know about him.
How old is John Saxon?
John Saxon is 84 years old. He was born on August 5, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York to Antonio Orrico, an immigrant from Calabria, Italy, who was a dock worker. His mother Anna née Protettore hails from Caserta, a city in Naples. He is the first son of his parents but John was not his birth name.
Carmine Orrico was the name given to him at birth. His name was changed to John Saxon when Hollywood agent Henry Willson invited him to Los Angeles after seeing his modeling picture on the cover of a detective magazine in the early 1950s. Immediately, he has signed to Universal Studios in April 1954 for $150 dollars a week.
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John attended New Utrecht High School and graduated in 1953. It was during his high school days that he developed a love for acting and martial arts. He then studied acting with famous acting coach Stella Adler in Manhattan.
John Saxon: Career
After signing for Universal Studios in his prime, it took him 18 months to appear in a film where he portrayed the role of Vince Pomeroy, a juvenile delinquent in the crime thriller film “Running Wild” in 1955.
In 1956, he appeared in the crime film “The Unguarded Moment” as Leonard Bennett a stalker. The same year, he played a lead role in the comedy musical film “Rock, Pretty Baby” as Jimmy Daley. He reprised the same role in the 1957 film “Summer Love”. Following the convincing acting skills he showcased in the two films, he started getting more than 3,000 fan letters in a week.
In the early 1960s, he traveled to Italy and appeared in the Italian film “Agostino” portraying the role of Renzo. He also played a role in the film “The Girl That Knew Too Much”. He cut short his Italian stay and returned back to America to focus in Hollywood.
John started his television career in two episodes of television western drama “Gunsmoke” as Virgil Stanley. A year later, he appeared in an episode of science-fiction TV series “The Time Tunnel” as Marco Polo. The series was inspired by the 1964 film “The Time Travelers”.
While he was getting used to his television career, he also played close attention to his motion picture credits as he appeared in so many films in the 1970s and the 80s. Back in his television career, he portrayed the role of Charles Desskasa on NBC mystery drama television series “Quincy, M.E.” He also appeared as Harry Clive on CBS police procedural series “Hawaii Five-0”.
Although there were not too many major roles in his television career, his role in the 1973 martial arts action film, “Enter the Dragon” which grossed 90 million dollars worldwide earned him a place in the hearts of many martial arts films.
He won the Action on Film Award for his role in the film “The Craving Heart”. He has also won Method Fest Best Supporting Actor, and Western Heritage Awards.
Net Worth
John Saxon has a long discography, however, his net worth is not that impressive despite being in the acting industry for six decades. The actor has a net worth of 1.5 million dollars for all his hard work and sleepless nights studying scripts and sleeping on several movie sets. His last TV appearance came in 2015, and we are at the tail end of 2019. Could it be he has removed his acting gloves? If that is the case, his grandchildren have a rich million grandfather.
John Saxon: Marriages
John Saxon first married in 1967, a period when he was still balancing his career as an actor. He married the writer Mary Ann Saxon who is widely known for Squares. The marriage was blessed with a son named Antonio. After 12 years, the couple divorced in 1979. Their son, Antonio Saxon is now in the show business as an actor.
In 1987, he fell in love with the actress Elizabeth Saxon and they got married. Elizabeth Saxon is known for her 1972 film “Gils on the Road” and “Teenage Seductress”. John divorced Elizabeth in 1992.
In 2008 at the age of 73, he married his third wife, Gloria Martel. Gloria Martel is known for her role in the film Bring Me the Head of Lance Henriksen. The couples are still married till date
Height and unimportant facts
John Saxon has a height of 5 feet 10½ inches that is 1.79 meters. His weight is not available at the moment. His eye color is dark brown. John Saxon does not have an active social media account. In other words, he is not on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
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Image Source: Youtube