Sad: As a result of complications from pneumonia, John Saxon, one of the stars most identified with the 1984 horror film, passed away.
Lost to the entertainment industry: Actor John Saxon died last night (Saturday) at the age of 83 in Tennessee, USA, as a result of complications from pneumonia, his wife confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter website.
Saxon was born in Brooklyn New York in 1935 as Carmine Orico. After graduating from high school, he studied acting with the well-known acting teacher Stella Adler. When he became an actor under a Universal Studios contract, the studios sought to change his name and thus became John Saxon.
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During a career spanning six decades, Saxon has starred in about 200 films and television series. He has worked with well-known directors who have included names such as Vincent Minley, Blake Edwards and John Houston.
Among the projects he has taken part in over the years are the films "The Happy Feeling" for which he won the Golden Globe, "The Appaloosa" for which he was nominated for another Golden Globe Award, "The Dragon" alongside Bruce Lee and "Nightmare on Elm Street", in which he played Donald Thompson, a police lieutenant and Nancy's father, whom he uses as "bait" to find who he thinks is the killer. The film became best identified with its name.
On the small screen he starred in several episodes in the successful ABC network series "The Man Who Made Millions", in which he played a number of different characters, and then went on to appear in her spin-off "The Bionic Woman". Saxon also play a lot in Italian films, especially "Spaghetti Westerns" and in police thrillers and horror movies.
In recent years he has taken part in a number of independent films and appeared in several TV series, including "CSI" and "Masters of Horror".