John Saxon Movies and Career Information

John Saxon (born August 5, 1936) is an American actor who has worked on over 200 projects during the span of sixty years. Saxon is most known for his work in horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Christmas, both of which feature Saxon as a policeman in search of the killer. He is also know for his role as Roper in the 1973 film, Enter the Dragon, which he starred with Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly. Saxon, an Italian American, was born Carmine Orrico in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Anna (née Protettore) and Antonio Orrico, a dock worker. He attended New Utrecht High School and studied acting with famous acting coach Stella Adler and broke into films in the mid-1950s, playing teenage roles. According to Robert Hofler's 2005 biography, The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson, agent Willson saw Saxon's picture on the cover of a detective magazine and immediately contacted the boy's family in Brooklyn. He brought the 16-year-old Orrico to Hollywood and renamed him Saxon. He starred with Esther Williams and George Nader, in her first straight dramatic film, The Unguarded Moment, released by Universal in 1956. In his early career,