John Saxon, the rugged actor who kicked around with Bruce Lee in 'Enter the Dragon' and appeared in three 'Nightmare on Elm Street' movies for director Wes Craven, died Saturday. He was 83.
00:00Actor John Saxon, known for his work with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and appeared in three Nightmare on Elm Street films, sadly died over the weekend at the age of 83.
00:10Saxon's wife Gloria told a Hollywood reporter that the actor sadly died of pneumonia in Tennessee on Saturday.
00:16An Italian-American from Brooklyn, Saxon played various characters during his long career, even earning himself a Golden Globe win for his portrayal of a brutal Mexican bandit opposite Marlon Brando in the 1966 film The Appaloosa.
00:30Saxon first gained notice for his performance as a disturbed high school football star who taunts Esther Williams in 1956's The Unguarded Moment.
00:38In the film's credits, he's billed as the exciting new personality John Saxon.
00:42Saxon also starred opposite Bruce Lee in Warner Bros. Enter the Dragon, Lee's first mainstream American movie, and lasts before his death at the age of 32, where Saxon portrayed Roper, a degenerate gambler who participates in a martial arts tournament.
00:56Saxon later spoke about his time working with Lee, saying that Lee, quote, took me seriously.
01:01I would tell him I would rather do it this way, and he'd say, okay, try it that way.
01:05The late actor also appeared in three Nightmare on Elm Street films, appearing in the first and third films in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise as cop Donald Thompson, where he's eventually killed by Freddy Krueger's skeleton, but makes a reappearance as a version of himself in 1994's New Nightmare.
01:20His long film resume also includes co-starring alongside the likes of Sandra Dee in 1958's The Reluctant Debutante and Clint Eastwood in 1972's Joe Kidd.
01:30Saxon is survived by his wife, son, and sister.
01:33Memorial contributions to his name can be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
01:38For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:40For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
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