page_title: John Saxon
section_title: Universal Pictures
hierarchical_section_title: John Saxon / Career / Universal Pictures
caption_attribution_description: English: Sal Mineo, Sue George, and John Saxon in a 1956 publicity photo for Rock, Pretty Baby
context_page_description: John Saxon was an American actor who worked on more than 200 projects during a span of 60 years. He was known for his work in Westerns and horror films, often playing police officers and detectives.
  Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Saxon studied acting with Stella Adler before beginning his career as a contract actor for Universal Pictures, appearing in such films as Rock, Pretty Baby and Portrait in Black, which earned him a reputation as a teen idol and won him a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor. During the 1970s and 1980s, he established himself as a character actor, frequently portraying law enforcement officials in horror films such as Black Christmas, Dario Argento's Tenebrae, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
  In addition to his roles in horror films, Saxon co-starred with Bruce Lee in the martial arts film Enter the Dragon, and he had supporting roles in the westerns The Appaloosa, Death of a Gunfighter and Joe Kidd, as well as the made-for-television thriller Raid on Entebbe. In the 1990s, Saxon occasionally appeared in films, with small roles in Wes Craven's New Nightmare and From Dusk till Dawn.
context_section_description: Saxon spent 18 months at Universal before the studio first used him in a film. His first significant role was a juvenile delinquent in Running Wild (1955), co-starring Mamie Van Doren. According to Filmink, "young Saxon had a scowling, broody teen quality that was in fashion in mid-‘50s Hollywood."
  He was then given a good role in The Unguarded Moment (1956), playing a youth who seemingly stalks Esther Williams. During February 1956 Universal exercised its option on Saxon and he was paid $225 a week.
caption: Saxon (right) with Sal Mineo and Sue George a publicity still photo for Rock, Pretty Baby (1956).
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