Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 films and television shows, with a career spanning over 50 years.[1] He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/director John Cassavetes. The first of these was Too Late Blues (1961), followed by Faces (1968), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and won a National Society of Film Critics Award. Cassel went on to appear in Cassavetes' Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984). He also appeared in other notable films, including: Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), Valentino (1977), Convoy (1978), Johnny Be Good (1988), Mobsters (1991), In the Soup (1992), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), The Sleepy Time Gal (2001), Beer League (2006), and Fort McCoy (2011). Like Cassavetes, Wes Anderson frequently cast Cassel – first in Rushmore (1998), then in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and finally in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
Seymour Cassel | |
|---|---|
 Cassel in 2007 | |
| Born | Seymour Joseph Cassel January 22, 1935 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 2019 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1959–2015 |
| Spouse |
Elizabeth Deering
(m. 1964; div. 1983) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
editCassel was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Pancretia Ann (née Kearney), a performer, and Seymour Joseph Cassel, a nightclub owner.[2][3]
His mother was remarried to a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the family moved to Panama, where Cassel's stepfather was said to have won a nightclub in a game of craps. After his mother filed for divorce in the late 1940s, she sent Seymour to live with his godmother in Detroit, where he soon joined a gang. He later said that at 17, he was given a choice: join the Navy, or go to jail. He picked the military, and after three years of service and a brief stint in college, he returned to Detroit, where he built props for a theater company and took small acting roles. Convinced he had a future in theater, he bought a bus ticket to New York, only to bomb at an Actors Studio audition.[4]
Career
edit
Cassel's early career was tied to fellow actor John Cassavetes, who was informally part of his clan of actors.[5] He made his film debut in Cassavetes' first film, Shadows, on which he also served as associate producer. In 1961 he co-starred with Cassavetes in Too Late Blues and 1962's The Webster Boy.
Cassel also appeared in The Lloyd Bridges Show in the episode "A Pair of Boots", directed by his friend Cassavetes. Cassel appeared on such popular programs as Twelve O'Clock High, Combat!, and The F.B.I. He also appeared as "Cancelled", one of Colonel Gumm's henchmen in the 1960s Batman TV episode "A Piece of the Action", which also featured guest stars Van Williams and Bruce Lee as The Green Hornet and Kato, respectively.
In 1968, Cassel was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Chet in John Cassavetes's Faces. Other collaborations with Cassavetes included a starring role with Gena Rowlands in Minnie and Moskowitz, supporting roles in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Love Streams, and a cameo appearance in Opening Night.
Cassel appeared in many major Hollywood productions such as Dick Tracy, Tin Men, and Indecent Proposal. He was also very supportive of the American independent film community, especially in the wake of Cassavetes's death. Cassel had a small role in Steve Buscemi's directorial debut Trees Lounge and appeared in three films by Wes Anderson: Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic. He had a featured role alongside Jacqueline Bisset in Christopher Münch's critically acclaimed low-budget drama The Sleepy Time Gal. Cassel appeared for four seasons on comedian Tracey Ullman's television series Tracey Takes On....
Personal life
editCassel married Elizabeth Deering in 1964; they had two children before divorcing in 1983.[citation needed]
Guitarist Slash, who was childhood friends with Cassel's son, credited Cassel with giving him his nickname, because he was "always zipping from one place to another and never sitting still."[6]
Cassel died on April 7, 2019, aged 84, of Alzheimer's disease.[7]
Accolades
editIn 2009, the San Diego Film Festival awarded the actor with the Indie Icon Award.[8]
In 2012, the Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany introduced an actors' prize named the Seymour Cassel Award.[9]
He won the National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Faces.[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Shadows | Minor role | Uncredited |
| 1960 | Man on a String | Hotel Pageboy | Uncredited |
| 1960 | Juke Box Racket | Seymour | |
| 1960 | Murder, Inc. | Teenager | Uncredited |
| 1961 | Too Late Blues | Red | |
| 1962 | The Webster Boy | Vic | |
| 1963 | The Nutty Professor | Bored Man | Uncredited |
| 1964 | The Killers | Postal Clerk | |
| 1968 | Coogan's Bluff | John, Young Hood | |
| 1968 | Faces | Chet | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor[11] |
| 1968 | The Sweet Ride | Surfer, Cyclist | Uncredited |
| 1970 | The Revolutionary | Leonard II | |
| 1971 | Minnie and Moskowitz | Moskowitz | |
| 1975 | Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight | Wise Guy | Uncredited |
| 1976 | The Killing of a Chinese Bookie | Mort Weil | |
| 1976 | The Last Tycoon | Seal Trainer | Credited as Seymour Cassell |
| 1977 | Death Game | George Manning | |
| 1977 | Black Oak Conspiracy | Homer Metcalf | |
| 1977 | Valentino | George Ullman | |
| 1977 | Scott Joplin | Dr. Jaelki | Credited as Seymour Cassell |
| 1977 | Opening Night | unknown role | Uncredited |
| 1978 | Convoy | Govorner Haskins | |
| 1979 | California Dreaming | Duke Slusarski | |
| 1979 | Ravagers | Blind Lawyer | |
| 1979 | Sunburn | Dobbs | |
| 1980 | The Mountain Men | La Bont | |
| 1980 | The Jazz Singer | Unnamed | |
| 1981 | King of the Mountain | Barry Tanner | |
| 1982 | Double Exposure | Dr. Frank Curtis | |
| 1984 | Love Streams | Jack Lawson | |
| 1986 | Eye of the Tiger | Sheriff | |
| 1987 | Tin Men | Cheese | |
| 1987 | Best Seller | Carter | Uncredited |
| 1987 | Survival Game | Dave Forrest | |
| 1987 | Plain Clothes | Ed Malmburg | |
| 1988 | Johnny Be Good | Wallace Gibson | |
| 1988 | Colors | Sullivan | |
| 1988 | Track 29 | Dr. Bernard | |
| 1989 | Wicked Stepmother | Feldshine, Magick Shop Owner | |
| 1990 | Dick Tracy | Sam Catchem | |
| 1990 | Cold Dog Soup | Jojo | |
| 1991 | White Fang | Skunker | |
| 1991 | Mobsters | Father Bonotto | |
| 1991 | Cold Heaven | Tom Farrelly | |
| 1991 | Diary of a Hitman | Koenig | |
| 1992 | In the Soup | Joe | |
| 1992 | Bad Love | Uncle Bud | |
| 1992 | Chain of Desire | Mel | |
| 1992 | Honeymoon in Vegas | Tony Cataracts | |
| 1992 | Adventures in Spying | Ray Rucker | |
| 1992 | What Happened to Pete | Bartender | Short |
| 1993 | Trouble Bound | Santino | |
| 1993 | Indecent Proposal | Mr. Shackleford | |
| 1993 | Boiling Point | Leach | |
| 1993 | When Pigs Fly | Frank | |
| 1994 | Hand Gun | Jack McCallister | |
| 1994 | Chasers | Master Chief Bogg | |
| 1994 | It Could Happen to You | Jack Gross | |
| 1994 | There Goes My Baby | Pop | |
| 1994 | Dark Side of Genius | Samuel Rourke | |
| 1994 | Imaginary Crimes | Eddie | |
| 1994 | Whew! | unknown role | Short |
| 1994 | Tollbooth | Larry, Leon | |
| 1995 | Dead Presidents | Saul | Uncredited |
| 1996 | Things I Never Told You | Frank | |
| 1996 | Dream for an Insomniac | Uncle Leo | |
| 1996 | Trees Lounge | Uncle Al | |
| 1996 | Slaughter of the Cock | Ahilleas | |
| 1996 | Dead Girl | Ira Golub | |
| 1996 | Chameleon | Francis | |
| 1996 | Juicehead | Dr. Watt | Short |
| 1996 | Turnpike | Older man | Short |
| 1996 | The Last Home Run | Older Jonathan | |
| 1996 | Seed | First Client | Short |
| 1997 | This World, Then the Fireworks | Detective Harris | |
| 1997 | Cannes Man | Sy Lerner | |
| 1997 | Obsession | Jacob Frischumuth | |
| 1997 | Motel Blue | Capistrano Minister | |
| 1998 | Johnny 316 | Minor Role | |
| 1998 | Relax...It's Just Sex | Emile Pillsbury | |
| 1998 | Hoods | Pop Martinelli | Uncredited |
| 1998 | The Treat | Chip O'Herlihee | |
| 1998 | Snapped | Bob | |
| 1998 | Rushmore | Bert Fischer | |
| 1998 | Stingers | unknown role | |
| 1999 | Getting to Know You | unknown role | |
| 1999 | Temps | Arthur, the studio president | |
| 1999 | Ballad of the Nightingale | Jimmy | |
| 1999 | Smoking Cuban Style | Dragan | |
| 1999 | Me and Will | Roy | |
| 1999 | Black and White | Sal | |
| 2000 | Animal Factory | Lieutenant Seeman | |
| 2000 | The Crew | Tony "Mouth" Donato | |
| 2000 | Just One Night | Arthur Imperial | |
| 2000 | Next Stop, Eternity | Lawrence | Short |
| 2001 | The Sleepy Time Gal | Bob | |
| 2001 | 61* | Sam Simon | |
| 2001 | Bartleby | Frank Waxman | |
| 2001 | Women of the Night | Sally | |
| 2001 | The Cure for Bordom | Eddie | |
| 2001 | The Royal Tenenbaums | Dusty | |
| 2001 | The Chameleon | Richard Cavanaugh | |
| 2002 | Passionada | Daniel Vargas | |
| 2002 | Sonny | Albert | |
| 2002 | Stealing Harvard | Uncle Jack | |
| 2002 | Manna from Heaven | Stanley | |
| 2002 | The Burial Society | Sam Goldberg | |
| 2002 | Time & Again | Steve | Short film |
| 2002 | The Biz | Eugene Hinkle | |
| 2003 | Wishing Time | The Angel | Short film |
| 2003 | A Good Night to Die | Guy | |
| 2003 | Stuck on You | Morty O'Reilly | |
| 2004 | Sweet Underground | Wally | |
| 2004 | Thanksgiving | Del | Short film |
| 2004 | The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | Esteban du Plantier | |
| 2005 | Lonesome Jim | Don | |
| 2005 | The Wendell Baker Story | Boyd Fullbright | |
| 2005 | Bittersweet Place | Jack "Pappy" Schaffer | |
| 2005 | The Tenants | Levenspiel | |
| 2005 | Before It Had a Name | Jeff | |
| 2005 | Main Street | Big Business | Short film |
| 2005 | Welcome to California | Jim's Father | |
| 2005 | Circadian Rhythm | Hoover | |
| 2006 | Bye Bye Benjamin | Mr. Ruby | Short film |
| 2006 | Sea of Dreams | Tomaso | |
| 2006 | Hollywood Dreams | Rupert | |
| 2006 | Ray of Sunshine | Victor | |
| 2006 | Property | The Superintendent | Short film |
| 2006 | Beer League | Dirt | |
| 2007 | Chasing 3000 | Poppy | |
| 2007 | The Happiest Day of His Life | Mr. Jacobs | |
| 2007 | Postal | Paul | |
| 2008 | Beau Jest | Abe Goldman | |
| 2008 | Barbiere, IL | Mort | |
| 2008 | Big Heart City | Larry | |
| 2008 | Reach for Me | Alvin | |
| 2009 | Little New York | Jasper Sabiano | |
| 2009 | Not Dead Yet | Francis | |
| 2010 | Kissing Strangers | Mr. Koster | |
| 2010 | Pete Smalls Is Dead | Saco | |
| 2010 | Now Here | Commissioner | |
| 2011 | Fort McCoy | Father Mivkovek | |
| 2011 | Without Borders | Detective McKenneth | |
| 2011 | Life Happens | Pop Pop | |
| 2011 | Freerunner | Gramps | |
| 2011 | Pass the Salt, Please | Man | Short film |
| 2012 | Silver Case | Dealer | |
| 2012 | Booster | Harold | |
| 2012 | Broken Kingdom | Clayton | |
| 2012 | Lost Angeles | Film Critic | |
| 2013 | The Secret Lives of Dorks | Principal | |
| 2014 | The Dependables | Dominic Ackers | |
| 2014 | The Algerian | Professor Wright | |
| 2014 | At the Maple Grove | Boyle | |
| 2015 | Silver Case: Director's Cut | Dealer | |
| 2015 | Lucky Dog | The Real Spencer | |
| 2021 | Cosmic Radio | Malcolm Stone | |
| TBR | Time Framed | Boris Esla | Completed |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Naked City | Student | Episode: "Hey, Teach!"; uncredited |
| 1959 | Deadline | Flyer | Episode: "Return to Murder" |
| 1962–1963 | The Lloyd Bridges Show | Lawyer #2, Richard | 2 episodes |
| 1963 | Alcoa Premiere | Unknown role | Episode: "Million Dollar Hospital" |
| 1963 | Wagon Train | Ed | Episode: "The Sam Pulaski Story" |
| 1964 | The Twilight Zone | Jerry | Episode: "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross"; uncredited |
| 1964 | Burke's Law | Attendant | Episode: "Who Killed Annie Foran?" |
| 1964 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Somebody | Episode: "The Game with Glass Pieces" |
| 1964 | Combat! | Doctor | Episode: "Point of View" |
| 1964 | The Hanged Man | Bellboy | Television film, uncredited |
| 1965 | Laredo | Jude | Episode: "I See by Your Outfit" |
| 1965 | Convoy | Phelps | Episode: "Admiral Do-Right" |
| 1965–1966 | 12 O'Clock High | Captain Johnson, Mechanic, Left Waist Gunner, B-17 Pilot | 5 episodes |
| 1965–1967 | The F.B.I. | Attendant, P.O.W. Vanndo, Irwin | 3 episodes |
| 1966 | My Three Sons | Coach Gregson | Episode: "Call Her Max" |
| 1966–1968 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | Jensen | 2 episodes |
| 1967 | Batman | Cancelled | 2 episodes |
| 1967 | The Invaders | Driver | Episode: "The Condemned" |
| 1967 | The Fugitive | Cabbie | Episode: "The Judgement" |
| 1967 | Cimarron Strip | Spock | Episode: "The Battleground" |
| 1971 | Young Marrieds at Play | Adam | Television film |
| 1972 | Emergency! | Bluebell Hunter | Episode: "Dilemma" |
| 1973 | Nightside | Ralph | Television film |
| 1977 | Scott Joplin | Dr. Jaelki | Television film |
| 1980 | Angel on My Shoulder | Smiley Mitchell | Television film |
| 1983 | Blood Feud | Frank Kierdoff, Hoffa Enforcer, Torch | Television film |
| 1983 | I Want to Live | John Santo | Television film |
| 1983 | Rage | unknown role | Television film |
| 1986 | Beverly Hills Madam | Tony | Television film |
| 1987 | Tales from the Darkside | Howard | Episode: "The Milkman Cometh" |
| 1987 | Hooperman | Bum | Episode: "Deck the Cell with Bars of Folly" |
| 1988 | Ohara | Todd Ames | Episode: "X" |
| 1988 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Lieutenant Commander Hester Dealt | Episode: "The Child" |
| 1988 | Matlock | Dick Silvers, Honest Earl Edwards | 2 episodes |
| 1989 | Sweet Bird of Youth | Hatcher | Television film |
| 1991 | Dead in the Water | Lt. Frank Vaness | Television film |
| 1991 | Face of a Stranger | Ralph | Television film |
| 1993 | Partners | unknown role | Television film |
| 1994–1995 | Under Suspicion | Lieutenant Mickey Schwartz | Series regular (17 episodes) |
| 1996 | Good Company | Jack O'Shea | Series regular (6 episodes) |
| 1996–1999 | Tracey Takes On... | Candy Casino | Recurring role (9 episodes) |
| 1997 | Chicago Hope | Norman Cambridge | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| 1997 | The Last Don | Alfred Gronevelt | Miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 1997 | The Player | unknown role | Television film |
| 1998 | Emma's Wish | Harry | Television film |
| 2001 | Boston Public | Bernie Willis | Episode: "Chapter Fourteen" |
| 2001 | 61* | Sam Simon | Television film |
| 2002 | Arli$$ | Artie | Episode: "Moments to Remember" |
| 2002 | A Nero Wolfe Mystery | James Arthur, Dazy Perrit | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Lucky | The Trake | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Gary the Rat | Man in Panda Suit | Voice, episode: "Manrattan" |
| 2005 | Justice League Unlimited | Chuck Sirianni | Voice, episode: "I Am Legion" |
| 2006 | Heist | Pops | 6 episodes |
| 2007 | ER | Alfred Gower | Episode: "Photographs and Memories" |
| 2008 | To Love and Die | Grandfather | Television film |
| 2009 | Crash | Julian Gold | Episode: "The Pain Won't Stop" |
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Johnny Boy | Episode: "The Tough Brets" |
| 2010 | Back Nine | Mondo | Television film |
| 2011 | Funny or Die... | King of Police | "#2.10" (segment "United States Police Department") |
| 2011 | Circling the Drain | Fuzzy Kaye | Television film |
| 2012 | FCU: Fact Checkers Unit | Old Man | Episode: "James Franco Is Preggers" |
References
edit- ^ Andrea LeVasseur (2013). "Seymour Cassel". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Seymour Cassel Biography (1937-)". Filmreference.com.
- ^ Riggs, Thomas (1984). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television, Volume 76. ISBN 9780787690496.
- ^ Seymour Cassel, mischievous character actor of independent films, dies at 84. The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Seymour Cassel Biography". Hollywood.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
- ^ Slash (autobiography) by Slash, 2007
- ^ "Seymour Cassel, Familiar Face in Cassavetes Films, Dies at 84". The Hollywood Reporter. April 8, 2019.
- ^ "Award Winners". January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (August 14, 2012). "Seymour Cassel Lends Name to Oldenburg Festival's Actor's Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
- ^ "National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA winners". Imdb.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ "Browser Unsupported - Academy Awards Search | Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences". awardsdatabase.oscars.org. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
External links
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