Seymour Cassel

Seymour Cassel
Born	Seymour Joseph Cassel January 22, 1935 (1935-01-22) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1959–present

Seymour Joseph Cassel (born January 22, 1935) is an American actor.

He first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering independent films of writer/director John Cassavetes. He has since appeared in an array of roles in both small indie films and major Hollywood productions.

Birth

Cassel was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Pancretia Ann (née Kearney) and Seymour Joseph Cassel.

Early career

Cassel's early career was tied to fellow actor John Cassavetes. He made his movie 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. He also appeared in The Lloyd Bridges Show in an acclaimed 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 Colonel Gumm's henchman, "Cancelled" in the 1960s "Batman" TV episode, "A Piece of the Action", which also introduced Van Williams and Bruce Lee as The Green Hornet and Kato respectively.

Collaborations

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. Having also appeared in major Hollywood productions such as Dick Tracy, "Tin Men", and Indecent Proposal, Cassel has always been very supportive of the American independent film community, especially in the wake of Cassavetes' 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. Cassel appeared for four seasons in comedian Tracey Ullman's hit television series, Tracey Takes On....

Accolades

In 2006, he co-starred in the NBC TV series Heist and Artie Lange's Beer League. In September 2007, Cassell was a candidate for national president of the Screen Actors Guild, along with Charley M. De La Peña, Alan Rosenberg (incumbent), and Barry Simmonds.

In 2009 Cassell was once again a candidate for national president of the Screen Actors Guild along with Anne Marie Johnson and Ken Howard. Howard was the eventual winner and is current President of the Screen Actors Guild.

In the 2007 Biography Slash, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist Saul Hudson and friend of Cassel's son, credited Cassel with giving him the nickname "Slash" because he was always on the go zipping from one place to another and never sitting still.

Filmography

Seymour Cassel in 1995

• Shadows (1959)
• Faces (1968)
• Coogan's Bluff (1968)
• The Revolutionary (1970)
• Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
• The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
• Black Oak Conspiracy (1977)
• Valentino (1977)
• Opening Night (1978)
• California Dreaming (1978)
• Convoy (1978)
• Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979)
• Sunburn (1979)
• The Mountain Men (1980)
• King of The Mountain (1981)
• Love Streams (1984)
• Episode: The Child
• Eye of the Tiger (1986)
• Plain Clothes (1988)
• Colors (1988)
• Track 29 (1988)
• Wicked Stepmother (1989)
• Dick Tracy (1990)
• Cold Heaven (1991)
• White Fang (1991)
• In the Soup (1992)
• Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)
• Boiling Point (1993)
• Indecent Proposal (1993)
• It Could Happen To You (1994)
• "Chasers" (1994) as Master Chief Seymie Bogg
• Tracey Takes On... (1996)
• Trees Lounge (1996)
• Obsession (1997 German TV)
• Rushmore (1998)
• The Last Home Run (1998)
• The Crew (2000)
• Bartleby (2001 film) (2001)
• 61* (2001)
• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
• Con Man (2002)
• The Burial Society (2002)
• Passionada (2002)
• Manna from Heaven (2002)
• Stealing Harvard (2002)
• Stuck on You (2003)
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
• Thanksgiving (2004)
• Bittersweet Place (2005)
• Lonesome Jim (2005)
• The Wendell Baker Story (2005)
• Artie Lange's Beer League (2006)
• Postal (2007)
• Reach for Me (2008)
• Chasing 3000 (2008)
• Irene in Time (2009)
• Flight Of The Conchords (2009)
• Staten Island (2009)
• Pete Smalls Is Dead (2010)
• Silver Case (2011) - directed by Christian Filippella
• The Call (2011 film) (2011) - co-starring Ryan Newman

References

TinMen 1987 film with Danny Devito Richard Dreyfuss, Barbara Herhsey directed by Barry Levinson was not on Setmour film credit

External links

• Seymour Cassel at the Internet Movie Database
• Seymour Cassel at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Interview with the Palisadian-Post