Quick Facts
| Intro | American film actor, director, and screenwriter | ||||||||
| A.K.A. | Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes, Nicholas Cassavetes | ||||||||
| Is | Actor Film director Screenwriter Writer Television actor Film actor Film producer | ||||||||
| From | United States of America | ||||||||
| Field | Film, TV, Stage & Radio Literature | ||||||||
| Gender | male | ||||||||
| Birth | 21 May 1959, New York City | ||||||||
| Age | 64 years | ||||||||
| Star sign | Gemini | ||||||||
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Biography
Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes (born May 21, 1959) is an American actor, director and writer.
Early life and career
Cassavetes was born in New York City, the son of actress Gena Rowlands and Greek-American actor and film director John Cassavetes. As a child, he appeared in two of his father's films: Husbands (1970) and A Woman Under the Influence (1974). After spending so much of his youth surrounded by the film industry, Cassavetes initially decided he did not want to go into the field. He instead attended Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship. His athletic career was effectively ended by an injury, and he decided to rethink his aspirations, ultimately deciding to attend his parents' alma mater, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.
He has appeared in the films Face/Off, The Wraith, Life, Class of 1999 II: The Substitute, Backstreet Dreams and The Astronaut's Wife, among others. He has directed several films, including John Q, Alpha Dog, She's So Lovely, Unhook the Stars, The Notebook, and My Sister's Keeper. He also adapted the screenplay for Blow and wrote the dialogue for the Justin Timberlake music video "What Goes Around... Comes Around".
Cassavetes finished in fifth place in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational Season 5, attempting a bluff. He also appeared on season 5 of The Game Show Network's (GSN) High Stakes Poker.
He also has played himself in the season 7 opener of Entourage on HBO and Tattoo Joe as a cameo in The Hangover: Part II, replacing Liam Neeson from the cast due to scheduling conflicts.
Personal life
In 1985, Cassavetes married Isabelle Rafalovich. They had two daughters together, Virginia Sara (born 1986) and Sasha (born 1988), before divorcing. He then married Heather "Queenie" Wahlquist, who has appeared in several of his films, including a small role in The Notebook as Sara, a secondary character and best friend to the female lead Allie Hamilton, portrayed by Rachel McAdams. Cassavetes's own mother, Gena Rowlands, appears as the older, married Allie (Hamilton) Calhoun.
Sasha was born with a heart defect and underwent substantial surgery; Cassavetes' film John Q. was dedicated to Sasha, and his later adaptation of My Sister's Keeper was based in part on Sasha's medical experience.
Filmography
