The Deer Hunter

Background:

An American actor known in the 1970s for his sensitive, vulnerable screen presence, John Savage first came to the attention of the public as Loney, one of Jeff Bridges' naïve crew members in Robert Benton's “Bad Company” (1972) and his Drama Circle Award winning turn in a production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” (1973). As the 1970s drew to a close, the multi-talented player experienced significant career improvements thanks largely to his memorable performances in movies like the Oscar winning “The Deer Hunter” (1978), Milos Forman's “Hair” (1979), the Joseph Wambaugh written “The Onion Field” (1979) and “Inside Moves” (1980). For unknown reasons, Savage's star began weakening in the 1980s. His more recent films include Oliver Stone's “Salvador” (1986), “Beauty and the Beast” (1987), Little Boy Blue” (1997), Terrence Malick's “The Thin Red Line” (1998), “Message in a Bottle” (1999), Spike Lee's “Do the Right Thing” (1989), “Summer of Sam” (1999), “The New World” (2005), “Kill Your Darlings” (2006) and “Downtown: A Street Tale” (2007). The 58 year old actor will play roles in “The Fallen” (2007), “The Violent Kind” (2007), “Buffalo Bushido” (2007), “Chatham” (2008), “My Soul to Take 2” (2008), “Mary-8” (2007), “American Cowslip” (2007) and “Fashion: The Movie” (2008).

As a television actor, Savage jointly won a Western Heritage Award for his work in the TNT remake of “The Virginian” (2000) and has acted in a numerous other TV films, among them “Eric” (1975), “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings” (1997) and “The Jack Bull” (1999). He has had regular roles in the short-lived “Gibbsville” (1976), Fox's drama series “Dark Angel” (2000-2001) and HBO's “Carnivàle” (2003-2005), and guest starred in such TV series as “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Touched by an Angel” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

Savage and first wife Susan Youngs (together from 1967 to 1969) have two children together, including actress Jennifer Youngs, who acted with him in “Primary Motive” (1992). He is now married to actress Sandi Schultz.

Clan of Actors

Childhood and Family:

Son of Floyd and Muriel Youngs, John Savage was born on August 25, 1949, in Old Bethpage, Long Island, New York. His birth name was John Youngs. He has one younger brother, Jim Youngs, who played Chuck in 1984's “Footloose,” and two sisters, Robin Youngs, a Boston-based radio and television personality, and Gail Youngs, an actress. Gail was once married to actor Robert Duvall (from 1982 to 1986). John was educated at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

John has been married twice. He was married to first wife Susan Youngs from 1967 until 1969. They have two children, son Lachlan and daughter Jennifer (born 1969), who is an actress. John married his present wife, actress Sandi Schultz, in 1993. She is from Nambia.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Career:

While attending AADA, John Savage helped form the Manhattan's Children's Theatre Group which gave non-profit performances at various public housing areas. Launching his stage career in the 1960s, the Long Island born performer appeared on Broadway in the long-running “ Fiddler on the Roof” and went on to enjoy success with his portrayal of the ultra-shy and stuttering Billy Bibbit on the touring company of 1973's “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” from which he was handed a Drama Circle Award. By this period, Savage had added five motion pictures to his belt, including “Love Is a Carousel” (1971), in which he appeared as the boyfriend, Robert Benton's film directorial debut “Bad Company” (1972), where he was cast in his early breakthrough role as one of the immature members of a post-Civil War crew led by Jeff Bridges, and “Steelyard Blues” (1973), opposite Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and Peter Boyle.

After starring in the independent film “The Sister-in-Law” (1974), which he also composed the music, Savage worked in television playing a supporting role opposite Stacy Keach and Samantha Eggar on the ABC film “All the Kind Strangers” (1974) and starring as the terminal cancer patient in “Eric” (1975). He was then cast as Jim Malloy on the NBC drama series “Gibbsville,” which ran for eight episodes in 1976. The following year saw Savage return to Broadway as Bobby in David Mamet's “American Buffalo,” alongside future bother-in-law actor Robert Duvall.

Savage's career received a significant boost when he landed the key supporting role of paraplegic war veteran Steven in the Michael Cimino helmed Oscar winning “The Deer Hunter” (1978). This noticeable performance attracted the attention of Milos Forman who cast him in the lead of draft dodger Claude Bukowski in the director's underrated musical “Hair” (1979). He gained additional prominence for playing guilt ridden policeman Karl Hettinger in the heart wrenching “The Onion Field” (1979), scripted by Joseph Wambaugh from his book, and a young suicide survivor named Roary in “Inside Moves” (1980), a drama film adapted from a novel by Todd Walton.

However, after appearing as a love interest in “Cattle Annie and Little Britches” (1981), the vehicle of Scott Glenn and Diane Lane, and starring with Christopher Plummer in “The Amateur” (also 1981), from which he was nominated for a Genie for Best Performance by a Foreign Actor, Savage relocated to South Africa. Although acting in some international films and TV films such as “Nairobi Affair” (1984), an NBC project shot in Kenya, the actor remained basically “out of radar” in Hollywood. In 1986, Savage was brought back into the spotlight thanks to his supporting turn as a cynical photojournalist in Oliver Stone's “Salvador.” He went on to make a fine beast in the remake of “Beauty and the Beast” (1987), costarring with Rebecca DeMornay, and worked with Spike Lee in 1989's “Do the Right Thing,” where he was featured as a bike-riding Caucasian, Clifton. The same year, he could also be seen returning to the small screen in the 6-part drama “Great Expectations.”

Savage had a small role as Andrew Hagen in Francis Ford Coppola's “The Godfather, Part III” (1990), acted alongside his real-life daughter, Jennifer, in Daniel Adams' “Primary Motive” (1992) and was reunited with Lee for the biopic film “Malcolm X” (1992), serving as the assistant production manager. He continued to act in such movies as Sean Penn's “The Crossing Guard” (1995), Ridley Scott's “White Squall” (1996, with Jeff Bridges), “American Strays” (1996, as a vacuum cleaner salesman-serial killer) and “The Mouse” (1996), a low budget, based-on-true story film which reunited him with writer/director Daniel Adams. He was then seen as the drunken, war-ravaged husband of Nastassja Kinski in “Little Boy Blue” (1997). Previously, the two had worked together in Andrei Konchalovsky's “Maria's Lovers” (1985). Savage kept busy for the rest of the 1990s appearing in such vehicles as Terrence Malick's war epic “The Thin Red Line” (1998), “Something Between Us” (1999), Luis Mandoki's “Message in a Bottle” (1999) and Spike Lee's “Summer of Sam” (1999). On television, he was cast as the abusive, alcoholic husband of Ellen Barkin on “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings” (1997), gave an over-the-top portrayal as Slater on HBO's “The Jack Bull” (1999), directed by John Badham, and played Captain Ransom in the two-part episode “Equinox” from UPN's “Star Trek: Voyager” (1999).

Entering the new millennium, Savage found himself working in the TNT remake of “The Virginian,” where he shared a Western Heritage Bronze Wrangler, and the USA horror thriller “They Nest” (both 2000). He also made his return to series TV as a regular on the Fox fall drama show “Dark Angel” (2000-2001), playing Donald Lydecker. The futuristic drama was executive produced by James Cameron. From 2003 to 2005, he played Henry 'Hack' Scudder on the HBO series “Carnivàle,” starring Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Clancy Brown and Tim DeKay, among others. He also made guest appearances in “Touched by an Angel” (2001), “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (2004) and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2005), as well as acted in several films and TV movies. After “Carnivàle” departed the airwaves, Savage took on roles in movies like “Iowa” (2005), “Confessions of a Pit Fighter”(2005), the Terrence Malick scripted drama “The New World” (2005), “Love's Long Journey” (2005, TV), “The Drop” (2006) and “Kill Your Darlings” (2006).

Recently appearing in the horror thriller “The Attic” and “From a Place of Darkness,” and the drama “Downtown: A Street Tale” (all 2007), the active performer has completed filming “The Fallen,” “The Violent Kind” and “Dreamkiller,” all slated for 2007 release. He also has three projects in post-production: “Buffalo Bushido” (2007), “Chatham” (2008) and “My Soul to Take 2” (2008). Other upcoming projects include “Mary-8” (2007), “American Cowslip” (2007), “Fashion: The Movie” (2008) and “Colombian Interviews” (2008).

Awards:

• Western Heritage: Bronze Wrangler, Television Feature Film, “The Virginian,” 2001