The famous American actor John Savage was born on August 25, 1949 in Long Island, New York, USA. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He debuted on Broadway, starring in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof". In the years between 1972 and 1975 he participated in a number of films, created a television show and played in the Chicago Theater for three years, where he received a Drama Circle Awards for his stage performance of Billy Bibbit in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" play. Subsequently he moved to Los Angeles - acting in the play "Eric" with Mark Hamill and Patricia Neal, and after that was chosen for the role of Bobby in David Mamet's production of "American Buffalo", directed by Ulu Grosbard.
His big break in cinema came with his role in "The Deer Hunter" (1978) – playing the part of an American soldier Steven returning from the Vietnam War without feet, tortured by excruciating moral and psychological trauma. The film, directed by Michael Cimino, was the big winner of the 51st Oscar awards with nominations in 9 categories, and five awards won, including for best film and for best director Michael Cimino, who also received a "Golden Globe".
The next year - 1979 - was even more successful for John Savage’s acting career as Milos Forman gave him the unforgettable role of Claude Hooper Bukowski in the hit musical "Hair". Savage also acted in the adaptation of "The Onion Field", directed by Harold Becker and based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh. Very different acting challenges followed, including a character that has survived a suicide attempt in the film by Richard Donner - "Inside Moves" (1980), "The Amateur" (1981) where his character was avenging the death of his wife in the Eastern bloc before the fall of the Berlin Wall. In "Maria's Lovers" (1984) he was a former prisoner of war, true to his childhood sweetheart, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky, starring Nastassja Kinski. Outstanding performances followed in "Salvador" (1986) by Oliver Stone and in "The Godfather Part III" (1990) by Francis Ford Coppola.
In the late 80s and early 90s, John Savage demonstrated his political and civil position by being actively involved and working together with Nelson Mandela in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. That did not prevent him from continuing his work as an actor and building a multitude of very successful film and television roles. He joined the production team of "Malcolm X" by Spike Lee. Unforgettable are also the characters he played in "The Thin Red Line" (1998) by Terrence Malick, "Message in a Bottle" (1999) by Luis Mandoki, "Handsome Harry" (2009) by Bette Gordon, and "The Coverup" (2008) by Brian Jun. More than memorable are his characters in the series "Dark Angel" (2000) by James Cameron and the successful HBO series, created in 2003 - "Carnival."
Outside of his numerous (over 200!) film, theater and television roles, John Savage has also manifested himself as a producer and a composer.
John Savage was awarded the Sofia Municipality award for outstanding achievements in world cinema in 2017.