Africa

Home page

Africa

American actor Seymour Cassel dies at 84

09 April 2019 11:35 (UTC +04:00)

Prolific actor Seymour Cassel, who received an Academy Award nomination for “Faces” and appeared in Wes Anderson films including “Rushmore,” died Sunday in Los Angeles of Alzheimer’s disease, ONA reports citing Variety.

He was 84.

Cassel was a veteran of dozens of independent films, appearing in multiple roles in films directed by John Cassavetes and Anderson. In addition to playing Bert Fischer in “Rushmore,” he appeared in “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.”

Cassel was born in Detroit on Jan. 22, 1935. His early career was tied to Cassavetes and he made his movie debut in an uncredited role in Cassavetes’ first film, “Shadows,” in 1958 and became an associate producer on the project. He co-starred with Cassavetes in “Too Late Blues” and “The Webster Boy” and appeared on “The Lloyd Bridges Show” in the episode “A Pair of Boots” directed by Cassavetes. His early TV credits included “Twelve O’Clock High,” “Combat!,” “The F.B.I.” and “Batman” in the episode “A Piece of the Action.”

In 1968, Cassel was nominated for the Academy Award for supporting actor for his role as Chet in Cassavetes’s cinema verite drama “Faces.” He also won a National Society of Film Critics Award for the performance. Other collaborations with Cassavetes included the co-lead with Gena Rowlands in “Minnie and Moskowitz” as a free-spirited parking attendant, “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie,” and “Love Streams.”