Seymour Cassel

Cassel went on to appear in Cassavetes's Minnie and Moskowitz (1971), The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984). He also appeared in other notable films, including: Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), Valentino (1977), Convoy (1978), Johnny Be Good (1988), Mobsters (1991), In the Soup (1992), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), It Could Happen to You (1993), Imaginary Crimes (1994), The Sleepy Time Gal (2001), Beer League (2006), and Fort McCoy (2011). Like Cassavetes, Wes Anderson frequently cast Cassel — first in Rushmore (1998), then in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and finally in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).

• Name — Seymour Cassel • Birth Name — Seymour Joseph Cassel • Born — 22 January 1935 • Birthplace — Detroit, Michigan, U.S. • Died — 7 April 2019 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1959–2015 • Children — 2

Cassel was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Pancretia Ann (née Kearney), a performer, and Seymour Joseph Cassel, a nightclub owner. His mother was remarried to a master sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, and the family moved to Panama, where Cassel's stepfather was said to have won a nightclub in a game of craps. After his mother filed for divorce in the late 1940s, she sent Seymour to live with his godmother in Detroit, where he soon joined a gang. He later said that at 17, he was given a choice: join the Navy, or go to jail. He picked the military, and after three years of service and a brief stint in college, he returned to Detroit, where he built props for a theater company and took small acting roles. Convinced he had a future in theater, he bought a bus ticket to New York, only to bomb at an Actors Studio audition.

• Illustration — Cassel in 1995 Cassel's early career was tied to fellow actor John Cassavetes, who was informally part of his clan of actors. He made his film debut in the first film Cassavetes directed, 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. Cassel also appeared in The Lloyd Bridges Show in the episode "A Pair of Boots", directed by his friend Cassavetes. Cassel appeared on such popular programs as Twelve O'Clock High, Combat!, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and The F.B.I. He also appeared as "Cancelled", one of Colonel Gumm's henchmen in the 1960s Batman TV episode "A Piece of the Action", which also featured guest stars Van Williams and Bruce Lee as The Green Hornet and Kato, respectively. 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 (1971), supporting roles in The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Love Streams (1984), and a cameo appearance in Opening Night (1977). Cassel appeared in many major Hollywood productions such as Coogan's Bluff (1968), The Last Tycoon (1976), Valentino (1977), Convoy (1978), Tin Men (1987), Johnny Be Good (1988), Dick Tracy (1990), Mobsters (1991), In the Soup (1992), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), It Could Happen to You (1993), Imaginary Crimes (1994), Beer League (2006), and Fort McCoy (2011). He was also very supportive of the American independent film community, especially in the wake of Cassavetes's death. Cassel had a small role in Steve Buscemi's directorial debut Trees Lounge (1996) and appeared in three films by Wes Anderson: Rushmore (1998), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic (2004). He had a featured role alongside Jacqueline Bisset in Christopher Münch's critically acclaimed low-budget drama The Sleepy Time Gal (2001). Cassel appeared for four seasons on comedian Tracey Ullman's television series Tracey Takes On....

Cassel married Elizabeth Deering in 1964; they had two children before divorcing in 1983. Guitarist Slash, who was childhood friends with Cassel's son, credited Cassel with giving him his nickname, because he was "always zipping from one place to another and never sitting still." Cassel died on April 7, 2019, aged 84, of Alzheimer's disease.

In 2009, the San Diego Film Festival awarded the actor with the Indie Icon Award. In 2012, the Oldenburg Film Festival in Germany introduced an actors' prize named the Seymour Cassel Award. He won the National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Faces.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1959 — Naked City — Student — Episode: "Hey, Teach!"; uncredited • 1959 — Deadline — Flyer — Episode: "Return to Murder" • 1962–1963 — The Lloyd Bridges Show — Lawyer #2, Richard — 2 episodes • 1963 — Alcoa Premiere — Unknown role — Episode: "Million Dollar Hospital" • 1963 — Wagon Train — Ed — Episode: "The Sam Pulaski Story" • 1964 — The Twilight Zone — Jerry — Episode: "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross"; uncredited • 1964 — Burke's Law — Attendant — Episode: "Who Killed Annie Foran?" • 1964 — Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre — Somebody — Episode: "The Game with Glass Pieces" • 1964 — Combat! — Doctor — Episode: "Point of View" • 1964 — The Hanged Man — Bellboy — Television film, uncredited • 1965 — Laredo — Jude — Episode: "I See by Your Outfit" • 1965 — Convoy — Phelps — Episode: "Admiral Do-Right" • 1965–1966 — 12 O'Clock High — Captain Johnson, Mechanic, Left Waist Gunner, B-17 Pilot — 5 episodes • 1965–1967 — The F.B.I. — Attendant, P.O.W. Vanndo, Irwin — 3 episodes • 1966 — My Three Sons — Coach Gregson — Episode: "Call Her Max" • 1966–1968 — Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea — Jensen — 2 episodes • 1967 — Batman — Cancelled — 2 episodes • 1967 — The Invaders — Driver — Episode: "The Condemned" • 1967 — The Fugitive — Cabbie — Episode: "The Judgement" • 1967 — Cimarron Strip — Spock — Episode: "The Battleground" • 1971 — Young Marrieds at Play — Adam — Television film • 1972 — Emergency! — Bluebell Hunter — Episode: "Dilemma" • 1973 — Nightside — Ralph — Television film • 1977 — Scott Joplin — Dr. Jaelki — Television film • 1980 — Angel on My Shoulder — Smiley Mitchell — Television film • 1983 — Blood Feud — Frank Kierdoff, Hoffa Enforcer, Torch — Television film • 1983 — I Want to Live — John Santo — Television film • 1983 — Rage — unknown role — Television film • 1986 — Beverly Hills Madam — Tony — Television film • 1987 — Tales from the Darkside — Howard — Episode: "The Milkman Cometh" • 1987 — Hooperman — Bum — Episode: "Deck the Cell with Bars of Folly" • 1988 — Ohara — Todd Ames — Episode: "X" • 1988 — Star Trek: The Next Generation — Lieutenant Commander Hester Dealt — Episode: "The Child" • 1988 — Matlock — Dick Silvers, Honest Earl Edwards — 2 episodes • 1989 — Sweet Bird of Youth — Hatcher — Television film • 1991 — Dead in the Water — Lt. Frank Vaness — Television film • 1991 — Face of a Stranger — Ralph — Television film • 1993 — Partners — unknown role — Television film • 1994–1995 — Under Suspicion — Lieutenant Mickey Schwartz — Series regular (17 episodes) • 1996 — Good Company — Jack O'Shea — Series regular (6 episodes) • 1996–1999 — Tracey Takes On... — Candy Casino — Recurring role (9 episodes) • 1997 — Chicago Hope — Norman Cambridge — Episode: "Second Chances" • 1997 — The Last Don — Alfred Gronevelt — Miniseries (2 episodes) • 1997 — The Player — unknown role — Television film • 1998 — Emma's Wish — Harry — Television film • 2001 — Boston Public — Bernie Willis — Episode: "Chapter Fourteen" • 2001 — 61* — Sam Simon — Television film • 2002 — Arli$$ — Artie — Episode: "Moments to Remember" • 2002 — A Nero Wolfe Mystery — James Arthur, Dazy Perrit — 2 episodes • 2003 — Lucky — The Trake — 3 episodes • 2003 — Gary the Rat — Man in Panda Suit — Voice, episode: "Manrattan" • 2005 — Justice League Unlimited — Chuck Sirianni — Voice, episode: "I Am Legion" • 2006 — Heist — Pops — 6 episodes • 2007 — ER — Alfred Gower — Episode: "Photographs and Memories" • 2008 — To Love and Die — Grandfather — Television film • 2009 — Crash — Julian Gold — Episode: "The Pain Won't Stop" • 2009 — Flight of the Conchords — Johnny Boy — Episode: "The Tough Brets" • 2010 — Back Nine — Mondo — Television film • 2011 — Funny or Die... — King of Police — "#2.10" (segment "United States Police Department") • 2011 — Circling the Drain — Fuzzy Kaye — Television film • 2012 — Regular Show — Tony — Voice, episode: "Bald Spot" • 2012 — FCU: Fact Checkers Unit — Old Man — Episode: "James Franco Is Preggers"