John Cassavetes
John Cassavetes (1929–1989) was an American director, screenwriter, and actor who, more than anyone else, established the template for American independent fiction filmmaking. Trained as an actor in television and Hollywood features, he funded his own films on the side, working with a tight company of friends and family — including his wife Gena Rowlands — to produce raw, improvisation-inflected dramas about marriage, friendship, masculinity, and middle age. His acclaimed films include Shadows, Faces, Husbands, A Woman Under the Influence, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and Love Streams.