John Nicholas Cassavetes (in Greek: ?"?????"? ???????"? ???????"??"?; December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Dirty Dozen (1967). Cassevetes was also a pioneer of American independent film by writing and directing over a dozen movies, some of which he partially self-financed, and which pioneered the use of improvisation and a realistic cinéma vérité style. He studied acting with Don Richardson, using an acting technique based on muscle memory. Nick Cassavetes is his son.