Born Carmine Orrico in Brooklyn, New York, at 17 he was given the name John Saxon when he signed with a talent agent, then shortly afterwards signed with Universal Studios as a contract player.
Over the course of his career John appeared in nearly 200 roles both in film and television. He made his film debut in Running Wild (1955), then won a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer - Male for his role in the 1958 film This Happy Feeling, and a second for his supporting role in the feature film The Appaloosa (1966).
In 2017, John Saxon retired from acting after being diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. He died, age 83, in a hospice in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.