John Saxon Looks At His Career Highlights
20 November 2005
One actor who has connections to televisions golden age of Science Fiction is John Saxon although as an actor he never scored a role as a TV Regular he did get to play numerous memorable guest roles and is just as well known for his role in the Bruce Lee movie ‘Enter The Dragon’ than he is for his various Science Fiction and Genre Television roles. The actor cut his teeth in many TV roles and one role in particular holds a place in many Star Trek fans hearts due to Saxon being one of only two actors to have portrayed the role of Dylan Hunt. In Saxons case he took the role on for the second failed TV pilot Planet Earth that was penned by the late creator of Star Trek Gene Roddenberry. Much of Planet Earth and the original Pilot Genesis, which starred Alex Cord in the role of Hunt, would later be used as a very loose premise for Andromeda.
Other more established TV shows that Saxon made appearances on are ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ where he played Major Frederick Sloan who was immortalised in the TV shows toy line as Maskatron, he went on to make numerous guest appearances in both the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman. He also played a recurring role in the Nightmare On Elm Street Movies and his most recent notable TV Guest role was as Walter Gordon in the 2 part CSI Investigation episode ‘Grave Danger’. The actor spoke exclusively about some of his TV Roles at last months Cult TV Festival and here are just a few highlights of what the actor shared.
In regards to his role of major Sloan in the classic ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ episode ‘Day Of The Robot’ Saxon remembers enjoying the physical demands of the role. The actor doesn’t remember exactly when the episode was shot and said that when he sees new inventions, which hit the market place, it often takes him back to the 70’s and he will often think of that episode as being a fictional pre curser to those new technological creations which were merely pipe dreams back in the 70’s. That aside the actor looks back on this role as a positive part of his career.
“It’s one of those experiences that am happy at this stage of my life to look back on things that I did 30 or 40 years ago and to be surprised in some way.”
In regards to the episode itself Saxon talked about the challenge it presented him with and just how Fantastic the plot was.
“The role itself was somebody who was a robot who was able to appear like a human being. I felt some kind of virtual quick inclination to the part and it became so easy and kind of fluid to me I don’t know why but of course I had practiced some mime at one time but the idea of moving mechanically but not letting it be seen that it’s a mechanical person were things that I thought, ‘Ah this is good! I’d like to do that.’ It was just a pleasure to do it I remember receiving a big hand of applause from the crew when I did that.”
Another genre that Saxon made appearances in was the early Kung Fu movies, his most memorable appearance would be as one of the fighters in the Bruce Lee movie ‘Enter The Dragon’ in which he formed a fairly good working relationship with the late Martial Arts Expert. Saxon who by his own admission was not as enthusiastic about the martial arts at that particular juncture in his career relates how his first meeting with Bruce Lee re – ignited his interest in the sport.
“From the moment I arrived in Hong Kong I called him and he asked me to come over to his house and he started a conversation and he showed me all his paraphernalia, machines and things that he had devised and he was talking about the martial arts and we never really finished doing that for the whole 12 weeks that we were making the film. We were friendly, we became friendly not… you know tight, tight buddies but we were friendly.”
Saxon spoke of many things during his appearance at the Cult TV Festival and unfortunately it would be far to much to write down, so the above just merely is a sample of the kind of interesting talks that you can hear at these Festivals. Sadly there was no mention of Genesis during the talk that I attended but I feel that his role in ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ is just as important if not more so in regards to those who appreciate this actor’s body of work.
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