Cassavetes directed the film Gloria (1980), featuring Rowlands as a Mob moll who tries to protect an orphan boy whom the Mob wants to kill. Rowlands earned another Best Actress nomination for it. In 1982, Cassavetes starred in Paul Mazursky‘s Tempest, which costarred Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Molly Ringwald, Raúl Juliá and Vittorio Gassman.

So which of his own films was he proudest of? “When he was ill, we were talking one day and he said: ‘Well, I made three pictures I would live or die for.’ Now wouldn’t you think that I would say: ‘Which pictures were those, John?’ But I felt I knew. Now I don’t know and I can’t say for certain because I don’t want to speak for John.” She hopes that A Woman Under the Influence was one and suspects that Faces and his first, Shadows, may have been the others. Their last film together was Love Streams in 1984: “Jon Voight was supposed to do it but at the last minute he couldn’t – one of those commitment things – and John said: ‘Oh, hell, I’ll do it.’ I’m so glad that he did, not that I don’t love Jon Voight, but because that was our last picture together.”

Cassavetes was born in New York City, the son of Greek American Katherine Cassavetes (who was to be featured in some of his films) and Greek immigrant Nicholas John Cassavetes. His early years were spent with his family in Greece; when he returned at age seven, he spoke no English.[4] He was reared on Long Island, New York. He attended Port Washington High School from 1945 to 1947 and participated in Port Weekly (the school paper), Red Domino (interclass play), football, and the Port Light (yearbook). Next to his photo on page 55 of his 1947 year book is written: “‘Cassy’ is always ready with a wisecrack, but he does have a serious side. A ‘sensational’ personality. Drives his ‘heap’ all over.” Cassavetes attended Blair Academy in New Jersey and spent a year at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He transferred to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and graduated in 1950. He continued acting in the theater, took small parts in films and began working on television in anthology series, such as Alcoa Theatre.