For 35 years, John Cassavetes held a unique position in American film, maintaining dual careers as a highly regarded actor in popular movies and as a director of independent films which themselves explored the art of acting. Like Orson Welles, he fused the roles in a truly remarkable way.From 1953 through 1956 the "Golden Age" of TV afforded Cassavetes a unique opportunity to experiment as an actor; he essayed more than 80 roles during this three-year period. He began almost immediately to take on more filmmaking responsibilities, writing the teleplays for "The Night Holds Terror" (1955) and
