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Nick Cassavetes
Cassavetes in June 2009
Born	Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes (1959-05-21) May 21, 1959 (age 65) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupations	Actor director writer
Years active	1970–present
Spouses	Isabelle Rafalovich ​ ​(m. 1985, divorced)​ Heather Wahlquist ​(div. 2017)​
Children	3
Parents	John Cassavetes Gena Rowlands
Family	Alexandra Cassavetes (sister) Zoe Cassavetes (sister) Katherine Cassavetes (paternal grandmother) Lady Rowlands (maternal grandmother) Edwin Myrwyn Rowlands (maternal grandfather)

Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes (born May 21, 1959) is an American actor, director, and writer. He has directed such films as She's So Lovely (1997), John Q. (2002), The Notebook (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), and My Sister's Keeper (2009). His acting credits include an uncredited role in Husbands (1970)—which was directed by his father, John Cassavetes—as well as roles in the films The Wraith (1986), Face/Off (1997), and Blow (2001).

Early life and career

Cassavetes was born in New York City, the son of Greek-American actor and film director John Cassavetes and actress Gena Rowlands. As a child, he appeared in his father's film Husbands (1970). After spending so much of his youth surrounded by the film industry, Cassavetes initially decided he did not want to go into the field. He instead attended Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship, but after an injury effectively ended his athletic career, he decided to rethink his aspirations, ultimately deciding to attend his parents' alma mater, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

He has appeared in the films Face/Off, The Wraith, Life, Class of 1999 II: The Substitute, Backstreet Dreams and The Astronaut's Wife, among others. He has directed several films, including John Q, Alpha Dog, She's So Lovely, Unhook the Stars, The Notebook, and My Sister's Keeper. He also adapted the screenplay for Blow and wrote the dialogue for the Justin Timberlake music video "What Goes Around... Comes Around".

Cassavetes finished in fifth place in the World Poker Tour Invitational Season 5, attempting a bluff. He also appeared on season 5 of The Game Show Network's High Stakes Poker.

He also has played himself in the season 7 opener of Entourage on HBO and Tattoo Joe as a cameo in The Hangover: Part II, replacing Liam Neeson from the cast due to scheduling conflicts.

Personal life

In 1985, Cassavetes married Isabelle Rafalovich. They had two daughters together before divorcing. Their daughter Sasha was born with a heart defect and underwent substantial surgery; Cassavetes' film John Q. was dedicated to Sasha, and his later adaptation of My Sister's Keeper was based in part on Sasha's medical experience.

Cassavetes later married Heather "Queenie" Wahlquist, and they have a daughter together. Wahlquist has appeared in several of his films, including a small role in The Notebook as Sara, a secondary character and best friend to the female lead Allie Hamilton, portrayed by Rachel McAdams. Cassavetes' mother, Gena Rowlands, appears as the older, married Allie (Hamilton) Calhoun.

Filmography

Actor

Film

Television

Production

References

1. ^ "Nick Cassavetes". NNDB. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
2. "Nick Cassavetes." Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 76. Gale, 2007. Gale Biography In Context. Web. March 21, 2011.
3. ^ "Nick Cassavetes". VideoDetective.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
4. "What Goes Around, Comes Around". JustinTimberlake.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
5. "Nick Cassavetes WPT Celebrity Invitational Profile". World Poker Tour. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
6. "High Stakes Poker 5 - Nick Casavetes". GSN Pressroom. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
7. Ward, Kate (April 9, 2011). "'The Hangover Part II': Liam Neeson's cameo cut from film". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
8. ^ "Nick Cassavetes". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
9. Dedications at the end of movies, and what they mean
10. Cassavetes, Nick (Director) (February 8, 2005). The Notebook (DVD). United States of America: New Line Home Entertainment. ISBN 978-0-7806-4883-8. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
11. Evangelista, Chris (January 26, 2021). "'Prisoners of the Ghostland' With Nicolas Cage Picked Up by RLJE Films Ahead of Sundance Premiere". /Film. Retrieved February 1, 2021.

External links

• Nick Cassavetes at IMDb
• Interview with UGO.com

• 1959 births
• Living people
• American male film actors
• American writers of Greek descent
• American people of Irish descent
• American people of Welsh descent
• Cassavetes family
• Daytime Emmy Award winners
• Film directors from New York City
• Syracuse Orange men's basketball players
• Male actors from New York City
• American male television actors
• American male screenwriters
• Screenwriters from New York City
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• 20th-century Greek Americans