Directing
John Sayles
Born 1950-09-28
Schenectady, New York, USA
Department: Directing
Biography
John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist.
Known For
Prominent works featuring John Sayles
Movie
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The Spiderwick Chronicles
2008
TMDB3.4
Movie
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Malcolm X
1992
TMDB3.8
Movie
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Mimic
1997
TMDB3.0
Movie
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The Howling
1981
TMDB3.3
TV
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The Alienist
2018
TMDB3.8
Movie
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Piranha
1978
TMDB3.0
TV
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Poker Face
2023
TMDB3.8
Movie
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The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot
2019
TMDB2.8
Movie
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In the Electric Mist
2009
TMDB3.0
Movie
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Something Wild
1986
TMDB3.3
Filmography & Credits
Complete career catalog (154 titles)
| Poster | Title | Character / Role | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Gray House | Writer | TV Series | 2026 |
| The Gray House | Creator | TV Series | 2026 |
 | John Sayles and Gregory Nava | Themself | Movie | 2024 |
 | Poker Face | Chief Hal | TV Series | 2023 |
 | Algren | Self | Movie | 2021 |
 | Corona Film Club | Self | Movie | 2021 |
 | Texas Red | Governor Johnson (voice) | Movie | 2021 |
 | Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi | Self | Movie | 2020 |
 | Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time | Self | TV Series | 2020 |
 | Them That Work | Self | Movie | 2019 |
| Them That Work | Thanks | Movie | 2019 |
 | Sonora: The Devil’s Highway | Writer | Movie | 2019 |
 | The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot | Executive Producer | Movie | 2019 |
 | The Alienist | Teleplay | TV Series | 2018 |
| The Alienist | Consulting Producer | TV Series | 2018 |
 | The Umbrella | Pastor Jim | Movie | 2016 |
 | Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny | Thanks | Movie | 2016 |
 | Elsie Hooper | Executive Producer | Movie | 2016 |
 | Dr. Del | Writer | Movie | 2016 |
| Dr. Del | Executive Producer | Movie | 2016 |
 | Talents | Executive Producer | Movie | 2015 |
 | The Third Man: A Filmmaker's Influence | Self | Movie | 2015 |
 | That Guy Dick Miller | Self | Movie | 2014 |
 | Go for Sisters | Writer | Movie | 2013 |
| Go for Sisters | Editor | Movie | 2013 |
| Go for Sisters | Director | Movie | 2013 |
 | The Normals | Dr. Marx | Movie | 2012 |
 | Casting By | Self | Movie | 2012 |
 | Corman's World | Self - Filmmaker | Movie | 2011 |
 | The Story of Film: An Odyssey | Self | TV Series | 2011 |
 | Amigo | Editor | Movie | 2011 |
| Amigo | Director | Movie | 2011 |
| Amigo | Writer | Movie | 2011 |
 | Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood | Self | TV Series | 2010 |
 | Great Directors | Self | Movie | 2009 |
 | In the Electric Mist | Michael Goldman | Movie | 2009 |
 | The Toe Tactic | Cramden | Movie | 2009 |
 | Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press | Self | Movie | 2008 |
 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Screenplay | Movie | 2008 |
 | My Mexican Shivah | Executive Producer | Movie | 2007 |
| Alligator Author | Self | Movie | 2007 | |
 | Honeydripper | Zeke | Movie | 2007 |
| Honeydripper | Director | Movie | 2007 |
| Honeydripper | Writer | Movie | 2007 |
| Honeydripper | Editor | Movie | 2007 |
 | Edge of Outside | Self | Movie | 2006 |
 | Howard Zinn: Voices of a People's History of the United States | Self | Movie | 2006 |
 | Silver City | Director | Movie | 2004 |
| Silver City | Writer | Movie | 2004 |
| Silver City | Editor | Movie | 2004 |
 | Tell Them Who You Are | Self | Movie | 2004 |
 | Casa de los Babys | Editor | Movie | 2003 |
| Casa de los Babys | Director | Movie | 2003 |
| Casa de los Babys | Writer | Movie | 2003 |
 | Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’ | Self / Appearance | Movie | 2003 |
 | Sunshine State | Man who almost got hit by a golf ball (uncredited) | Movie | 2002 |
| Sunshine State | Director | Movie | 2002 |
| Sunshine State | Writer | Movie | 2002 |
| Sunshine State | Editor | Movie | 2002 |
 | Bruce Springsteen: The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000 | Director | Movie | 2001 |
 | A Constant Forge | Self | Movie | 2000 |
 | Girlfight | Science Teacher | Movie | 2000 |
| Girlfight | Executive Producer | Movie | 2000 |
| When It Was a Game 3 | Self (voice) | Movie | 2000 | |
 | Limbo | Director | Movie | 1999 |
| Limbo | Writer | Movie | 1999 |
| Limbo | Editor | Movie | 1999 |
 | Little Saints | Executive Producer | Movie | 1999 |
| Independent Focus | Self | TV Series | 1998 | |
 | Men with Guns | Director | Movie | 1998 |
| Men with Guns | Writer | Movie | 1998 |
| Men with Guns | Editor | Movie | 1998 |
 | Mimic | Additional Writing | Movie | 1997 |
 | Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western | Self | Movie | 1997 |
 | Scene by Scene | Self | TV Series | 1997 |
 | Gridlock'd | Cop #1 | Movie | 1997 |
 | Lone Star | Editor | Movie | 1996 |
| Lone Star | Director | Movie | 1996 |
| Lone Star | Writer | Movie | 1996 |
 | Piranha | Story | Movie | 1995 |
 | Baseball | Self | TV Series | 1994 |
 | Men of War | Screenplay | Movie | 1994 |
 | My Life's in Turnaround | Marginal producer | Movie | 1994 |
 | The Secret of Roan Inish | Screenplay | Movie | 1994 |
| The Secret of Roan Inish | Director | Movie | 1994 |
| The Secret of Roan Inish | Editor | Movie | 1994 |
 | Matinee | Bob | Movie | 1993 |
 | Passion Fish | Soap Opera Doctor (uncredited) | Movie | 1992 |
| Passion Fish | Writer | Movie | 1992 |
| Passion Fish | Director | Movie | 1992 |
| Passion Fish | Editor | Movie | 1992 |
 | Malcolm X | FBI Agent | Movie | 1992 |
 | Straight Talk | Guy Girardi | Movie | 1992 |
 | City of Hope | Carl | Movie | 1991 |
| City of Hope | Director | Movie | 1991 |
| City of Hope | Editor | Movie | 1991 |
| City of Hope | Writer | Movie | 1991 |
 | Little Vegas | Mike | Movie | 1990 |
 | Shannon's Deal | Ronnie Nash | TV Series | 1990 |
| Shannon's Deal | Writer | TV Series | 1990 |
| Shannon's Deal | Creator | TV Series | 1990 |
 | Breaking In | Writer | Movie | 1989 |
 | Untamagiru | US High Commissioner | Movie | 1989 |
 | La fine della notte | Wayne | Movie | 1989 |
 | Mountain View | Director | Movie | 1989 |
| Shannon's Deal | Writer | Movie | 1989 |
 | Eight Men Out | Ring Lardner | Movie | 1988 |
| Eight Men Out | Writer | Movie | 1988 |
| Eight Men Out | Director | Movie | 1988 |
 | Matewan | Hardshell Preacher | Movie | 1987 |
| Matewan | Director | Movie | 1987 |
| Matewan | Writer | Movie | 1987 |
 | Wild Thing | Screenplay | Movie | 1987 |
| Wild Thing | Story | Movie | 1987 |
 | Square One Television | Roy 'Lefty' Cobbs | TV Series | 1987 |
 | Unnatural Causes | Lloyd | Movie | 1986 |
| Unnatural Causes | Writer | Movie | 1986 |
| Unnatural Causes | Teleplay | Movie | 1986 |
 | Something Wild | Motorcycle Cop | Movie | 1986 |
| The ChuckleHounds | Writer | TV Series | 1986 | |
 | The Clan of the Cave Bear | Screenplay | Movie | 1986 |
 | Hard Choices | Don | Movie | 1985 |
 | The Brother from Another Planet | Man in Black | Movie | 1984 |
| The Brother from Another Planet | Screenplay | Movie | 1984 |
| The Brother from Another Planet | Editor | Movie | 1984 |
| The Brother from Another Planet | Director | Movie | 1984 |
 | Baby It's You | Director | Movie | 1983 |
| Baby It's You | Screenplay | Movie | 1983 |
 | Lianna | Jerry | Movie | 1983 |
| Lianna | Editor | Movie | 1983 |
| Lianna | Writer | Movie | 1983 |
| Lianna | Director | Movie | 1983 |
 | Enormous Changes at the Last Minute | Writer | Movie | 1983 |
 | The Challenge | Writer | Movie | 1982 |
 | The Howling | Morgue Attendant (uncredited) | Movie | 1981 |
| The Howling | Screenplay | Movie | 1981 |
 | Alligator | Screenplay | Movie | 1980 |
| Alligator | Story | Movie | 1980 |
 | A Perfect Match | Teleplay | Movie | 1980 |
 | Battle Beyond the Stars | Story | Movie | 1980 |
| Battle Beyond the Stars | Screenplay | Movie | 1980 |
 | Return of the Secaucus Seven | Howie | Movie | 1980 |
| Return of the Secaucus Seven | Writer | Movie | 1980 |
| Return of the Secaucus Seven | Director | Movie | 1980 |
| Return of the Secaucus Seven | Editor | Movie | 1980 |
 | The Lady in Red | Writer | Movie | 1979 |
 | Piranha | Army Sentry (uncredited) | Movie | 1978 |
| Piranha | Screenplay | Movie | 1978 |
| Piranha | Story | Movie | 1978 |
| An Ode to Mary Jo | Self / Appearance | Movie | — | |
 | Django Lives! | Writer | Movie | — |
 | Grendel | Executive Producer | Movie | — |
| I Passed This Way | Director | Movie | — | |
| I Passed This Way | Writer | Movie | — |