Actor
John Gavin
Born 8 April 1931 · Los Angeles, California, USA — died 9 February 2018
John Gavin (1931–2018) was an American actor who played leading men in 1950s and 60s Hollywood films, often for producer Ross Hunter. He is best remembered for Psycho, Spartacus and Imitation of Life. He later served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
Key films
Psycho (1960)On Cinespective
Hitchcock thriller in which he played Sam Loomis, his most widely seen role.
Spartacus (1960)
Kubrick-directed epic in which he played Julius Caesar in a major supporting role.
Imitation of Life (1959)
Douglas Sirk melodrama and a key Ross Hunter production that established him as a romantic lead.
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Big-budget musical comedy that showed his range in a lighter, later-career role.
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (1958)
Early leading role in a Douglas Sirk war drama, helping launch his career.
Key awards
No major awards are documented here.
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 31
- 1956Raw Edge · as Dan Kirby (as John Gilmore)Actor
- 1956Behind the High Wall · as Johnny HutchinsActor
- 1957Quantez · as TeachActor
- 1957Four Girls in Town · as Tom GrantActor
- 1958A Time to Love and a Time to Die · as Ernst GraeberActor
- 1959Imitation of Life · as Steve ArcherActor
- 1960Psycho · as Sam LoomisActor
- 1960Spartacus · as Julius CaesarActor
- 1960Midnight Lace · as Brian YoungerActor
- 1960A Breath of Scandal · as Charles FosterActor
- 1961Back Street · as Paul SaxonActor
- 1961Romanoff and Juliet · as Igor RomanoffActor
- 1961Tammy Tell Me True · as Thomas 'Tom' FreemanActor
- 1964The Solid Gold Girl · as Harrison DestryActor
- 1967Thoroughly Modern Millie · as Trevor GraydonActor
- 1967Pedro Paramo · as Pedro PáramoActor
- 1968OSS 117 Murder for Sale · as Hubert Bonisseur de La BathActor
- 1969The Madwoman of Chaillot · as The ReverendActor
- 1970Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You · as Charlie Harrison (Grant Granite)Actor
- 1970Cutter's Trail · as Ben CutterActor
- 1973Keep It in the Family · as Roy McDonaldActor
- 1973Nefertiti and Akhenaten · as AkhenatenActor
- 1974Hard Day at Blue NoseActor
- 1976House of Shadows · as Roland StewartActor
- 1978Jennifer · as Senator TremayneActor
- 1978The New Adventures of Heidi · as Dan WylerActor
- 1978Doctors' Private Lives · as Dr. Jeffrey LatimerActor
- 1980Sophia Loren: Her Own Story · as Cary GrantActor
- 2002The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in American CinemaActor
- 2015True Fear: The Making of Psycho · as SelfActor
- 2020Disclosure · as Sam Loomis (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.