Highest Rated: 92% Face/Off (1997)

Lowest Rated: 15% The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

Birthday: May 21, 1959

Birthplace: Not Available

Nick Cassavetes began his career as a film and television actor, but made a stronger impact when he discovered his talent for writing and directing. He was born into independent film royalty as the son of Oscar-nominated writer-director-actor John Cassavetes and Oscar-nominated actress Gena Rowlands. Cassavetes' family tearjerkers "The Notebook" (2004) and "My Sister's Keeper" (2009) were a far cry from the cinéma vérité style favored by his father, though he shared a thematic interest in the unseen worlds lurking behind the American dream landscape in "She's So Lovely" (1997) and "Alpha Dog" (2007). True to the family name, Cassavetes was dedicated to building a body of character-driven dramas and bringing a great deal of emotion to the movie screen.