Grave Hunter John Cassavetes D.O.B.: December 9, 1929 (New York, NY) D.O.D.: February 3, 1989 (Los Angeles, CA) Cause of Death: Cirrhosis of the Liver Location: Westwood Memorial; #308 Biographical Notes: Among the purveyors and partisans of independent cinema, few directors are as revered as John Cassavetes. Gifted in nearly every major aspect of filmmaking—over the course of his long career he was nominated for Oscars as a director, writer, and actor—he was perhaps most admired for the combustible atmosphere of spontaneity that characterizes almost all of his films. Preferring to trust the improvisational abilities of his actors, Cassavetes frequently wrote his scripts during filming and relied heavily on instinct in selecting camera angles and composing his shots. Directed: "Shaft" (1973) TV "Shadow" (1961)