John Savage (Lydecker)

Birth name
John Youngs
Date of birth (location)
25 August 1949,

Unlike his evil character on the show Dark Angel, John Savage knows how to fight for the good guys. After establishing himself as a top Hollywood actor, Savage interrupted his quickly rising career and moved to South Africa. There he worked with Nelson Mandela, sometimes shooting video footage for local television stations, in a quest to help end apartheid in that country. While there, he also worked as a production manager for Spike Lee's film Malcolm X.

Savage returned to Los Angeles in 1994 to continue his acting career. His recent work includes White Squall, Message in a Bottle, and The Thin Red Line. He also collaborated again with Lee in Summer of Sam.

Additional TV work includes roles in Walker: Texas Ranger and Outer Limits.

John Savage was born John Youngs in Old Bethpage, Long Island, NY in 1950. He studied acting at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City; his breakthrough role in film came five years after his debut, in 1978's The Deer Hunter. A clean-cut, boyishly handsome blond, Savage impressed in such other acclaimed films as Hair, The Onion Field, and Inside Moves before his star inexplicably began fading in the 80's. In the 90's, he has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts with supporting roles in such films as The Thin Red Line, Message in a Bottle, and Summer of Sam, and is still a believable screen presence. He is the father of actress Jennifer Youngs ("Dr. Quinn, Medecine Woman"), and the older brother of actor Jim Youngs (Footloose).

Acting Credits:

Dead Man's Run (2001) .... Carver
Bombshell (2000)
Redemption of the Ghost (2000) .... Sheriff Burns
"Dark Angel" (2000) TV Series .... Donald Lydecker
They Nest (2000) (TV) .... Jack Wald
Virginian, The (2000) (TV) .... Steve
Christina's House (1999) .... James Tarling
Summer of Sam (1999) .... Simon
Jack Bull, The (1999) (TV) .... Slater
Message in a Bottle (1999) .... Johnny Land
Frontline (1999/I) .... Captain Wolfgang Mueller
Scrolls of Darius: The Stuff That Thieves Are Made Of, The (1999) (V) .... Villager
Burning Down the House (1998)
Centurion Force (1998)
Thin Red Line, The (1998) .... Sergeant McCron
Nightworld: Lost Souls (1998) (TV) .... Victor Robinson
Lost Souls (1998) (TV) (UK: video title)
Nightworld (1998) (TV)
Mia, Liebe meines Lebens" (1998) (mini) TV Series .... Spitz
Little Boy Blue (1998) .... Ray West
Amnesia (1997/I) .... Tim Bishop
Club Vampire (1997) .... Zero
Last Cut (1997)
Notti di paura (1997)
Across Red Nights (1997)
Mosca (1997)
Mouse, The (1997) .... Bruce 'The Mouse' Strauss
Before Women Had Wings (1997) (TV) .... Billy Jackson
Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings (1997) (TV)
Hjørne af paradis, Et (1997) .... Padre Louis
Corner of Paradise, A (1997)
Hostile Intent (1997) .... Bear
Flynn (1996) .... Joe Stromberg
Managua (1996) .... Dennis
One Good Turn (1996) .... Santapietro
Where Truth Lies (1996) .... Dr. Ian Lazarre
American Strays (1996) .... Dwayne
White Squall (1996) .... McCrea
Firestorm (1995) .... Brinkman
Markus 4 (1995) (USA)
OP Center (1995) (TV) .... Bob Herbert
Tom Clancy's 'OP Center' (1995) (TV)
Takeover, The (1995) (V) .... Greg
Crossing Guard, The (1995) .... Bobby
Carnosaur 2 (1995) .... Jack Reed
Berlin '39 (1994) .... Wieland
CIA II Target: Alexa (1994) .... Franz Kluge
Dangerous, The (1994) .... Emile Lautrec
Deadly Weapon (1994) .... Sanders
Killing Obsession (1994) .... Albert
Red Scorpion 2 (1994) .... Andrew Kendrick
Shattered Image (1994) (TV) .... David
Accident, The (1993) (TV) .... The Policeman
Daybreak (1993) (TV) (uncredited)
Favola crudele (1992)
Primary Motive (1992) .... Wallace Roberts
Buck ai confini del cielo (1991) .... Wintrop
Buck at the Edge of Heaven (1991)
Door to Silence (1991) .... Melvin Dovereux
Door Into Silence (1991)
Doors to Silence, The (1991)
Hunting (1991) .... Michael Bergman
Mountain of Diamonds (1991) .... Blaine
Ottobre rosa all'Arbat (1990) .... Boris
Point of View (1990)
War Shepherds (1990)
Voice in the Dark (1990)
Godfather: Part III, The (1990) .... Andrew Hagan
Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part III (1990)