John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist.

Filmography

• The Gray House — Writer, Creator
• 2024John Sayles and Gregory Nava — Themself
• Poker Face — Chief Hal
• 2021Texas Red — Governor Johnson (voice)
• 2019Sonora: The Devil’s Highway — Writer
• 2019The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot — Executive Producer
• 2019Them That Work — Self, Thanks
• The Alienist — Teleplay, Consulting Producer
• 2016Dr. Del — Writer, Executive Producer
• 2016Elsie Hooper — Executive Producer
• 2016Richard Linklater: Dream Is Destiny — Thanks
• 2016The Umbrella — Pastor Jim
• 2015Talents — Executive Producer
• 2013Go for Sisters — Director, Writer, Editor
• 2012The Normals — Dr. Marx
• 2011Amigo — Editor, Director, Writer
• 2009In the Electric Mist — Michael Goldman
• 2009The Toe Tactic — Cramden
• 2008The Spiderwick Chronicles — Screenplay
• 2007Honeydripper — Zeke, Director, Writer, Editor
• 2007My Mexican Shivah — Executive Producer
• 2004Silver City — Director, Writer, Editor
• 2003Casa de los Babys — Editor, Director, Writer
• 2003Unleashing the Beast: Making ‘The Howling’
• 2002Sunshine State — Man who almost got hit by a golf ball (uncredited), Director, Writer, Editor
• 2001Bruce Springsteen: The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000 — Director
• 2000Girlfight — Science Teacher, Executive Producer
• 1999Limbo — Director, Writer, Editor
• 1999Little Saints — Executive Producer
• 1998Men with Guns — Director, Writer, Editor
• 1997Gridlock'd — Cop #1
• 1997Mimic — Additional Writing
• 1996Lone Star — Director, Editor, Writer
• 1995Piranha — Story
• 1994Men of War — Screenplay
• 1994My Life's in Turnaround — Marginal producer
• 1994The Secret of Roan Inish — Director, Screenplay, Editor
• 1993Matinee — Bob
• 1992Malcolm X — FBI Agent
• 1992Passion Fish — Soap Opera Doctor (uncredited), Director, Writer, Editor
• 1992Straight Talk — Guy Girardi
• 1991City of Hope — Carl, Editor, Director, Writer
• 1990Little Vegas — Mike
• Shannon's Deal — Ronnie Nash, Writer, Creator
• 1989Breaking In — Writer
• 1989La fine della notte — Wayne
• 1989Mountain View — Director
• 1989Shannon's Deal — Writer
• 1989Untamagiru — US High Commissioner
• 1988Eight Men Out — Ring Lardner, Writer, Director
• 1987Matewan — Hardshell Preacher, Director, Writer
• Square One Television — Roy 'Lefty' Cobbs
• 1987Wild Thing — Screenplay, Story
• 1986Something Wild — Motorcycle Cop
• The ChuckleHounds — Writer
• 1986The Clan of the Cave Bear — Screenplay
• 1986Unnatural Causes — Lloyd, Writer, Teleplay
• 1985Hard Choices — Don
• 1984The Brother from Another Planet — Man in Black, Director, Screenplay, Editor
• 1983Baby It's You — Director, Screenplay
• 1983Enormous Changes at the Last Minute — Writer
• 1983Lianna — Jerry, Director, Writer, Editor
• 1982The Challenge — Writer
• 1981The Howling — Morgue Attendant (uncredited), Screenplay
• 1980A Perfect Match — Teleplay
• 1980Alligator — Screenplay, Story
• 1980Battle Beyond the Stars — Story, Screenplay
• 1980Return of the Secaucus Seven — Howie, Director, Writer, Editor
• 1979The Lady in Red — Writer
• 1978Piranha — Army Sentry (uncredited), Screenplay, Story
• An Ode to Mary Jo
• Django Lives! — Writer
• Grendel — Executive Producer
• I Passed This Way — Director, Writer

Appearances as themselves (22)

• 2021Algren — Self
• 2021Corona Film Club — Self
• 2020Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi — Self
• Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time — Self
• 2015The Third Man: A Filmmaker's Influence — Self
• 2014That Guy Dick Miller — Self
• 2012Casting By — Self
• 2011Corman's World — Self - Filmmaker
• The Story of Film: An Odyssey — Self
• Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood — Self
• 2009Great Directors — Self
• 2008Obscene: A Portrait of Barney Rosset and Grove Press — Self
• 2007Alligator Author — Self
• 2006Edge of Outside — Self
• 2006Howard Zinn: Voices of a People's History of the United States — Self
• 2004Tell Them Who You Are — Self
• 2000A Constant Forge — Self
• 2000When It Was a Game 3 — Self (voice)
• Independent Focus — Self
• 1997Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western — Self
• Scene by Scene — Self
• Baseball — Self