As an actor, Cassavetes starred in notable Hollywood films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including "Edge of the City" (1957), "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), and "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). He began his directing career with the 1959 independent feature "Shadows" and followed with independent productions such as "Faces" (1968), "Husbands" (1970), "A Woman Under the Influence" (1974), "Opening Night" (1977), and "Love Streams" (1984). He intermittently continued to work on studio projects such as Elaine May's "Mikey and Nicky" (1976) and his own "Gloria" (1980).