John Smeallie Youngs (born August 25, 1949^[1]), known professionally as John Savage, is an American actor.^[2] He first rose to prominence in the late 1970s for his portrayals of troubled-but-sensitive characters in films like The Deer Hunter (1978), The Onion Field (1979) and Hair (1979). His television roles include Donald Lydecker on Dark Angel (2000–2002)^[3][4] and Hack Scudder on Carnivàle (2003–2005).

John Smeallie Youngs was born in Old Bethpage on Long Island, New York on August 25, 1949, to Floyd and Muriel Youngs. Savage's younger siblings, Gail (b. 1952)^[5] and Jim Youngs (b. 1956),^[6] are also actors. His younger sister, Robin Young, is a Peabody Award-winning journalist and news broadcaster.^[7]

After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts,^[8][9] Savage worked for the Manhattan's Children's Theatre Group.

Savage has appeared in more than 200 feature films, short films, recurring roles in television series and guest appearances in episodes of television series. One of Savage's first notable roles is as Claude Hooper Bukowski in the 1979 film Hair.^[10][11] His first major film role was as Steven Pushkov in the multiple Oscar-winning 1978 film The Deer Hunter.^[12] He also had a lead role in the 1979 film The Onion Field.^[13]

In the late 1970s, he performed in the Broadway production of David Mamet's play American Buffalo.^[14]

In 1991, he starred in Italian director Lucio Fulci's final film Door to Silence.^[15] He then had a brief role in the 1998 war film The Thin Red Line,^[16] portrayed Captain Ransom in the two part episode "Equinox" of the television series Star Trek: Voyager in 1999,^[17] and appeared in the recurring role of Donald Lydecker in the first and second seasons of the 2000 television series Dark Angel.^[18]

Savage appeared in the recurring role of Henry Scudder in the HBO television series Carnivàle between 2003 and 2005.^[19] He appeared in unrelated roles in two of the series in the Law & Order franchise: the 2004 Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Conscience" as a man who put his wife in a permanent coma, and the 2005 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Quarry" as a child molester on death row for murdering one of his victims.^[20]

Savage appeared in the 2015 horror film Tales of Halloween,^[21] the 2017 film In Dubious Battle,^[22] and on the 2017 continuation of the television show Twin Peaks.^[23]

In 2017, Savage spoke at a tribute honoring director Richard Donner, held by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[24]

In 2018, he appeared on the television show Goliath.^[25] In the same year, Savage lent his voice to a monologue on the title track of the album This Town by Steve Smith of Dirty Vegas.^[26]

Savage has two children with his first wife, Susan (divorced 1969), including actress Jennifer Youngs (b. 1969). He was married to South African actress Sandi Schultz between 1993 and 2002.^[8]

During the 1980s and 1990s, Savage was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, and became acquainted with Nelson Mandela. He helped secure Mandela's involvement in the 1992 film Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee, on which he was the assistant production manager for the South Africa unit.^[27]

Savage's former brother-in-law was actor Robert Duvall, who was married to his sister Gail Youngs, from 1982 to 1986.^[8][5]