John 'Bud' Cardos

Versatile and underrated B-movie Renaissance man John "Bud" Cardos was born in 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri. His family has interesting roots in the entertainment industry: his cousin Spiros Cardos worked at Twentieth Century-Fox and his father and uncle managed the lavish Graumann's Egyptian and Chinese theaters. Cardos began his lengthy and extensive show business career as a child actor in Hal Roach's 40s "Our Gang" comedies.

He was a rodeo rider in his teen years, and worked as an animal wrangler and bird handler on Alfred Hitchcock's outstanding killer animal classic The Birds (1963).

Cardos achieved his greatest cult popularity acting in several entertainingly trashy exploitation features for legendary Grade-Z schlockmeister Al Adamson: he's especially memorable as Mohawk-sporting Native American biker Firewater in the splendidly sleazy Satan's Sadists (1969) and as crazed half-breed Joe Lightfoot in the gritty (and often incoherent) western Five Bloody Graves (1969).

He got into stunt work, and among the films Cardos has performed stunts in are Nightmare in Wax (1969), the trippy hippie gem Psych-Out (1968), The Savage Seven (1968), RiffTrax: Incredible 2 Headed Transplant (1971) and Jud (1971).

Cardos tackled second unit director chores for Sam Peckinpah's magnificent landmark western The Wild Bunch (1969).

Cardos made his directorial debut with the blaxploitation item Buffalo Soldier (1970).

He was a production manager on many movies; they include the creepy Deathdream (1974), Killers Three (1968), The Rebel Rousers (1970), Lash of Lust (1972), Hell's Bloody Devils (1970) and Deadwood '76 (1965).

Has twice replaced directors at the last minute on two movies: he took over for Tobe Hooper on The Dark (1979) and filled in for Mark Rosman on Mutant (1984).