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. His first major film role was as Steven Pushkov in the multiple
Oscar-winning 1978 film
The Deer Hunter. He also had a lead role in the 1979 film
The Onion Field. , March 2017 In the late 1970s, he performed in the
Broadway production of
David Mamet's play
American Buffalo. In 1991, he starred in Italian director
Lucio Fulci's final film
Door to Silence. He then had a brief role in the 1998 war film
The Thin Red Line, portrayed Captain Ransom in the two part episode
"Equinox" of the television series
Star Trek: Voyager in 1999, and appeared in the recurring role of Donald Lydecker in the first and second seasons of the 2000 television series
Dark Angel. Savage appeared in the recurring role of Henry Scudder in the
HBO television series
Carnivàle between 2003 and 2005. 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. Savage appeared in the 2015 horror film
Tales of Halloween, the 2017 film
In Dubious Battle, and on the 2017 continuation of the television show
Twin Peaks. In 2017, Savage spoke at a tribute honoring director
Richard Donner, held by
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2018, he appeared on the television show
Goliath. 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. == Personal life ==