Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

and

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

action films. The

Independent Film Channel IFC (formerly known as the Independent Film Channel) is an American basic cable channel owned by AMC Networks, originally launching in 1994 as a TV channel devoted to independent films. The Independent Film Channel originally operated as a com ...

said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budget, high-concept genre films starring actors past their prime", adding that "others believe this a charitable description for Pyun, who has also been derided as the new

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

." Though his films frequently blended kickboxing and

hybrid martial arts Hybrid martial arts, also known as hybrid fighting systems or sometimes eclectic martial arts or freestyle martial arts, refer to mixed martial arts or fighting systems that incorporate techniques and theories from several particular martial arts ...

with

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

dystopic A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

themes, which often include

cyborgs A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

, Pyun stated in a 2012 interview that "I have really no interest in cyborgs. And I've never really had any interest in post-apocalyptic stories or settings. It just seemed that those situations presented a way for me to make movies with very little money, and to explore ideas that I really wanted to explore — even if they were ontroversial" Pyun's films include ''

The Sword and the Sorcerer ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'' is a 1982 American sword and sorcery fantasy film co-written and directed by Albert Pyun, and starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll. The plot ...

'', ''

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

'', '' Captain America'', and '' Nemesis''.

Early life

Pyun was born on May 19, 1953. Pyun was a "

military brat A military brat ( colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Rev ...

" and lived on bases around the world until his father settled in Hawaii. He went to school in

Kailua Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu on the windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is in the judicial district and the ahupua'a named Ko'ol ...

, a small town located on the windward side of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

. Pyun's first 8mm and 16mm movies were made in Kailua and he credits living in foreign countries and growing up in Hawaii as strong influences on his filmmaking style. While in high school, Pyun worked at a number of production houses in Honolulu before receiving an invitation by the Japanese actor,

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 150 feature films. He is best known for his 16-film collaboration (1948–1965) with Akira Kurosawa in such works as ''Rashomon'', ''Seven Samurai'', ''The Hidden Fortress'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ' ...

, to travel to Japan for an internship. Initially Pyun was to intern on the

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

film, ''

Dersu Uzala Dersu Uzala (russian: Дерсу Узала; 1849–1908) was a Nanai trapper and hunter. He worked as a guide for Vladimir Arsenyev who immortalized him in his 1923 book '' Dersu Uzala''. The book was adapted into two feature films, with the ve ...

'', which was to star Mifune. but the actor decided not to do the film and instead Pyun found himself working on a Mifune TV series under the tutelage of Kurosawa's Director of Photography,

Takao Saito was a Japanese manga artist, although he rejected the term and considered his work gekiga. He was best known for '' Golgo 13'', which has been serialized in ''Big Comic'' since 1968, making it the oldest manga still in publication. ''Golgo ...

(''

Red Beard is a 1965 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, in his last collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune. Based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1959 short story collection, '' Akahige Shinryōtan'', the film takes p ...

''). Pyun returned to Hawaii and began working as a commercial film editor at KGMB in Honolulu and edited commercials for agencies such as Bozell Jacobs and Leo Burnett. After several years as an editor, Pyun moved to Los Angeles to become a feature film director.

1980s

Pyun's first film ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'' remains his highest grossing, eventually earning $36,714,025 in the United States. Opening on April 30, 1982, it grossed $4,100,886 which ranked the film second that week in America.

Richard Lynch Richard Lynch (February 12, 1940 – June 19, 2012) was an American actor best known for portraying villains in films and television. His film credits included ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'', '' Invasion USA'', ''The Seven-Ups'', ''Scarecr ...

received the Best Supporting Actor Saturn Award for his performance as Cromwell. During the production of the film, stuntman Jack Tyree was killed while doing a high fall stunt at

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Ameri ...

in Los Angeles. While performing a 78-foot fall in heavy costume and makeup, Tyree struck his airbag off center, resulting in a fatal impact. With the success of ''The Sword and the Sorcerer'', Pyun was attached to several science fiction projects in 1984 including ''Total Recall'', to be produced by Dino DeLaurentiis at

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

, with a screenplay based on the Philip K. Dick story written by

Ronald Shusett Ronald Shusett (born June 1935) is an American motion picture screenwriter and producer, usually in the science fiction genre. He wrote the original story for '' Alien'' (1979) with Dan O'Bannon and later '' Alien vs. Predator'' (2004). In 1 ...

(''Alien''). At the time,

William Hurt William McChord Hurt (March 20, 1950 – March 13, 2022) was an American actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he received various awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. H ...

was attached to star. His second film, ''

Radioactive Dreams ''Radioactive Dreams'' is a 1985 post-apocalyptic science fiction-comedy film written and directed by Albert Pyun and starring George Kennedy, Michael Dudikoff, Don Murray, and Lisa Blount. The names of the two main characters are homages t ...

'', was awarded the Golden Raven at the 5th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival in 1987. "Radioactive Dreams" recently screened at Exhumed Films' 2013 eX Fest. Pyun's career took a more mainstream turn with the thriller ''

Dangerously Close ''Dangerously Close'' is a 1986 action thriller film directed by Albert Pyun. The film was noted at its time of release for being part of a wave of teen vigilante films in the 1980s exploring the right-wing jingoism that was gaining popularity in ...

'' and the romantic adventure film ''

Down Twisted ''Down Twisted'' is a 1987 thriller film, directed by Albert Pyun, starring Carey Lowell, Charles Rocket, Courteney Cox, Norbert Weisser, Linda Kerridge, Trudi Dochtermann and Nicholas Guest. Plot A naïve, good-hearted Los Angeles waitress d ...

'', starring Carey Lowell,

Charles Rocket Charles Adams Claverie (August 28, 1949 – October 7, 2005), known by stage names Charlie Hamburger, Charlie Kennedy and Charles Rocket, was an American actor, comedian, musician, and television news reporter. He was a cast member on ''Saturda ...

and

Courteney Cox Courteney Bass Cox (previously Courteney Cox Arquette; born June 15, 1964) is an American actress and filmmaker. She gained international recognition for her starring role as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', which aired from 1994 ...

. In the late 1980s, Pyun made '' Alien from L.A.'', featuring supermodel

Kathy Ireland Kathleen Marie Ireland (born March 20, 1963) is an American author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist, and former fashion model. Ireland was a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s, initially known for appearing in 13 consecutive ''Spo ...

whom he cast after seeing a photo of her without doing a screen test. Ireland then took acting lessons. The film was later appeared on an episode of '' Mystery Science Theater 3000''. Pyun's ''

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

'' opened as the fourth-highest-grossing film in America on April 7, 1989. It eventually grossed $10,166,459 in the United States. In 2011, twenty-two years after making ''Cyborg'', Pyun released his director's cut. A

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

re-release on Blu-ray followed in October 2012. In 1989, Pyun made ''

Deceit Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

'' and ''Captain America''. A director's cut of ''Captain America'' was released in May 2011.

1990s

In the early 1990s, Pyun made '' Nemesis'' with

Olivier Gruner Olivier Gruner (; born 2 August 1960), is a French former naval commando, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and pilot. Born in Paris, France, he moved to the United States in 1988. His career in the film industry began ...

and

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), '' Deep Blue Sea'' (1999), '' The Punisher'' (2004), '' The Mist'' ( ...

; '' Brainsmasher... A Love Story'' followed in 1993 with

Teri Hatcher Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film '' Tom ...

and

Andrew Dice Clay Andrew Dice Clay (born Andrew Clay Silverstein; September 29, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence in the late 1980s with a brash, deliberately offensive persona known as "The Diceman". In 1990, he became the fi ...

; and ''

Mean Guns ''Mean Guns'' is a 1997 action film starring Ice-T, Christopher Lambert, Michael Halsey, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Kimberly Warren, and Hunter Doughty. It was directed by Albert Pyun. Plot Vincent Moon ( Ice-T) is a member of a crime syndica ...

'' with Christopher Lambert and Ice-T in 1997. In June 1991, Pyun's film ''

Kickboxer 2 ''Kickboxer 2'' (stylized on-screen as ''Kickboxer 2: The Road Back'') is a 1991 American martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun and written by David S. Goyer. The film is the second entry into the ''Kickboxer'' film series, and stars Sasha Mi ...

'', written by

David Goyer David Samuel Goyer (born December 22, 1965) is an American filmmaker, novelist and comic book writer. He is best known for writing the screenplays for several superhero films, including '' Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (1998), the ''Blade'' ...

( ''Ghost Rider'', ''

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...

'', ''

The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan Nolan, Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005) and t ...

''), opened in theaters to mixed reviews. Other 1990s films include ''Knights'' with

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...

Kathy Long Kathy Long (born April 21, 1964) is an American kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and actress. Kathy Long Biography">USA Dojo >> Kathy Long BiographyURL accessed on October 7, 2010from the original on August 16, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. She ...

and

Lance Henriksen Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his works in various science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise, and Frank Black in Fox television series ''Millenn ...

; '' Dollman'' starring Tim Thomerson as a 13-inch-tall

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...

-type cop from another planet; ''

Raven Hawk ''Raven Hawk'' is a 1996 TV action-drama film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Rachel McLish, John Enos III, Nicholas Guest, Vincent Klyn and Thom Mathews. Plot A Native American woman (Rachel McLish) is framed for the murder of her pare ...

'' with

Rachel McLish Rachel Livia Elizondo McLish (born 21 June 1955) is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress, and author. Early life and education McLish was born as Raquel Livia Elizondo in 1955 in Harlingen, Texas, the second-youngest daughter born. ...

and

William Atherton William Atherton Knight (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in '' Die Hard'' and its sequel and Walter Peck in ''Ghostbusters''. Early life Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son ...

; ''Spitfire'' with Henriksen, Sarah Douglas,

Tim Thomerson Joseph Timothy "Tim" Thomerson (born April 8, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Jack Deth in the ''Trancers'' film series and for his work in numerous low-budget features and for his comedic television r ...

and Kristie Phillips; '' Hong Kong '97'' with

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparke ...

and

Ming-Na Wen Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...

; '' Adrenalin: Fear the Rush'' with Christopher Lambert and Natasha Henstridge; ''Post Mortem'' with

Charlie Sheen Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Platoon'' (1986), ''Wall Street'' (1987), '' Young Guns'' (1988), '' The Rookie'' (1990), ''The Thr ...

; '' Crazy Six'' with

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Va ...

and Burt Reynolds; ''

Omega Doom ''Omega Doom'' is a 1996 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Rutger Hauer. It was written by Pyun and Ed Naha. The story, set in a Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian future, concerns ...

'' with

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. Hauer's career began in 1969 with the title role in the Dutch television series ' ...

and

Shannon Whirry Shannon Whirry is an American actress. Career A native from Green Lake, Wisconsin, where she was the salutatorian of her 1983 high school graduating class, in 1985 Whirry was accepted to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of onl ...

; and ''

Arcade Arcade most often refers to: * Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine ** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware ** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board * Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games * ...

'' with

Megan Ward Megan Marie Ward (born September 24, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her numerous credits in science fiction and horror movies and television series. In 2007, she joined the cast of the American daytime drama '' General Hos ...

, Seth Green, Peter Billingsly and John Delancie. Pyun also made his only episodic TV work to date for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Columbia Tri-Star Columbia TriStar or Columbia Tristar may refer to: *Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, now Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group *Columbia TriStar Home Video, later called Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and now Sony Pictures Home Entertainm ...

show '' The Fifth Corner'' with

Alex McArthur Alex McArthur (born March 6, 1957) is an American actor. Early life and education He was born in Telford, Pennsylvania, the son of Bruce, a contractor, and Dolores McArthur. He studied acting at De Anza College and San Jose State University, ...

Kim Delaney Kim Delaney (born November 29, 1961) is an American actress known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama television series ''NYPD Blue'', for which she won an Emmy Award. Early in her career, she played the role of Je ...

and James Coburn.

2000s

Pyun directed and produced '' Ticker'' for Artisan Entertainment in May 2000, which featured

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

, Tom Sizemore, Dennis Hopper,

Jaime Pressly Jaime Elizabeth Pressly (born July 30, 1977) is an American actress, fashion designer, and model. Best known for her role as Joy Turner on the NBC sitcom '' My Name Is Earl'', she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

and Ice-T plus Chilli of the R&B group

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. In 2002, it was among five films honored for sales by the Video Software Dealers Association in the category of 'Direct-to-Video/Limited Release by an Independent Studio'. In 2004, Pyun went to the U.S. territory of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

and, along with film producer John Laing, convinced the Guam government to put up an $800,000 loan guarantee to finance their film '' Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon''. In his effort to convince Guam officials to approve the loan guarantee, Pyun told them that he and his producer (Laing) had a "sterling financial record" and that neither he nor John Laing had ever defaulted on a loan. In 2006, Laing defaulted on the loan, and Guam lost its guarantee. Laing blamed Pyun for the failure of the film. An out of court settlement was reached between John Laing and the Guam Economic Development Authority in May 2012 but up until October 2012 Laing has not honored the terms of that settlement. In late 2012, GEDA Administrator Karl Pangelinan reported Laing had made a $75,000 payment on the balance of the settlement amount and the balance outstanding was $75,000. GEDA officials confirmed the final payment was made in February 2013 bringing the matter to a close. Pyun was not involved in any of the legal litigation between GEDA and Laing. In September 2008, Pyun began production on ''

Tales of an Ancient Empire ''Tales of an Ancient Empire'' is a 2010 American fantasy-sword and sorcery film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Kevin Sorbo, Michael Paré, Whitney Able, Melissa Ordway, Ralf Moeller, Lee Horsley, and Victoria Maurette. It is a sequel to ...

''. Shooting began on October 12, 2008. The film premiered at

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

Fright Night Film Fest Fright Night Film Fest, also known as Louisville Fright Night Film Fest, is an annual horror film festival in Louisville, Kentucky. The festival was first founded in 2005 by Ken Daniels and is typically held in July at the Galt House, which is fa ...

. The film was eventually released by Lions Gate Films in January 2012 and stars

Kevin Sorbo Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', and as Captain Dylan Hunt in '' Andromeda''. Sorbo is also known for actin ...

Michael Paré Michael Kevin Paré (born October 9, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' (1983), '' Streets of Fire'' (1984), and '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984), and on the series ''Starhun ...

Melissa Ordway Melissa Pam Gaston (née Ordway; born March 31, 1983) is an American actress and model. She has been featured in campaigns by a number of major brands including Skechers, Old Navy, David's Bridal, Anchor Blue and Tillys. She is best known for p ...

and

Ralf Moeller Ralf Rudolf Moeller (born Möller; ; 12 January 1959) is a German actor and former competitive bodybuilder. He is known for his roles of Brick Bardo in ''Cyborg'', Kjartan in '' The Viking Sagas'', the title character in the television show '' ...

2010s and 2020s

Pyun's film '' Road to Hell'' won the Best Picture award at the Yellow Fever Independent Film Festival in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

in 2011. Later in 2012, it opened the

PollyGrind Film Festival The PollyGrind Film Festival, also known as simply Pollygrind and the PollyGrind Underground Film Festival, was an annual event held in Las Vegas, Nevada that specialized "in all things alternative, with a wide variety of films not shown elsewher ...

in Las Vegas where it won Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Song, Best Use of Songs, Best Use of Music, Best Visual Effects, Best Screenplay, and the Newcomer Award. In late 2013, Pyun announced he had multiple sclerosis. In March 2014, his health had improved enough for him to film ''The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper''. By 2017, he also had

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. However, he to seek funding for projects as late as 2018. Pyun died in Las Vegas on November 26, 2022, at the age of 69.

Awards

* 2005 – Golden Unicorn Award for lifetime achievement at the Estepona International Film Festival of Fantasy and Horror. * 2011 – Induction into the B-movie Hall of Fame at the B-Movie Celebration. * 2012 – Lifetime Achievement-Filmmaker of a Different Breed Award at the PollyGrind Film Festival. * 2013 – Groundbreaker Award – BUT FILM FESTIVAL (Breda, Netherlands) * 2013 – Indie Genre Spirit Award – Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (1982) * ''

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1986) * ''Vicious Lips'' (1986) * ''

'' (1987) * '' Alien from L.A.'' (1988) * ''

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

'' (1989) * ''

'' (1990) * '' Captain America'' (1990) * ''

Bloodmatch ''Bloodmatch'' is a 1991 martial-arts film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Thom Mathews, Hope Marie Carlton, Marianne Taylor, Vincent Klyn, Michel Qissi, and Benny "The Jet" Urquidez. Plot The film opens with a man chasing another man. T ...

'' (1991) * ''

'' (1991) * '' Dollman'' (1991) * '' Nemesis'' (1992) * ''

'' (1993) * '' Knights'' (1993) * '' Brainsmasher... A Love Story'' (1993) * ''

Kickboxer 4 ''Kickboxer 4'' (stylized on-screen as ''Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor'') is a 1994 American direct-to-video martial arts film directed by Albert Pyun. The film is the fourth entry in the ''Kickboxer'' film series. This was the last film to star S ...

'' (1994) * '' Hong Kong 97'' (1994) * ''Heatseeker'' (1995) * '' Nemesis 2: Nebula'' (1995) * ''

'' (1996) * '' Adrenalin: Fear the Rush'' (1996) * '' Nemesis 3: Prey Harder'' (1996) * ''

'' (1996) * '' Nemesis 4: Death Angel'' (1996) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Crazy Six'' (1998) * ''

Postmortem An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...

'' (1998) * ''

Urban Menace ''Urban Menace'' is a 1999 American horror film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Snoop Dogg, Big Pun, Ice-T and Fat Joe. Premise After a Church (building), church burning in which a preacher and his family are killed, the preacher's insane g ...

'' (1999) * '' The Wrecking Crew'' (2000) * '' Ticker'' (2001) * '' Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon'' (2004) * '' Left for Dead'' (2007) * '' Road to Hell'' (2008) * ''

Bulletface ''Bulletface'' is a 2010 American action thriller, action thriller film directed by Albert Pyun. The screenplay was written by Randall Fontana, who had previously collaborated with Pyun on ''Hong Kong 97 (film), Hong Kong '97''. Synopsis Dara Ma ...

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2010) * ''The Interrogation of Cheryl Cooper'' (2014) * ''Interstellar Civil War'' (2017)

References

External links

*
A Few Words With Albert Pyun on the Recent Cyborg Re-release

Captain America: Director's Cut going direct-to-Blu-ray!
*http://io9.com/#!5779203/is-it-finally-time-for-the-director-of-the-original-captain-america-to-get-some-love {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyun, Albert 1953 births 2022 deaths Film directors from Hawaii Horror film directors Science fiction film directors