Bruce Malmuth (February 4, 1934 – June 29, 2005) was an American film director, best known for his work in the action and thriller genres and for his acting role in ''The Karate Kid'' film franchise.

Biography

Early life

Malmuth was the brother of aeronautical engineer Norman Malmuth and Daniel S. Malmuth, an executive for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

and

second unit director Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...

. Malmuth began making documentaries while serving in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, where he met baseball announcer Walter Red Barber. After his military career, Malmuth directed the

New York Yankee The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

games at

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship of Th ...

radio before entering the film and television industry.

Film and television career

Malmuth's directoral debut was ''

Fore Play ''Fore Play'' is a 1975 comedy film, comedy anthology film co-directed by Bruce Malmuth, Robert McCarty, Ralph Rosenblum, and future Academy Award-winner John G. Avildsen. Plot Within a frame story in which a doctor talks about sex, the film is ...

'', an anthology comedy film which he co-directed with

John G. Avildsen John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Rocky'' (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' fil ...

. He was best known for directing Sylvester Stallone in the

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

thriller '' Nighthawks'' and

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 ...

in the 1990 political action film '' Hard to Kill'' and ''The Man Who Wasn't There'', starring

Steve Guttenberg Steven Robert Guttenberg (born August 24, 1958) is an American actor, author, businessman, producer, and director. He is known for his lead roles in Hollywood films of the 1980s and 1990s, including ''Cocoon'', ''Police Academy'', ''Three Men and ...

. An avid sports and martial arts fan, Malmuth played the role of ring announcer in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

's ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

'', among other small film roles. He also worked on the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' and the Emmy-winning ABC Afterschool Special ''A Boy's Dream'', which featured Darryl Strawberry.

Death

On June 29, 2005, at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...

, Malmuth died at the age of 71 of esophageal cancer. His son, Evan Malmuth, whom he raised as a single father, is an actor and writer.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1934 births 2005 deaths American film directors Deaths from esophageal cancer Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Action film directors {{US-film-director-1930s-stub