John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. He is perhaps best known for directing ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess M ...

'' (1976), which earned him the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' films. Other films he directed include ''

Joe Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

'' (1970), '' Save the Tiger'' (1973), '' The Formula'' (1980), '' Neighbors'' (1981), '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''

Rocky V ''Rocky V'' is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen (the first time since the first film of the franchise), written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky IV'' (1985) and is the fifth install ...

'' (1990), and '' 8 Seconds'' (1994).

Early life

Avildsen was born in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in ...

, the son of Ivy (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Guilbert) and Clarence John Avildsen. He was educated at the

Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a coeducational University-preparatory school#North America, preparatory school in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States. Hotchkiss is a member of the Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Admissions Organization. It i ...

and at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Career

After starting out as an assistant director on films by Arthur Penn and Otto Preminger, Avildsen's early low-budget feature ''

'' (1970) received good notices for star

Peter Boyle Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...

and was a big box-office hit grossing $26 million from a $100,000 budget. Avildsen followed this early success with the low-budget 1971 cult classic comedy film '' Cry Uncle!'' (released in the UK as ''Superdick'' and on video as ''American Oddballs''), a 1971 American film in the Troma Entertainment library that stars Allen Garfield. This was followed by '' Save the Tiger'' (1973), a film nominated for three Oscars, winning Best Actor for star

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...

. His greatest success came with ''

'' (1976), which he directed working in conjunction with writer and star

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

. The film was a major critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976 and garnering ten Academy Award nominations and winning three, including Best Picture and Best Director. Avildsen later returned to direct what was then expected to be the series' final installment, ''

'' (1990). He directed the mystery-drama '' The Formula'' (1980), starring

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

and George C. Scott, for which he was nominated for

Razzie Award for Worst Director The Razzie Award for Worst Director is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst director of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film(s) for which they we ...

. Avildsen's other films include '' Neighbors'' (1981), '' For Keeps'' (1988), '' Lean on Me'' (1989), '' The Power of One'' (1992), '' 8 Seconds'' (1994), and the first three ''

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 and W ...

'' films. He was the original director for both '' Serpico'' (1973) and ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American dance drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man from the Brooklyn borough of New York. Manero spends his ...

'' (1977), but was fired over disputes with, respectively, producers Martin Bregman and Robert Stigwood. His last film was ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'' (1999), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. A documentary on the life, career and films of Avildsen was released in August 2017, approximately two months after his death. ''John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs'' (2017), directed and produced by

Derek Wayne Johnson Derek Wayne Johnson (born February 23, 1983) is an American film director, screenwriter, editor and producer. Early life and education Born and raised in Carthage, Texas, Johnson began making short films at an early age, winning several award ...

, features interviews with

Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

, Jerry Weintraub, and

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

, among others. The documentary is a companion to the book ''The Films of John G. Avildsen: Rocky, The Karate Kid, and other Underdogs'', written by Larry Powell and Tom Garrett.

Personal life

Avildsen's first wife was Marie Olga Maturevich (Melissa McCall). After they divorced, he married actress Tracy Brooks Swope in 1987; they separated in 2006. He had five children. His estranged son,

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

(born November 5, 1981), founded Sumerian Records. Another son, Jonathan Avildsen, appeared in the films '' The Karate Kid Part III'' and ''

''. His eldest son was named Anthony, and he had a daughter, Penelope Avildsen. John also had a daughter with Tracy Swope, named Bridget.

Death

Avildsen died 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 ...

in Los Angeles on June 16, 2017. He was 81. The cause of his death was

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

, according to his son Anthony Avildsen.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Avildsen, John G. 1935 births 2017 deaths Artists from Oak Park, Illinois Best Directing Academy Award winners Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pancreatic cancer Directors Guild of America Award winners Film directors from Illinois Hotchkiss School alumni New York University alumni American people of Norwegian descent