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John G Avildsen

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Occupation
  
Education
  
Role
  
Film director

Name
  
John Avildsen

Years active
  
1969–present


John G. Avildsen John G Avildsen Quotes QuotesGram

Full Name
  
John Guilbert Avildsen

Born
  
December 21, 1935 (
1935-12-21
)
Oak Park, Illinois, United States

Spouse
  
Tracy Brooks Swope (m. 1987–2003)

Children
  
Jonathan Avildsen, Bridget Avildsen, Ashley Avildsen, Anthony G. Avildsen

Parents
  
Clarence John Avildsen, Ivy Avildsen

Movies
  
Rocky, The Karate Kid, Rocky V, The Karate Kid - Part II, The Karate Kid - Part III

Similar People
  
Pat Morita, Burt Young, Talia Shire, Ralph Macchio, Burgess Meredith

Died
  
June 16, 2017 (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.

John g avildsen director


John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director in 1977 for Rocky. Other films he directed include Joe, Save the Tiger, Fore Play, The Formula, Neighbors, For Keeps, Lean on Me, The Power of One, 8 Seconds, Inferno, Rocky V and the first three The Karate Kid films.

Contents

John G. Avildsen John Avildsen

The karate kid director john g avildsen


Life and family

John G. Avildsen John G Avildsen Quotes QuotesGram

Avildsen was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Ivy (née Guilbert) and Clarence John Avildsen. He was educated at The Hotchkiss School and New York University.

John G. Avildsen John G Avildsen director of Rocky and The Karate Kid dies at 81

Avildsen had four children. His estranged son Ash (born November 5, 1981), founded Sumerian Records. Another son, Jonathan Avildsen, appeared in the films The Karate Kid Part III and Rocky V. His eldest son was named Anthony and he had a daughter, Bridget.

Career

John G. Avildsen OscarWinning Film Director John Avildsen to Present Free Informal

After starting out as an assistant director on films by Arthur Penn and Otto Preminger, John Avildsen received his first success with the low budget feature Joe (1970) which received critical acclaim for star Peter Boyle and moderate box office business.

John G. Avildsen Secrets of a classic Director explains why Rocky remains on top

This was followed by another critical success, Save the Tiger (1973), that was nominated for three Oscars, winning Best Actor for star Jack Lemmon. Both Joe and Save the Tiger were about losers, but as the '70s continued, Avildsen shifted to people who went on to be victorious.

Avildsen's greatest success was Rocky (1976), which he directed working in conjunction with writer and star Sylvester Stallone. 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. He later returned to direct what was expected to be the series' then-final installment, Rocky V (1990). (Later installments were released in 2006 and 2015).

His other films include Cry Uncle! (1971), Neighbors (1981), The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), Lean on Me (1989) and 8 Seconds (1994).

Avildsen was the original director for both Serpico (1973) and Saturday Night Fever (1977), but was fired over disputes with producers Martin Bregman and Robert Stigwood, respectively.

An upcoming documentary on the life, career and films of Avildsen is currently in production. John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs (2017) is directed and produced by Derek Wayne Johnson and features interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Ralph Macchio, Martin Scorsese, Jerry Weintraub, Burt Reynolds amongst others. The documentary is a companion to the new book The Films of John G. Avildsen: Rocky, The Karate Kid, and other Underdogs, written by Larry Powell and Tom Garrett.

Death

Avildsen died on June 16, 2017 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 81. The cause of his death was pancreatic cancer, according to his son, Anthony Avildsen.

References

John G. Avildsen Wikipedia


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