George P. Cosmatos | |
|---|---|
 Cosmatos in 1997 | |
| Born | George Pan Cosmatos (1941-01-04)4 January 1941 Florence, Italy |
| Died | 19 April 2005(2005-04-19) (aged 64) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Alma mater | London Film School |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1960–1997 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Panos Cosmatos |
George Pan Cosmatos (4 January 1941 – 19 April 2005) was a Greek-Italian film director and screenwriter. Following early success in his home country with drama films such asMassacre in Rome withRichard Burton (based on the real-lifeArdeatine massacre), Cosmatos retooled his career towards mainstream "blockbuster" action and adventure films, includingThe Cassandra Crossing andEscape to Athena, both of which were British-Italian co-productions. After relocating to North America, he directed the horror filmOf Unknown Origin.[1] This was followed by some of his best-known work, including the action filmsRambo: First Blood Part II andCobra (both of which starSylvester Stallone), the science-fiction horror filmLeviathan, and the critically acclaimedWestern movieTombstone.
Cosmatos was born to a Greek family inFlorence, Italy, and grew up in Egypt and Cyprus.[1] He is said to have spoken six languages.[2] After studying film at theLondon Film School, where he met his future wife, Swedish sculptor and artist Birgitta Ljungberg, when they both were 17, he became assistant director toOtto Preminger onExodus (1960), based onLeon Uris's novel about the birth of Israel.[1] In 1960, he married Birgitta, born in Haverö, Ånge municipality in Medelpad, 26 July 1941. Thereafter he worked onZorba the Greek (1964), in which Cosmatos had a small part as Boy with Acne. On 1 Feb. 1974, the couple had their first and only child,Panos Cosmatos, born in Rome. In the early 1980s, the family moved toVictoria, British Columbia.
Cosmatos found success in Italy for directing the filmsRappresaglia (1973) withMarcello Mastroianni andThe Cassandra Crossing (1976) withSophia Loren. In 1979, he made the BritishWorld War II adventure filmEscape to Athena, starring an all-star ensemble cast includingRoger Moore,David Niven,Telly Savalas,Elliott Gould andClaudia Cardinale. He made his North American directorial debut with the Canadian horror filmOf Unknown Origin. He then directed the box-office hitRambo: First Blood Part II starringSylvester Stallone, andCobra, another Stallone film, in 1986.[1][3] On 8 August 1986, Cosmatos agreed withDe Laurentiis Entertainment Group to direct four films, but none would be made.[4] In 1989, he directed the science-fiction horror filmLeviathan, starringPeter Weller,Richard Crenna,Ernie Hudson andAmanda Pays, with special effects designed byStan Winston.
Late in his career, Cosmatos received more praise forTombstone, a 1993Western movie aboutDoc Holliday andWyatt Earp. This film was particularly praised for the exceptional performance ofVal Kilmer asDoc Holliday.Kurt Russell, who playedWyatt Earp, said Stallone recommended Cosmatos to him after the removal of the first director, writerKevin Jarre, but Cosmatos had also worked withTombstone executive producerAndrew G. Vajna before onRambo: First Blood Part II.
On 6 July 1997, his wife Birgitta died (she is buried where she was born), and Cosmatos' career came to a halt. Outside of his film career, Cosmatos was a collector of rare books, focusing mainly on 19th–20th Century English literature and signed & inscribed works. His library was sold through Sotheby's.[5]
George Pan Cosmatos died oflung cancer on 19 April 2005, at his home inVictoria, British Columbia at the age of 64.[6] He was survived by his son,Panos Cosmatos, who has said that his independently released surreal filmBeyond the Black Rainbow was funded primarily by royalties from his father's filmTombstone.[citation needed]
