John G. Avildsen | |
|---|---|
 Avildsen in 1975 | |
| Born | John Guilbert Avildsen (1935-12-21)December 21, 1935 Oak Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 16, 2017(2017-06-16) (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Johnny Avildsen |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1969–2017 |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 4, includingAsh |
| Signature | |
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John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an Americanfilm director. He is best known for directingRocky (1976), which earned him theAcademy Award for Best Director. He is also known for directing the first three films inThe Karate Kid franchise (1984–1989). Other films he directed includeJoe (1970),Save the Tiger (1973),The Formula (1980),Neighbors (1981),Lean on Me (1989),Rocky V (1990),8 Seconds (1994), andInferno (1999).
John G. Avildsen was born inOak Park, Illinois, the son of Ivy (née Guilbert) and Clarence John Avildsen.[1] He was educated atIndian Mountain School, theHotchkiss School and atNew York University.[2]
After starting out as an assistant director on films byArthur Penn andOtto Preminger and acting as director of photography on the 1969 film,Out of It, Avildsen's early low-budget featureJoe (1970) received good notices for starPeter Boyle and was a big box-office hit grossing nearly $20 million on a $100,000 budget.[3] Avildsen followed this early success with the low-budget 1971 cult classic comedy filmCry Uncle! (released in the UK asSuperdick and on video asAmerican Oddballs), a 1971 American film in theTroma Entertainment library that starsAllen Garfield.[4] This was followed bySave the Tiger (1973), a film nominated for threeAcademy Awards, winningBest Actor for starJack Lemmon at the55th Academy Awards.[5]
Avildsen's greatest success came withRocky (1976), which he directed working in conjunction with writer and starSylvester Stallone.[6] The film was a major critical and commercial success, becoming thehighest-grossing film of 1976 and garnering ten Academy Award nominations and winning three, includingBest Picture andBest Director for Avildsen at the49th Academy Awards.[7] He later returned to direct what was then expected to be the series' final installment,Rocky V (1990).[8]
Avildsen directed the mystery-dramaThe Formula (1980), starringMarlon Brando andGeorge C. Scott,[9] for which he was nominated forRazzie Award for Worst Director at the1st Golden Raspberry Awards. Avildsen's other films includeNeighbors (1981),For Keeps (1988),Lean on Me (1989),The Power of One (1992),8 Seconds (1994),[10] and the first threeThe Karate Kid films.[11]
Avildsen was the original director for bothSerpico (1973) andSaturday Night Fever (1977), but was fired over disputes with, respectively, producersMartin Bregman andRobert Stigwood.[12] Although his job directingSerpico was terminated, Avildsen became long time friends with the film's real life subjectFrank Serpico, even sharing a property with him onLong Island, New York during the early 1980s.[13] His last film wasInferno (1999), starringJean-Claude Van Damme.[14]
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 byDerek Wayne Johnson,[15] features interviews with Sylvester Stallone,Ralph Macchio, Jean-Claude Van Damme,Martin Scorsese,Jerry Weintraub, andBurt Reynolds, among others.[16] The documentary is a companion to the bookThe Films of John G. Avildsen: Rocky, The Karate Kid, and other Underdogs, written by Larry Powell and Tom Garrett.[17]
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.[2] He had four children. His estranged son,Ash (born November 5, 1981), foundedSumerian Records and has a son, Izzy Avildsen.[18] Another son, Jonathan Avildsen, appeared in the filmsThe Karate Kid Part III,Inferno andRocky V. His eldest son was named Anthony, and he had a daughter, Penelope Avildsen. John also had a daughter with Tracy Swope, named Bridget.[19]
Avildsen died atCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on June 16, 2017. He was 81.[20][19] The cause of his death waspancreatic cancer, according to his son Anthony Avildsen.[21]
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Turn On to Love | |
| 1970 | Guess What We Learned in School Today? | |
| Joe | Also cinematographer | |
| 1971 | Cry Uncle! | |
| 1971 | Okay Bill | |
| 1972 | The Stoolie | |
| 1973 | Save the Tiger | |
| 1975 | Fore Play | |
| W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings | ||
| 1976 | Rocky | Academy Award for Best Director Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Director Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Direction |
| 1978 | Slow Dancing in the Big City | |
| 1980 | The Formula | Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Director |
| 1981 | Neighbors | |
| 1982 | Traveling Hopefully | Nominated—Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject |
| 1983 | A Night in Heaven | |
| 1984 | The Karate Kid | |
| 1986 | The Karate Kid Part II | |
| 1987 | Happy New Year | |
| 1988 | For Keeps | |
| 1989 | Lean on Me | |
| The Karate Kid Part III | Nominated—Razzie Award for Worst Director | |
| 1990 | Rocky V | |
| 1992 | The Power of One | |
| 1994 | 8 Seconds | |
| 1999 | Inferno | Final film |
| Year | Title | Academy Awards | BAFTAs | Golden Globes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1970 | Joe | 1 | |||||
| 1973 | Save the Tiger | 3 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 1976 | Rocky | 10 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1978 | Slow Dancing in the Big City | 1 | |||||
| 1980 | The Formula | 1 | |||||
| 1984 | The Karate Kid | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1986 | The Karate Kid Part II | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1987 | Happy New Year | 1 | |||||
| Total | 18 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 1 | ||
Directed Academy Award Performances
Under Avildsen's direction, these actors have receive Oscar nominations and win for their performances in these respective roles.
| Year | Performer | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar for Best Actor | |||
| 1974 | Jack Lemmon | Save the Tiger | Won |
| 1977 | Sylvester Stallone | Rocky | Nominated |
| Oscar for Best Actress | |||
| 1977 | Talia Shire | Rocky | Nominated |
| Oscar for Best Supporting Actor | |||
| 1974 | Jack Gilford | Save the Tiger | Nominated |
| 1977 | Burt Young | Rocky | Nominated |
| Burgess Meredith | Nominated | ||
| 1985 | Pat Morita | The Karate Kid | Nominated |
