Rocky director John Avildsen, 81

John Avildsen, who directed Rocky and The Karate Kid, two dark-horse underdog fables that went on to become Hollywood franchises, has died at 81.

“He was a pretty extraordinary man in my estimation. He was super talented and very driven and very stubborn and that was to his detriment but also often to his benefit,” said his son Anthony as he revealed he had died from pancreatic cancer.

The Directors Guild of America paid tribute to Avildsen, saying: “Throughout the decades, his rousing portrayals of victory, courage and emotion captured the hearts of generations of Americans.”

Avildsen took a chance on Rocky, written by and starring the thenunknown Sylvester Stallone as a struggling boxer.

But the 1976 film was a phenomenon that won Oscars for best picture as well as for Avildsen as director and editing, and was nominated for seven others.

Stallone had written the script and wanted Avildsen to direct it, but Avildsen was already working on another film, but suddenly the production company ran out of money and that film was cancelled.

Avildsen agreed to direct Rocky even though he knew nothing about boxing.

“The first time I showed it to 40 or 50 friends, they all freaked out, so that was encouraging,” Avildsen recalled.

The Karate Kid was another surprise hit in 1984, telling the story of a bullied teenager played by Ralph Macchio who learns about self-confidence through the study of karate with the help of a Japanese handyman (Noryuki “Pat” Morita).

Released in the summer of 1984, The Karate Kid attracted millions of youngsters and brought Morita, a veteran performer best known for his TV roles, an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor.

“As soon as the producers saw the business it was doing, they wanted to do it again,” Avildsen said in a 1986 interview. “I was very apprehensive. I didn’t want to do a sequel because this was a very tough act to follow.”

But he relented and directed both The Karate Kid, Part II in 1986 and The Karate Kid, Part III in 1989.

He is survived by his sons Jonathan, Ashley and Anthony, and daughter Bridget.

John Avildsen with his Oscar for best director, Rocky.