Rocky and Karate Kid director dies

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

Avildsen’s son Anthony said his father died on Friday in Los Angeles from pancreatic cancer.

“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,” he said.

The Directors Guild of America paid tribute to Alvidsen, 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 then-unknown Sylvester Stallone as a struggling boxer.

But the 1976 film became a phenomenon which won Oscars including for best picture, for Avildsen as director, Stallone as best actor, and for film editing.

Legendary director Frank Capra loved it, telling The New York Times in 1977: “Boy, that’s a picture I wish I had made.”

For his part, Avildsen said Capra, who also championed underdogs on film, was his favourite director.

Stallone had written the script and wanted Avildsen to direct it, but Avildsen was already working on another film. Suddenly that film was cancelled.

A friend sent Avildsen the Rocky script. “On page three, this guy (Rocky) is talking to his turtles, and I was hooked,” Avildsen remarked.

The film was shot on a tight budget, less than one million dollars, and completed in 28 days.

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.

Avildsen came up the hard way in films, starting with a long apprenticeship as assistant director. He is survived by three sons and a daughter.