John g avildsen biography
Biography
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.
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. 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.
This was followed by another critical success, Save the Tiger (1973), that was nominated for three Oscars, winning Best Actor for star Jack Lemmon. Avildsen's greatest success was Rocky (1976), garnering ten Academy Award nominations and winning three, including Best Picture and Best Director. He later directed what was expected to be the series' final installment, Rocky V (1990). 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.
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.
Avildsen was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Ivy (née Guilbert) and Clarence John Avildsen. H
John G. Avildsen
John G. Avildsen (born, December 21, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois – died, June 16, 2017 in Los Angeles), became famous as the director and editor of Rocky(1976), and The Karate Kid(1984) and its sequels. He received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director – Motion Picture, for Rocky, the boxing epic, featuring Sylvester Stallone in the role of Rocky Balboa.
Also an editor, Avildsen started directing short films in the 1960s, debuting as a feature-length movie director in 1969 with Turn on to Love. He directed Joe (1970), Cry Uncle (1971) and Save the Tiger(1973), and was chosen by producer Irwin Winkler to direct Rocky (1976), the story of Philadelphia underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, written by Stallone, which became the first episode of a much-loved and internationally successful boxing saga.
Avildsen also directed The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), A Night in Heaven (1983), The Karate Kid (1984) with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, followed by The Karate Kid Part II(1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), Rocky V (1990), The Power of One (1992), another boxing drama, set in Africa during WWII, and the rodeo themed 8 Seconds (1994), featuring Luke Perry as a bull-riding champion.
John G. Avildsen
American film director (1935–2017)
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 |
Tracy Brooks Swope (m. 1987; sep. 2006) |
| Children | 6, including Ash |
John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director.
He is best known for directing Rocky (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. He is also renowned for directing the first three films in The Karate Kid franchise (1984–1989). Other films he directed include Joe (1970), Save the Tiger (1973), The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), Lean on Me (1989), Rocky V (1990), 8 Seconds (1994), and Inferno (1999).
Early life
Avildsen was born in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of Ivy (née Guilbert) and Clarence John Avildsen. He was educated at Indian Mountain School, the Hotchkiss School and at New York University.
Career
After starting out as an assistant director on films by Arthur Penn and Otto Preminger and acting as director of photography on the 1969 film, Out of It, Avildsen's early low-budget feature Joe (1970) received good notices for star Peter Boyle and was a big box-office hit grossing nearly $20 million on a $100,000 budget. Avildsen followed this early success with the low-budget 1971 cult classic comedy film Cry Uncle! (released in the UK as Superdick and on video as American Oddballs), a 1971 American film in the Troma Entertainment library that stars Allen Garfield. This was followed by Save the Tiger (1973), a film nominated for three Oscars, winning B .