American filmmaker John G. Avildsen has passed away aged 81, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Avildsen was best known for directing the 1976 classic Rocky, which saw him honoured with the Academy Award for Best director. He would receive a second Oscar nomination in 1983 for the Documentary Short Traveling Hopefully.
Having begun his career as an assistant director to the likes of Arthur Penn and Otto Preminger, Avildsen make his directorial debut in 1970 with the critically acclaimed Joe. His other credits included Save the Tiger, The Karate Kid and its sequels The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III, and Rocky V. His latest feature was 1999’s Inferno, released in the UK as Desert Heat.
Originally published June 17, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
