Birthday:
12-21-1935
Deathday:
06-16-2017 (81 years)
Birthplace:
Oak Park, Illinois, USA
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.
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.
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Their works
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Saturday Night Fever: The Ultimate Disco Movie
Act like Self (archive footage)
event2017 star_border 7.7
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John Travolta, Barry Gibb and the Saturday Night Fever cast and crew tell the story behind the mega-hit film. Bruno Tonioli goes through the disco steps that made movie history.
Sports on the Silver Screen
Act like Self (archive footage)
event1997 star_border 10
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HBO (in association with the American Film Institute) presents this 1997 anthology, narrated by Liev Schreiber, which looks at sports in cinema from the earliest silent films until the nineties. Watch not for dramatic scenes but for the glimpse of historical figures shown both cinematic and athletic- in this tribute to the merging of sports and Hollywood.
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Act like Self - Director
event2014 star_border 7.2
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A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
The Real Miyagi
Act like Self
event2015 star_border 6.5
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The life of Fumio Demura, the greatest karate master of a generation.
John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs
Act like Self
event2017 star_border 6.8
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An examination of the Oscar-winning director who brought to life some of cinema's most beloved motion pictures.
Ammo for Shooting Clouds: John G. Avildsen Before Rocky
Act like Himself
event2022
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John G. Avildsen has only recently cemented his reputation as the "king of the underdogs," owing to his having directed both Rocky (1976) and The Karate Kid (1984). Within the last decade, a feature-length biographical documentary was released and a critical study book was published. But before Rocky, he was an astute chronicler of the counterculture, whose films possessed a rugged street aesthetic. Those early films (including Joe, Guess What We Learned in School Today, Cry Uncle, Save the Tiger, and The Stoolie) are evaluated for assuming an alternate posture on the counterculture happenings of the era.
Make Your Own Damn Movie!
Act like Himself
event2005 star_border 3.5
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South Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Night of the Living Dead's George A. Romero and Spider-Man's Stan Lee share their filmmaking secrets with the legendary Lloyd Kaufman in this step-by-step course for budding filmmakers. From scriptwriting to distribution, Kaufman covers the essentials with his works as examples, and many other notable filmmakers offer their advice. The set features films created using Kaufman's method, and much more.
40 Years of Rocky: The Birth of a Classic
Act like Self (archive footage)
event2020 star_border 7.7
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Sylvester Stallone and John G. Avildsen narrate behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Rocky" to mark the film's 40th anniversary.
The Troma System
Act like Himself
event1993
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A 30 minute infomercial that originally aired on Comedy Central in 1993. The idea was that by purchasing Troma Inc. movie products you could better yourself as a person.
Greenwich Village Story
Act like Alvie
event1963 star_border 6
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A struggling writer dumps a pregnant dancer for a well-off socialite. Later, he realizes his true feelings and opts to make amends.
American Satan
Act like Talk Show Host
event2017 star_border 7.2
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A young rock band, half from England and half from the US, drop out of college and move to the Sunset Strip to chase their dreams.
Frank Serpico
Act like Self (archive footage)
event2017 star_border 6.2
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In 1972, officer Frank Serpico exposes the corruption which poisons the roots of the NYPD and becomes famous in 1973 when director Sidney Lumet tells his story in the classic film “Serpico,” starring Al Pacino.
The Rocky Saga: Going the Distance
Act like Self
event2011 star_border 6.2
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The 35th anniversary of the 1976 Oscar-winning film “Rocky” is marked with a TV retrospective in which Sylvester Stallone and others reminisce about the creation of the movie as well as the other films in the franchise.
Tribute To James Crabe
Act like Himself
event2006
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John G. Avildsen pays tribute to cinematographer James Crabe.
The Way of The Karate Kid
Act like Self - Director / Academy Award Winner
event2005
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Retrospective documentary on the making of The Karate Kid (1984).
Magic Time: A Tribute to Jack Lemmon
Act like Self
event2002
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Documentary on Jack Lemmon featuring interviews with those who knew him and worked with him.
The Oscars
Act like Self (1 ep.)
event1953 star_border 7
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An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, that is better known by its nickname Oscar.
Rocky
Director (1 ep.)
event1976 star_border 7.8
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An uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight against the world heavyweight boxing champion.
Rocky V
Director (1 ep.)
event1990 star_border 5.8
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A lifetime of taking shots has ended Rocky’s career, and a crooked accountant has left him broke. Inspired by the memory of his trainer, however, Rocky finds glory in training and takes on an up-and-coming boxer.
The Karate Kid
Editor (1 ep.)
event1984 star_border 7.2
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Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, Lucille, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of high school students, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei, John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
The Karate Kid Part III
Director (1 ep.)
event1989 star_border 5.9
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Despondent over the closing of his karate school, Cobra Kai teacher John Kreese joins a ruthless businessman and martial artist to get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
Inferno
Director (1 ep.)
event1999 star_border 6.1
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Eddie Lomax is a drifter who has been in a suicidal funk since the death of his close friend Johnny. Riding his motorcycle into a small desert town where Johnny once lived, Lomax is confronted by a gang of toughs, who beat him and steal his bike. However, Lomax is not a man to take an injustice lying down, and soon he begins exacting a violent revenge on the men who stole his motorcycle, with local handyman Jubal Early lending a hand and several area ladies offering aid and comfort.
A Night in Heaven
Director (1 ep.)
event1983 star_border 4.7
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Faye Hanlon is a community-college professor with an emotionally depressed husband and an abundance of sexual frustration. Her sister drags her to a male strip-club for a girls-night out, where she discovers that one of the dancers is her failing student Rick Monroe, a.k.a. "Ricky the Rocket". A heated affair between teacher & student ensues, as Faye struggles to reconcile her emotions and make consequential life choices: Continue her lustful sessions with the studly-but-shallow teen stripper? Or break it off with Ricky & work to salvage her marriage to the loving-but-distant husband?
The Formula
Director (1 ep.)
event1980 star_border 5.5
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While investigating the death of a friend and fellow cop, Los Angeles police officer Barney Caine stumbles across evidence that Nazis created a synthetic alternative to gasoline during World War II. This revelation has the potential to end the established global oil industry, making the formula a very valuable and dangerous piece of information. Eventually, Caine must contend with oil tycoon Adam Steiffel, who clearly has his own agenda regarding the formula.
Guess What We Learned in School Today?
Story (1 ep.)
event1971 star_border 4.4
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Parents in a small, conservative community don't think that the sex drive is a normal thing for children to experience. So much so, that they label education in that regard as a communist plot. The group of prudes is led by an impotent alcoholic and a gay policeman.
The Karate Kid Part II
Director (1 ep.)
event1986 star_border 6.3
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Summoned by his dying father, Miyagi returns to his homeland of Okinawa, with Daniel, after a 40-year exile. There he must confront Yukie, the love of his youth, and Sato, his former best friend turned vengeful rival. Sato is bent on a fight to the death, even if it means the destruction of their village. Daniel finds his own love in Yukia's niece, Kumiko, and his own enemy in Sato's nephew, the vicious Chozen. Now, far away from the tournaments, cheering crowds and safety of home, Daniel will face his greatest challenge ever when the cost of honor is life itself.
For Keeps
Director (1 ep.)
event1988 star_border 6.5
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Young high school couple Darcy Elliot and Stan Bobrucz are one year from graduation, with promising futures ahead of them. But their paths take a drastic turn when Darcy becomes pregnant. Unwilling to go through an abortion or an adoption — despite their parents' pleas — Darcy and Stan decide to sacrifice their college experiences and degrees in order to keep and raise the baby. After a quick marriage, the two realize it won't be as easy as they thought.
The Power of One
Director (1 ep.)
event1992 star_border 7.5
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PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.
Lean On Me
Director (1 ep.)
event1989 star_border 7.3
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When principal Joe Clark takes over decaying Eastside High School, he's faced with students wearing gang colors and graffiti-covered walls. Determined to do anything he must to turn the school around, he expels suspected drug dealers, padlocks doors and demands effort and results from students, staff and parents. Autocratic to a fault, this real-life educator put it all on the line.
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings
Director (1 ep.)
event1975 star_border 5.9
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W.W. Bright is a robber with a heart of gold who travels the South knocking off banks and gas stations owned by a corrupt businessman. When he hijacks a car, he meets an aspiring country band, the Dixie Dancekings, led by Dixie. The two sides eventually take a liking to one another, especially after the Dancekings realize the size of Bright's thefts. Trailed by religious zealot cop Deacon Gore, Bright helps the band make it big while on the run.
Joe
Director of Photography (1 ep.)
event1970 star_border 6.5
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After murdering his daughter's drug-dealing boyfriend, a wealthy ad executive stumbles into a bar and strikes up an uneasy alliance with Joe Curran, a drunken bigot with a bloodlust who works at a local factory.
Save the Tiger
Director (1 ep.)
event1973 star_border 6.6
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A businessman's professional struggles begin to conflict with his personal life over the course of two days.
8 Seconds
Director (1 ep.)
event1994 star_border 7.3
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This film chronicles the life of Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion, his marriage and his friendships with Tuff Hedeman (three-time World Champion) and Cody Lambert.
Neighbors
Director (1 ep.)
event1981 star_border 5.7
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One man's quiet suburban life takes a sickening lurch for the worse when a young couple move into the deserted house next door. From the word go it is obvious these are not the quiet professional types who *should* be living in such a nice street. As more and more unbelievable events unfold, our hero starts to question his own sanity... and those of his family.
Smiles
Producer (1 ep.)
event1964
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A short film by John G. Avildsen.
Fore Play
Director (1 ep.)
event1975 star_border 3
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A three-part omnibus centered around sex and its discontents.
Cry Uncle!
Director (1 ep.)
event1971 star_border 4.6
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Private detective Jack Masters takes on a case and gets mixed up in murder, sex and blackmail.
Happy New Year
Director (1 ep.)
event1987 star_border 5.5
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Small time crooksters Nick and Charlie have an elaborate plan to rob an exclusive jewelers store. Using a variety of disguises and posing as rich old men and women they begin the set-up, but then Nick falls for the owner of a neighboring antique store and things get a little complicated.
Traveling Hopefully
Director (1 ep.)
event1982 star_border 5.7
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A documentary about Roger Baldwin, the founder of the ACLU.
Slow Dancing In The Big City
Producer (1 ep.)
event1978 star_border 6
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An aging out of shape reporter falls for a pretty but seriously ill ballerina.
The Stoolie
Cinematography (1 ep.)
event1972
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Roger Pitman is a petty thief who makes a deal with the police to use bait money to trap other criminals. But when he gets the cash, Roger can't resist the temptation and steals part of it. He runs off to Miami Beach, but now lives in fear of the crooks that he set up as well as the police.
Mickey One
Executive Producer (1 ep.)
event1965 star_border 5.7
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A former comic is on the run from the mob.
Out of It
Associate Producer (1 ep.)
event1969 star_border 4.2
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An introverted nerd and a violent jock vie for the attentions of a cheerleader.
Okay Bill
Writer (1 ep.)
event1971 star_border 5
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The film tells the story of Bill, a young, successful stockbroker who zips off to Greenwich Village on his motorcycle when no one's looking to venture into the hippy counterculture world. His wife, Nancy, is the dream of every middle-class male. She is liberated enough to go around bra-less, enjoy sex, and be the perfect mother for their child. Nancy, however, is unaware of her husband's excursions and happily attends the local ecology awareness meetings without Bill. Bill soon becomes involved with Gordon, an Andy Warhol-type character whose protege, Roz, fascinates the square young businessman. After witnessing a wild party on Fire Island, Bill realizes that this crowd is not for him (shallow, lifeless) and that he does not even want to have sex with Roz because he is lonely for his wife. Nancy arrives unexpectedly on the island to reclaim her husband and together they walk off into the sunset hand in hand.
Turn On to Love
Director (1 ep.)
event1969 star_border 2
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A bored housewife starts hanging out in Greenwich Village and gets involved with pot-smoking hippies and an Italian filmmaker.
Hurry Sundown
Assistant Director (1 ep.)
event1967 star_border 6.4
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Post-WWII, a corporation seeks Georgia farmland, but two owners—a white veteran and a black man—refuse to sell, forming an alliance against the greedy husband of the majority landowner.
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