Person Details

Birthday: 1935-12-21 07:34:17

Death: 2017-06-16 07:34:17

Aliases: No known aliases

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Oak Park, Illinois, USA

Homepage:

Movie Involvements: 66

TV Involvements: 1


Most Famous Work

Biography

John Guilbert Avildsen 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.

Most Famous Work

Inferno
Average
6

Inferno

(1999) Director
Rocky
Average
8

Rocky

(1976) Director
Rocky V
Average
6

Rocky V

(1990) Editor
The Karate Kid
Average
7

The Karate Kid

(1984) Editor
The Karate Kid Part II
Average
6

The Karate Kid Part II

(1986) Editor
The Karate Kid Part III
Average
6

The Karate Kid Part III

(1989) Editor
Lean On Me
Average
7

Lean On Me

(1989) Executive Producer
The Power of One
Average
7

The Power of One

(1992) Editor

Acting

Production

Year Role Movie/Tv
2017 Executive Producer
1989 Executive Producer
1978 Producer
1969 Associate Producer
1965 Executive Producer
1964 Producer
Year Role Movie/Tv

Directing

Editing

Camera

Year Role Movie/Tv
1978 Camera Operator
1971 Director of Photography
Director of Photography
1970 Director of Photography
1969 Director of Photography
Year Role Movie/Tv

Crew

Year Role Movie/Tv
1974 Cinematography
1971 Cinematography
Additional Dialogue
Year Role Movie/Tv

Writing


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