John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. A figure of the New Hollywood movement, he is best known for directing Rocky (1976), with Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Tony Burton, and Burgess Meredith – which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. He would also direct Rocky V (1990), with much of the cast from the first movie along with Sage Stallone, Tommy Morrison, and Richard Grant.
He is also known for directing the first three films in The Karate Kid franchise (1984, 1986, 1989), collectively with Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka, Randee Heller, Martin Kove, Nobu McCarthy, Tamlyn Tomita, Danny Kamekona, Yuji Okumoto, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith.
Other films of the 1970s include Joe (1970), with Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, and Susan Sarandon; Save the Tiger (1973), with Jack Lemmon, Jack Gilford, Laurie Heineman, Thayer David, Lara Parker, and Liv Lindeland; A segment of the anthology comedy Fore Play (1975), with Zero Mostel, Estelle Parsons, Jerry Orbach, George S. Irving, and Pat Paulsen; W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975), with Burt Reynolds, Conny Van Dyke, Jerry Reed, Ned Beatty, and Art Carney; and Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978), with Paul Sorvino and Anne Ditchburn.
Other films of the 1980s include The Formula (1980), with Marlon Brando, George C. Scott, Marthe Keller, John Gielgud, G.D. Spradlin, and Beatrice Straight; Neighbors (1981), with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cathy Moriarty, and Kathryn Walker; A Night in Heaven (1983), with Christopher Atkins, Lesley Ann Warren, Robert Logan, and Andy García; Happy New Year (1987), with Peter Falk, Charles Durning, Tom Courtenay, and Wendy Hughes; For Keeps (1988), with Molly Ringwald, Randall Batinkoff, Kenneth Mars, Miriam Flynn, Conchata Ferrell, and Pauly Shote; and Lean on Me (1989), with Morgan Freeman,
Beverly Todd, Robert Guillaume, Tony Todd, and Mike Starr.
Other films in the 1990s include The Power of One (1992), with Stephen Dorff, John Gielgud, Freeman, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Daniel Craig; 8 Seconds (1994), with Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, James Rebhorn, Carrie Snodgress, Ronnie Claire Edwards, Cynthia Geary, and Renée Zellweger; and Inferno (1999), with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Danny Trejo, Morita, Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, David “Shark” Fralick., Larry Drake, and Vincent Schiavelli.
Each review will be linked to the title below.
(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
- Turn On to Love (1969)
- Guess What We Learned in School Today? (1970)
- Joe (1970)
- Cry Uncle! (1971)
- Okay Bill (1971)
- The Stoolie (1972) – co-directed with George Silano
- Save the Tiger (1973)
- Fore Play (1975) – co-directed with Bruce Malmuth, Robert McCarty, & Ralph Rosenblum – anthology
- W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975)
- Rocky (1976)
- Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978)
- The Formula (1980)
- Neighbors (1981)
- Traveling Hopefully (1982) – documentary short
- A Night in Heaven (1983)
- The Karate Kid (1984)**
- The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
- Happy New Year (1987)
- For Keeps (1988)
- Lean on Me (1989)
- The Karate Kid Part II (1989)
- Rocky V (1990)
- The Power of One (1992)
- 8 Seconds (1994)
- Inferno (1999)
