John G. Avildsen
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).
Most directed genres
Recurring actors
- Pat Morita 4
- Burgess Meredith 3
- Burt Young 3
- Ralph Macchio 3
- Sylvester Stallone 3
- Talia Shire 3
- Thayer David 3
- Carl Weathers 2
Awards and nominations
- 1983 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) Nominated
- 1981 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director Nominated
- 1977 Academy Award for Best Director
- 1977 Academy Award for Best Director Nominated
- — Directors Guild of America Award
The career in numbers
- US$ 148 mi Total budget from 12 film(s) with data
- US$ 615 mi Total box office from 14 film(s) with data
- US$ 12 mi Average budget from 12 film(s) with data
- US$ 44 mi Average box office from 14 film(s) with data
- 6.6 Average rating from 14 film(s) with data
- 4.5× Return on investment from 11 film(s) with data
Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.
Films directed
| Film | Year | Budget | Box office | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Inferno
|
1999 | US$ 15 mi | — | 6.2 |
8 Seconds
|
1994 | US$ 7 mi | US$ 20 mi | 7.1 |
The Power of One
|
1992 | US$ 18 mi | US$ 3 mi | 7.5 |
Rocky V
|
1990 | US$ 42 mi | US$ 120 mi | 5.8 |
Rocky Special: Burning Youth
|
1990 | — | — | 7.0 |
The Karate Kid Part III
|
1989 | US$ 13 mi | US$ 39 mi | 5.9 |
Lean On Me
|
1989 | US$ 10 mi | US$ 32 mi | 7.3 |
For Keeps
|
1988 | — | US$ 18 mi | 6.5 |
Happy New Year
|
1987 | — | US$ 41,232 | 5.8 |
The Karate Kid Part II
|
1986 | US$ 13 mi | US$ 115 mi | 6.4 |
The Karate Kid
|
1984 | US$ 8 mi | US$ 91 mi | 7.2 |
A Night in Heaven
|
1983 | — | — | 4.5 |
Neighbors
|
1981 | US$ 9 mi | US$ 30 mi | 5.6 |
The Formula
|
1980 | US$ 13 mi | US$ 9 mi | 5.5 |
Slow Dancing In The Big City
|
1978 | — | — | 6.6 |
Rocky
|
1976 | US$ 1 mi | US$ 117 mi | 7.8 |
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings
|
1975 | — | — | 6.0 |
Fore Play
|
1975 | — | — | 3.8 |
Save the Tiger
|
1973 | — | US$ 3 mi | 6.6 |
The Stoolie
|
1972 | — | — | 10.0 |
Cry Uncle!
|
1971 | — | — | 4.5 |
Joe
|
1970 | US$ 106,000 | US$ 19 mi | 6.5 |
Smiles
|
1964 | — | — | — |
