John G. Avildsen
American film director
- Born
- 21 December 1935, Oak Park
- Died
- 16 June 2017
- Citizenship
- United States
- Occupation
- film director, film producer, film editor, film actor, camera operator
- Films here
- 7
John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is best known for directing Rocky (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. He is also known for directing the first three films in The Karate Kid franchise (1984–1989). Other films he directed include Joe (1970), Save the Tiger (1973), The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), Lean on Me (1989), Rocky V (1990), 8 Seconds (1994), and Inferno (1999).
Filmography (martial arts films)
| Year | Film | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Rocky | Director |
| 1976 | Rocky | Director |
| 1984 | The Karate Kid | Director |
| 1986 | The Karate Kid Part II | Director |
| 1989 | The Karate Kid Part III | Director |
| 1990 | Rocky V | Director |
| 1992 | The Power of One | Director |
Frequent collaborators
- Sylvester Stallone
- Talia Shire
- Burt Young
- Burgess Meredith
- Tony Burton
- Ralph Macchio
- Pat Morita
- Carl Weathers
- Lloyd Kaufman
- William Zabka
- Bruce Malmuth
- Chad McQueen
- Randee Heller
- Frances Bay
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q260125 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.