Ted Kotcheff dead at 94: Rambo & Weekend at Bernie’s director dies as tributes paid to Hollywood icon
TED Kotcheff, the legendary filmmaker who launched John Rambo onto the big screen, has died at the age of 94.
His death was confirmed by his grieving family as tributes pour in for the Hollywood icon.
The director’s son Thomas told TMZ he died “peacefully” surrounded by his family at Hospital Joya in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico.
He is survived by his wife Laifun Chun, their two children, and three children from his first marriage to British actress Sylvia Kay.
Kotcheff, whose career spanned more than five decades, was behind box office hits like First Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s, Fun With Dick and Jane and North Dallas Forty.
The Canadian also made his mark on the small screen as a longtime director and producer on Law & Order: SVU.
“Ted was an integral part of the SVU family for over 13 years. He was not only a great producer and director, he was also a close friend. I will miss him,” said SVU creator Dick Wolf.
Devastated fans also flooded social media with tributes to the late director, with one saying: “One of the great Canadian directors. RIP Ted.”
Another added: “Just watched First Blood last week, and viewed his comments in the special features. You could tell the guy loved making movies. Absolutely infectious commentary. RIP.”
Born in Toronto in 1931, Kotcheff began in Canadian television before relocating to the UK, where he made his first directorial debut in 1962 with the comedy Tiara Tahiti.
But it was his work on the brutal 1971 Aussie thriller Wake in Fright and the award-winning The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz that first put him on the global map.
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, the film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and scored an Oscar nod for best adapted screenplay.
In Hollywood, Kotcheff delivered smash hits including the 1977 satire Fun With Dick and Jane, starring George Segal and Jane Fonda, and the gritty football drama North Dallas Forty with Nick Nolte.
But his most enduring legacy came in 1982 with First Blood, the post-Vietnam gut-punch that introduced Sylvester Stallone’s haunted Green Beret, John Rambo.
Though more psychological thriller than shoot-em-up, the film was a massive hit and birthed a five-film franchise.
“First Blood” became the 13th-highest-grossing film of the year and cemented Stallone’s status as a global action star.
“I am not the judge of my characters, and that became part of my artistic credo. That’s how I approach all of my characters,” Kotcheff told Variety in 2014, citing Anton Chekhov as an influence.
He followed up with another Vietnam-themed film, Uncommon Valor, in 1983, before veering back to comedy with 1989’s Weekend at Bernie’s — a cult classic that got a sequel in 1993.
Though Kotcheff stepped back from film in the ‘90s, he found a second act on television, especially with SVU.
He was honored with the Directors Guild of Canada’s lifetime achievement award in 2011.
It comes after Top Gun star Val Kilmer died aged 65 earlier this month.
The actor passed away in Los Angeles on April 1 after a long health battle, his daughter announced.
The actor’s official cause of death has been recorded as pneumonia, as reported by TMZ.
Documentation revealed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health showed Kilmer also had underlying causes.
These included acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, chronic respiratory failure, and squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue.
Other factors listed on the death certificate were malnutrition, and a tracheocutaneous fistula.
The actor was cremated on April 7 after his death was announced on April 1.
His daughter Mercedes, 33, told the New York Times her father passed away surrounded by his family and friends.
She also said Kilmer had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later managed to recover.
He underwent major surgery including a tracheotomy which significantly impacted his ability to speak.