Ted Kotcheff, director of First Blood, Weekend at Bernie's and Wake in Fright, dies aged 94
In an amazingly varied career, Kotcheff's work ranged from hardhitting TV plays and low-budget features in the UK, to hit Hollywood comedies and prestige-laden award-winners and cult films. Kate Kotcheff said: 'He was an amazing storyteller. He was an incredible, larger than life character [and] he was a director who could turn his hand to anything.'
The son of Bulgarian/Macedonian immigrants to Canada, Kotcheff was born in 1931 in Toronto, and raised in the city's Cabbagetown district. After earning a degree in Ebglish literature from Toronto University, Kotcheff joined a fledgling CBC in the early 1950s, part of a remarkable generation that included Norman Jewison, Arthur Hiller, Sidney J Furie and Alvin Rakoff. Like them, he felt he had to move away to further his career, and Kotcheff came to London in 1957 and began making TV plays for strands including Hour of Mystery, Armchair Theatre and ITV Playhouse. These included an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Emperor Jones in 1958, written by Terry Southern and starring Kenneth Spencer and Harry H Corbett, No Trams to Lime Street in 1959, written by Alun Owen, and – infamously – Underground in 1958, in which actor Gareth Jones collapsed and died during a live transmission.
Kotcheff moved into features in the early 60s, making his debut with the 1962 comedy Tiara Tahiti, starring James Mason and John Mills, following it up with Life at the Top, the sequel to hit kitchen sink drama Room at the Top, in 1965, and the race-issue drama Two Gentlemen Sharing in 1969. In the same period Kotcheff also directed the original production of Lionel Bart's celebrated musical Maggie May, which premiered in 1964. Kotcheff continued to work in TV, directing Ingrid Bergman in an adaptation of Jean Cocteau's La Voix Humaine in 1967, and achieving perhaps his high point with a contribution to Play for Today in 1971, starring Patricia Hayes as a homeless alcoholic in Edna the Inebriate Woman.
However his career took an unexpected detour in the same year with the cult Australian film Wake in Fright, for which he was offered the job to direct despite never having visited the country. Despite being poorly received in its home country due to its uncompromising depiction of a brutally cruel Australian outback, including notorious scenes of a kangaroo hunt, Wake in Fright was selected for the Cannes film festival and went on to become celebrated as a landmark film, both as part of the Australian new wave of the 1970s and as a pioneering entry in the 'Ozploitation' subgenre.
In 1974 Kotcheff finally realised his ambition of making a successful Canadian feature film with The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz; starring Richard Dreyfuss, it was adapted from a novel by his friend (and former housemate in London) Mordecai Richler, with whom he had worked on a string of British productions – including an Armchair Theatre adaptation of Duddy Kravitz in 1961. The film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival and was a major commercial success in Canada.
As a result, Hollywood took notice and Kotcheff was hired to make satirical comedy Fun with Dick and Jane, starring George Segal and Jane Fonda as a successful married couple who turn to crime after Segal is fired. It was a hit on its release in 1977, and Kotcheff followed it up with another Segal comedy Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? and Nick Nolte American football film North Dallas Forty.
Kotcheff then released arguably his most influential film: the Sylvester Stallone action film First Blood, which had numerous directors and lead actors attached to it before Kotcheff offered the role to Stallone and production got underway in 1981. A depiction of an emotionally embattled Vietnam veteran, First Blood was a sizeable hit and spawned two sequels, including Rambo: First Blood Part II which became a career-defining success for Stallone in 1985. Kotcheff had another big success at the end of the decade: the dead-body comedy Weekend at Bernie's, starring Andrew McCarthy.
After the failure of the Tom Selleck comedy Folks! in 1992, Kotcheff returned to TV, and in 2000 joined the long running crime show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as executive producer and occasional director, where he remained for 12 seasons.
Kotcheff was married twice, to Sylvia Kay between 1962 and 1972, and to Laifun Chung, who survives him.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How Hulk Hogan nearly competed in the first UFC competition in Australia - and why he thought AFL is better than 'boring' NFL
Hulk Hogan could have made his mark on a very different sport on Australian soil prior to his tragic death on Friday. The wrestling legend died at the age of 71 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida. Despite recent reassurances from his wife that his health was stable following a neck procedure, emergency responders were unable to revive him after performing CPR for 30 minutes. He was transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Hogan's family confirmed the news in a statement, saying he passed away surrounded by loved ones and asked the public for privacy as they grieved. Hogan's main connection to Australia stems from the Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin tour in 2009, which included events in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. However he also mentioned considering participating in the first UFC event in 1993, which would have involved Australia, but ultimately decided against it due to concerns about the event's violence. UFC 1 launched in 1993 with stars like Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, showcasing a no-rules tournament that stunned global audiences. Early plans to bring the event to Australia emerged soon after, with promoters eyeing the country's growing combat sports scene - and Hogan said he had looked to be involved. 'We looked at it and it was very violent and the referees weren't stopping the matches and letting guys get beat up when they should have been stopped,' he said. 'So we just didn't want to have any part of it but it's become quite a phenomena.' However, UFC co-creator Campbell McLaren later denied ever approaching Hogan. While in Australia, Hogan also took in an AFL match and was stunned at the physicality, saying he preferred to the USA's NFL. 'I wish American football was as good as Australian football,' he said at the time. 'Those young guys would eat me alive and spit me out. 'I've never seen such athletes run, take those big hits and keep getting up. 'And when I went back and watched American football, it was boring. 'Australian football is non-stop, the guys don't wear pads, they take big hits, it's amazing to watch.' Tributes flooded in from across the wrestling and political worlds, with Ric Flair, Vince McMahon and Donald Trump all paying their respects to the man who helped shape modern professional wrestling. Hogan's iconic career spanned decades, from slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III to facing off against The Rock in a blockbuster 'Icon vs. Icon' match. His larger-than-life persona helped launch WWE into global prominence, with catchphrases and showmanship that defined an era. Hogan's career took a dramatic turn in 1996 when he joined WCW and formed the New World Order (NWO), reinventing himself as the villainous Hollywood Hogan. The black-and-white NWO faction, alongside Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, became one of the most influential storylines in wrestling history. At WrestleMania III, Hogan delivered one of wrestling's most iconic moments by body-slamming Andre the Giant in front of over 93,000 fans. He returned to WWE in the 2000s and headlined WrestleMania X8 against The Rock in a match billed as 'Icon vs. Icon.' Outside the ring, Hogan's life was marked by controversy, including a high-profile sex tape lawsuit, a racism scandal and an eyebrow-raising speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention. He had recently been preparing to launch a new wrestling league and TV show with Fox Nation. Hulk Hogan is survived by his wife, Sky and his children, Brooke and Nick.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Khruangbin, again? I quit Spotify for a month to escape samey algorithms – this is what I learned
If you use music to set or fix your mood, Spotify is a tantalising tool. Feeling sad? Cry to your personalised 'Depress Sesh Mix'. In a romantic crisis? Stew in your own 'Situationship Mix'. As I write this, I'm listening to Spotify's Daylist, a mix that refreshes every few hours based on my own listening habits. Today's vibe is 'funky beats roller skating tuesday early morning mix'. At 120bpm, the algorithm knows I need some energetic house to roll from my bed to my desk. The problem with this listening experience isn't just the creepy AI-driven intimacy of it all, more that the same songs are recycled in a predictable loop. Spotify's algorithm has anaesthetised artists I once enjoyed. Every time I hear the slippery psychedelic bass of Khruangbin slinking into one of my playlists, or flow in seamlessly from another artist's radio, I violently hit skip. A decade ago, Spotify favoured human-curated playlists made by artists, celebrities and music aficionados. But in 2021 the streaming company pivoted towards machine learning, feeding 'nearly half a trillion events' into computer models every day. Now, user data – chiefly our listening history, interactions with Spotify's user interface and the time of day – is packaged into a mixtape for every micro-occasion. Advocates argue this is a chance to democratise music promotion, neatly matching artists with their audiences. Critics suggest this ultra-subjective experience limits musical discovery to the already familiar – and the less it's challenged, the more my music taste narrows. So as a test, I quit Spotify for a month, to bring some soul back into the way I find music. First, I consulted people who had never used streaming services, like my dad, who grew up in 1970s London in the heyday of punk and glam rock. Hunched in a booth in his local record shop, he would listen to a sample and take a punt on what vinyl to buy. Some albums apparently missed the mark, and others, like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, transported him to a different universe. He insisted I start with my favourite artists and listen to every album front to back, as if reading a story. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Inspired, I bought a $30 record player in an op-shop and hunted for vinyls. Late to the record renaissance, it was slim pickings – Australian pub classics, Christian country or Christmas hits. But when a friend pointed out my new turntable was missing a needle, it became a dusty but decorative addition to my living room. My 20-year-old neighbour had another suggestion: a diamante-encrusted iPod, which she produced in a ziplock bag like a hallowed artefact. Found for $200 on Facebook Marketplace, plugging in wired earplugs and hitting shuffle was a nostalgic throwback. But this romance was short-lived: the iPod was incompatible with my Bluetooth speaker and demanded hours of admin to upload music. The biggest challenge came when driving my old silver Subaru, as I was stranded with only a single CD, a flimsy aux cord and my thoughts. Stuck with silence, I wondered what the new grinding noise was – until I discovered my local community broadcaster, Vox FM 106.9. More than 5 million Australians listen to community radio every week, for 17 hours on average – and now, I can see why. The station prides itself on 'real music' and even has the tagline 'You never know what you like until you try it'. Just what I needed! And it's true, I had forgotten how good it feels to wind down the windows and blast Push the Button by the Sugababes, and then to roll them up again when a classical German song, a mystery even to Shazam, comes on. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion I contacted Justin Moon, who runs a popular underground radio station and record shop in Newcastle. He sources music from record fairs, friends and Bandcamp – distributing interesting sounds as a conduit, or Hermes figure, to lay (or lazy) people like me. Moon is noticing that his customers are searching for a more 'active' listening experience. 'It's not this kind of passive wash-over-you rubbish that you make your two-minute noodles to and forget all about 10 seconds later,' he says. Music – like film, TV, and food – is now served to us effortlessly, instantly. But this has caused the way we consume music to be more siloed. Spending a month hunting for new music myself, rather than relying on an algorithm, made me feel more connected to my parents, friends, radio presenters and even complete strangers. Their recommendations – whether to my taste or not – came with a part of themselves, a memory or a shared interest. After my month's Spotify hiatus, my algorithm hasn't been cleansed. Over the course of writing this piece, my daylist has evolved into 'french indietronica swimming pool tuesday afternoon', whatever that means. There are two Khruangbin songs on there. It's safe to say I would rather play roulette with the radio.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan doesn't look like this anymore, see her now as a glam adult
Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan started on the popular series when she was 18-years-old. On her beloved show, which was a high school comedy-drama show co-created by Mindy Kaling, she looked young with hardly any makeup on. There was no glam to her as she faced teen problems like fighting with mom and landing a date with her crush. The first season dropped in 2020 and three seasons followed. These days Ramakrishnan is a stunning 23-year-old woman who likes to get glam for Hollywood events. She was last seen on the red carpet this week for the Lindsay Lohan movie Freakier Friday, in which she has a role. The star had on a plunging pale purple gown that went to the floor as she added a diamond necklace and earrings and a gold nose piercing. Her long black hair was worn down over one shoulder. Ramakrishnan told ET's Cassie DiLaura at the world premiere of Freakier Friday that she plays a pop star named Ella in the long-awaited sequel. The movie is in theaters on August. 8. Next up for Maitreyi is a Bollywood-themed project for Netflix titledBest of the Best. Never Have I Ever was a launching pad for Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan, a Canadian actress who like Mindy has Tamil roots, led the cast as bookish teen Devi who is bent on 'rebranding' as cool. As her sophomore year kicks off she wants to be a 'normal teen' with a 'status-enhancing' boyfriend and a sex life. Her mother Nalini, who like Mindy's mother is a doctor, tells her: 'Normal teenagers end up in prison, or worse, working in Jersey Mike's.' Nalini is portrayed by Poorna Jagannathan, known to US audiences from the HBO mini-series The Night Of and Bollywood viewers from the film Delhi Belly. Devi attempts her 'rebranding' exercise all while fumbling in her attempts to cope with the recent death of her father from a sudden heart attack. The cast includes Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Jaren Lewison and Darren Barnet, with Niecy Nash in a recurring role and tennis star John McEnroe narrating. Although Mindy Kaling produced NHIE and co-created it with Lang Fisher, she did not not have a starring role in it herself.
