John Gilbert Avildsen (born December 21, 1935 in Oak Park, Illinois) is an American film director. December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Wrights home in Oak Park, Illinois Lake Theater and shops along Lake Street. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ...

His movies include Guess What We Learned in School (1968), Cry Uncle (1970), Joe (1970), Rocky (1976) and Rocky V (1990) with Sylvester Stallone, and The Karate Kid (1984), with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. He also directed the acclaimed Save the Tiger, starring Jack Lemmon, and Lean on Me (1989), starring Morgan Freeman as the no-nonsense high school principal Joe Clark. A recurring theme in many of Avildsen's movies is the triumph of an underdog character over adversity. Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Rocky (1976) is a motion picture written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. ... Rocky V is the last of the Rocky sequels to date, though a sixth Rocky film is currently being filmed, entitled Rocky Balboa. ... Sylvester Stallone in The Contender Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6, 1946 in New York City) is an American film actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. ... The Karate Kid is a 1984 John G. Avildsen film starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. ... Ralph George Macchio (born November 4, 1961) is an actor from Huntington, New York, on Long Island and attended Half Hollow Hills HS West. ... Noriyuki Pat Morita Noriyuki Pat Morita 森田 沢之 Morita Noriyuki, (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was a Japanese American actor best known for the roles of Arnold on the TV show Happy Days and Mr. ... Save the Tiger is a 1973 film which tells the story of an ageing businessman whose business is about to collapse under his juggling of the books. ... Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001), better known as Jack Lemmon, was a Hollywood movie star and one of the most award-winning American actors of his generation. ... Lean on Me is a 1989 American drama film based on a true story. ... Freeman in Batman Begins, 2005 Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an Academy Award-winning American actor and film director. ...

Avildsen won an Academy Award for directing Rocky. The Academy Award for Directing is an accolade given to the person that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences feels was best director of the past year. ...

Wax figure of Miloš Forman at Prague wax museum Jan Tomáš Forman (born February 18, 1932), better known as Miloš Forman, is a film director, actor and script writer. ... One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a 1975 film directed by Miloš Forman. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... Rocky (1976) is a motion picture written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. ... Woody Allen. ... Annie Hall is a 1977 romantic comedy film directed by Woody Allen from a script he co-wrote with Marshall Brickman. ...

Trivia

Avildsen's son, Ash, is the lead singer for the metallic hardcore band Reflux, though, as Ash is very quick to point out, the two allegedly have absolutely no personal relationship. A very bitter Ash once wrote his side of the story on the band's official website in response to the endless queries as to whether his father was indeed the famous director, but it has since been taken down.

External links

• John G. Avildsen at The Internet Movie Database