End Credits #69: Cinema's 2017 Lost Treasures John G. Avildsen

These are some of Cinema's sad departures of 2017 taken from my personal notes soon after the events took place: 

Director John G. Avildsen has died at age 81.

He is best known for directing 1977's Academy Award Winning film Rocky (1976) for which he also won an Oscar for best director. In addition, the film won for Best Film Editing and received 7 other nominations including Sylvester Stallone for Best Actor. Another of his most popular films was The Karate Kid (1984) for which Pat Morita as Mr. Myagi received an Oscar nomination for Supporting Actor. In 1970 the director made the controversial film Joe starring Peter Boyle. Jack Lemmon was 1974's Best Actor Academy Award winner for Save the Tiger (1973) also directed by Avildsen. The talented director also helmed amongst others, W. W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) with Burt Reynolds and Art Carney, The Formula (1980) with Marlon Brando and George C. Scott, Neighbors (1981) with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, Happy New Year (1987) with Peter Falk and Charles Durning and The Power of One (1992) with Stephen Dorff, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Morgan Freeman. John G. Avildsen (December 21, 1935 - June 16, 2017) R.I.P.