Canadian filmmaker Ted Kotcheff, best know for directing Sylvester Stallone and introducing Vietnam War veteran John Rambo in the classic “First Blood,” along with directing the Nick Nolte sports film “North Dallas Forty,” has died. Kotcheff was 94.
Kotcheff died on Thursday. His passing was confirmed by his family to Canadian publication The Globe and Mail.
Kotcheff also directed hit comedies like 1989’s “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
Born in 1931, after beginning his career in Canadian television in the 1950s, Kotcheff broke out and gained international recognition with 1974’s “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz,” starring Richard Dreyfuss. His 1971 Australian thriller “Wake in Fright” earned critical acclaim and was later rediscovered and celebrated at Cannes in 2009.