Two more sad deaths from the entertainment world occurred on Friday; film and television actor Stephen Furst and Oscar-winning director John G. Avildsen.
Furst is perhaps best known for his role as Flounder in the hit 1978 comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House. He was a regular in the science fiction series Babylon 5 playing Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto. But for me personally, I will always have fond memories of his role in St Elsewhere as Dr. Elliot Axelrod. Alongside acting, Furst also worked as a director and producer. He died from complications with diabetes, something he has suffered with all his adult life.
RIP.
American film director John G Avildsen will forever be known as the Oscar-winning director of 1976's Rocky, but in a career that stretched back to 1970 with his debut feature Joe, Avildsen was responsible for many films including the stunning Save The Tiger, which earned Jack Lemmon a Best Actor Oscar and the first three films in the original Karate Kid franchise. He returned to the Rocky series with 1990's critically mauled Rocky V. Avildsen passed away following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
RIP.
