Ted Kotcheff, Director of First Blood, Dies at 94 Ted Kotcheff, the Canadian director behind First Blood and Weekend at Bernie’s, has died at 94. He passed away Friday in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico, surrounded by family. The cause of death has not been revealed. Kotcheff’s career spanned decades, from early TV work at the CBC to international success with films like Wake in Fright (1971) and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974). His biggest hit, First Blood (1982), introduced Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo and grossed over $125 million. Though the Rambo sequels were massive hits, Kotcheff declined to return, saying they glorified war in a way he couldn’t support. He later found comedy success with Weekend at Bernie’s and produced Law & Order: SVU for 13 seasons. He is survived by his wife Laifun Chun and five children. A documentary on his life, The Apprenticeship of Ted Kotcheff, is in the works, narrated by Richard Dreyfuss
