Famed Weekend at Bernie’s director Ted Kotcheff dies aged 94

Canadian director Ted Kotcheff, best known for the 1989 cult classic Weekend at Bernie’s, has died at the age of 94.The filmmaker’s death was confirmed by his family to the Canadian outlet Globe and Mail. A cause of death is unknown.Born William Theodore Kotcheff in 1931 in Toronto, Ontario, he is also famed for having directed Sylvester Stallone in his first outing as Vietnam veteran John Rambo in 1982’s action thriller First Blood.An English literature graduate from University College, University of Toronto, Kotcheff started his 60-year career in television. At 24, he joined the staff of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where he would later become the network’s youngest director during his two years there, working on several shows, including Encounter and On Camera.By 1958, he moved across the pond to pursue a life and career in the U.K. There, he worked as a director on ITV’s anthology series Armchair Theatre before going on to work with the BBC. In between working at the BBC...