R.I.P. Chad McQueen, eye-catching bully from The Karate Kid
Chad McQueen has died. The son of legendary actor Steve McQueen, the younger McQueen pursued a two-decade career in acting on his own, with his most prominent role being that of Dutch, one of the Cobra Kai bullies who torment Daniel LaRusso in the first two Karate Kid films. McQueen had a long history of direct-to-video action films before he ultimately stepped away from performing; he spent the next twenty-plus years of his life in automotive racing, first as a race car driver, and later as the head of his own company, McQueen Racing, LLC. McQueen reportedly died of organ failure; he was 63.
Born to Steve McQueen and his first wife, the actor and dancer Neile Adams McQueen, the younger McQueen often seemed to be built in his father's image. Accompanying his dad on the set of films like 1971's Le Mans, McQueen picked up the family love of speed early, participating in dirt bike races and other high-speed sporting events before he was even a teenager. (Indeed, his first acting role, in 1978's Skateboard, was in a similar role; he's credited as "Competitive Skateboarder.") McQueen got his biggest break as an actor in 1984 when he appeared in The Karate Kid, making a powerful impression as the most openly psychotic of the crew of bullies who regularly harass Ralph Macchio's character. At least part of the reason The Karate Kid's story works is that, as a viewer, you genuinely believe that Daniel LaRusso is in serious danger from his tormentors; a big part of that sense of menace is the wild-eyed glee with which McQueen rips into his lines, goading his buddies into further violence. Although he reprised the role for the movie's sequel, Karate Kid would be a high-water mark for McQueen as a performer; the rest of his acting reel is filled out with low-budget action fare with names like Red Line and Surface To Air, which saw him glower from VHS boxes alongside actors like Michael Madsen.
Instead, McQueen eventually put his full focus on racing, making appearances in a number of major events—including, fittingly, the famed 24 Hours Of Le Mans—in a number of racing categories before a series of injuries ended his career as a driver. He later devoted his time and energy to his custom car and motorcycle company; he also produced two documentaries about his father, 2014's I Am Steve McQueen and the following year's Steve McQueen: The Man And Le Mans. When the producers of Karate Kid sequel TV series Cobra Kai approached him about returning to the series, he reportedly declined, making it clear that his acting days were behind him.
McQueen's death was confirmed by his wife, Jeanie Galbraith, in a statement to Variety this week. McQueen was the father of three children, including the actor Steven R. McQueen.