George Pan Cosmatos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Pan Cosmatos (January 4, 1941 in Florence, Italy - April 19, 2005 in Victoria, Canada) was a Greek film director. After studying film in London, he became assistant director to Otto Preminger on Exodus (1960), Leon Uris's epic about the birth of Israel. Thereafter he worked on Zorba the Greek (1964), in which Cosmatos had a small part as Boy with Acne. Cosmatos grew up in Egypt and Cyprus and is said to have spoken six languages. Famous in Italy for the movies Rappresaglia (1973) with Marcello Mastroianni and The Cassandra Crossing (1976) with Sophia Loren. In 1979, he made the famous and successful World War II adventure movie Escape to Athena, starring a gigantic all star cast including Roger Moore, David Niven, Telly Savalas, Elliot Gould and Claudia Cardinale. Cosmatos was nominated for a 1985 Golden Raspberry Award for his role as director of Rambo: First Blood Part II. He also directed a Sylvester Stallone vehicle Cobra (1986).
Late in his carrer, Cosmatos received more praise for Tombstone, a 1993 Western movie about Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. This film was particularly praised for the exceptional performance of Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Following his death, actor Kurt Russell, who starred as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone, claimed that he, and not Cosmatos, was the actual director. Russell claimed that he had Cosmatos hired as the titular director after being assured by Sylvester Stallone that Cosmatos would allow Russell to do the actual directing. Russell also claimed that he promised Cosmatos to remain silent as to this arrangement until Cosmatos's death.
George P. Cosmatos died of lung cancer on April 19, 2005 at the age of 64.
[edit] Filmography
- Shadow Conspiracy (1997)
- Tombstone (1993)
- Leviathan (1989)
- Cobra (1986)
- Rambo: First Blood Part II (1986)
- Of Unknown Origin (1983)
- Escape to Athena (1979)
- The Cassandra Crossing (1976)
- Rappresaglia (1973)
- The Beloved (1970)
