William Theodore Kotcheff (born April 7, 1931) is a Bulgarian-Canadian

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

director, writer and producer, known primarily for his work on British and American television productions such as '' Armchair Theatre'' and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. He directed numerous successful films including the Australian '' Wake in Fright'' (1971), action films such as the original '' Rambo'' movie ''

First Blood ''First Blood'' (also known as ''Rambo: First Blood'') is a 1982 American action film directed by Ted Kotcheff, and co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who also stars as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. It co-stars Richard Crenna as Rambo's ment ...

'' (1982) and '' Uncommon Valor'' (1983), and comedies like '' Fun with Dick and Jane'' (1977), '' North Dallas Forty'' (1979), and ''

Weekend at Bernie's ''Weekend at Bernie's'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff and written by Robert Klane, loosely based on the 1959 novella '' The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell'' by Jorge Amado. The film stars Andrew McCarthy and ...

'' (1989). He is sometimes credited as William T. Kotcheff, and resides in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

. Due to his ancestry, Kotcheff has Bulgarian citizenship.

Early life

Kotcheff's name was registered in official documents as ''William Theodore Kotcheff'' in Toronto, where he was born into a family of Bulgarian immigrants, who changed their last name from ''Tsochev'' ( bg, link=no, Цочев) to ''Kotcheff'' for convenience. His father was born in

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the ...

, while his mother was of

Macedonian Bulgarian Macedonians or Macedonian Bulgarians ( bg, македонци or македонски българи), sometimes also referred to as Macedono-Bulgarians, Macedo-Bulgarians, or Bulgaro-Macedonians are a regional, ethnographic group of eth ...

background, from Vambel, today in Greece, but grew up in Varna, Bulgaria.

Career

Canadian television

After graduating in English Literature from

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, Kotcheff began his television career at the age of twenty-four when he joined the staff of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...

, with television still very much in its infancy in the country. Kotcheff was the youngest director on the staff of the CBC, where he worked for two years on shows such as '' General Motors Theatre'', '' Encounter'', ''

First Performance ''First Performance'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which aired on CBC Television from 1956 to 1958. Premise These short series of television plays were produced as a promotion for Canada Savings Bonds. Scheduling The first season ...

'' and '' On Camera''.

British television

In 1958, he left Canada to live and work in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. He was soon followed by his compatriot Sydney Newman, who had been the Director of Drama at the CBC and then to the U.K. to take up a similar position at ABC Weekend TV, one of the franchise holders of the ITV network who also produced much of the nationally networked programming for the channel. At ABC, Newman as producer of the popular '' Armchair Theatre'' anthology drama programme, on which Kotcheff worked as a director between 1957 and 1960. Kotcheff was responsible for directing some of the best-remembered instalments in the series. During '' Underground'', transmitted live on 30 November 1958, Kotcheff was required to cope when one of the actors, Gareth Jones, playing a character who was to die of a heart attack, suddenly died of one himself, off-camera, while between scenes, leaving Peter Bowles and others to improvise. More successfully, Kotcheff also directed the following year's ''

No Trams to Lime Street ''No Trams to Lime Street'' is a 1959 British television play, written by the Welsh playwright Alun Owen for the ''Armchair Theatre'' anthology series. Produced by ABC Weekend TV for transmission on the ITV network, the play was broadcast on 18 ...

'' by

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

playwright

Alun Owen Alun Davies Owen (24 November 1925 – 6 December 1994) was a Welsh playwright, screenwriter and actor, predominantly in television. However, he is best remembered by a wider audience for writing the screenplay of The Beatles' debut feature fi ...

. He also did '' Hour of Mystery'', ''I'll Have You to Remember'' (1961) by

Clive Exton Clive Exton (11 April 1930 – 16 August 2007) was a British television and film screenwriter who wrote scripts for the series ''Poirot,'' ''Jeeves and Wooster,'' and ''Rosemary & Thyme.''BBC Sunday-Night Play'', '' ITV Television Playhouse'', ''

Espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tang ...

'', ''

First Night First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all their events during the celebration outside, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors ...

'', '' ABC Stage 67'', '' Drama 61-67'' and '' ITV Playhouse''.

Theatre

Kotcheff also worked in the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

British feature films

Kotcheff made his first

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

with '' Tiara Tahiti'' (1962). He went on to direct other features during the decade, including '' Life at the Top'' (1965) and ''

Two Gentlemen Sharing ''Two Gentlemen Sharing'' is a 1969 British drama film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Evan Jones, and starring Robin Phillips, Judy Geeson, Esther Anderson, Hal Frederick, Norman Rossington and Rachel Kempson. The film cost an estimate ...

'' (1969). He also directed '' The Human Voice'' (1967) for British television, starring

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary '' Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is ofte ...

from a story by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

and TV remakes of '' The Desperate Hours'' (1967) and ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a novella written by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it narrates the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job o ...

'' (1968). He directed a concert for TV, '' At the Drop of Another Hat''. Kotcheff directed the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n film '' Wake in Fright'' (USA: ''Outback'', 1971; re-released with its original title, 2012). It won much critical acclaim in Europe, and was Australia's entry at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. (In 2009, ''Wake in Fright'' was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray disc in a fully restored version.) Kotcheff returned to television, directing the ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'' production '' Edna, the Inebriate Woman'' (1971) for the BBC, which won him a

British Academy Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...

for Best Director. In 2000, the play was voted one of the

100 Greatest British Television Programmes The BFI TV 100 is a list of 100 television programmes or series that was compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), as chosen by a poll of industry professionals, with the aim to determine the best United Kingdom, British television pr ...

of the 20th century in a poll of industry professionals conducted by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Return to Canada

He returned home to Canada, where he directed an adaptation of his friend and one-time housemate

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and '' Barney's Version'' (1997). His 1970 novel '' St. Urbain's Horseman'' and 1989 novel ...

's novel '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1974) which won the Golden Bear at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

making it the first English Canadian dramatic feature film to win an international award. He wrote and directed ''The Trial of Sinyavsky and Daniel'' (1975) for Canadian television and was a production consultant on ''

Why Shoot the Teacher? ''Why Shoot the Teacher?'' is a 1977 Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Silvio Narizzano and starring Bud Cort, Samantha Eggar, Kenneth Griffith, and Chris Wiggins. It is based on a book of the same name by Max Braithwaite. Plot The plot i ...

'' (1977).

Hollywood

He relocated to Hollywood. He directed '' Fun with Dick and Jane'' (1977) which was a big hit. He followed it with the comedy '' Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?'' (1978) then wrote and directed '' North Dallas Forty'' (1979) which was critically acclaimed. Kotcheff directed a Canadian film about cults, '' Split Image'' (1982), then had his biggest success to date with the

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

movie ''

'' (1982), the first in the Rambo series. He worked on another Vietnam-themed action movie '' Uncommon Valor'' (1983) then returned to Canada to make '' Joshua Then and Now'' (1985), from the novel by

. Kotcheff directed ''

Switching Channels ''Switching Channels'' is a 1988 American comedy film remake of the 1928 play ''The Front Page'', the 1931 film of the same name, and the 1940 film ''His Girl Friday''. It stars Kathleen Turner as Christy Colleran, Burt Reynolds as John L. Sulli ...

'' (1988) and '' Winter People'' (1989), then had a big hit with ''

'' (1989).

Television

In the 1990s, Kotcheff returned to directing for TV, working on various American series such as '' Red Shoe Diaries'', and '' Buddy Faro'', plus '' Casualty'' in the UK. He did the occasional feature film such as '' Folks!'' (1992) and '' The Shooter'' (1995). He did TV movies like ''What Are Families for?'' (1993), '' Love on the Run'' (1994), '' Family of Cops'' (1995), ''A Husband, a Wife and a Lover'' (1996), '' Borrowed Hearts'' (1997), ''Cry Rape'' (1999). He joined the staff of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', where he acts as executive producer and director.

Personal life

Kotcheff lives in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

with his wife Laifun. They have two children: Alexandra, a filmmaker, and

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, a composer and pianist. He has three children from his previous marriage to actress

Sylvia Kay Sylvia Margaret Kay (16 May 1936 – 18 January 2019) was an English character actress who had many roles in British television programmes, most notably as Daphne Warrender in the BBC sitcom ''Just Good Friends''. Early life She attended Round ...

: Aaron, Katrina and Joshua.. Ted Kotcheff is also vegetarian. In May and June 2013, he was invited to the Film Forum in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

for a re-release of his film '' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'', restored by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. In February 2016, Kotcheff applied for Bulgarian citizenship via the Bulgarian consulate in Los Angeles, and was granted this during a visit to Bulgaria in March. Given his Macedonian heritage, Kotcheff served on the board of directors of the Macedonian Arts Council. Per Kotcheff himself, there is not a difference between Macedonian and Bulgarian.Режисьорът Тед Кочев: България и Македония са едно
Вестник Труд, 16.03.2016 г.

Filmography

;Director (Film) *'' Tiara Tahiti'' (1962) *'' Life at the Top'' (1965) *''

'' (1969) *'' Wake in Fright'' (1971) *'' The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1974) *'' Billy Two Hats'' (1974) *'' Fun with Dick and Jane'' (1977) *'' Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?'' (1978) *'' North Dallas Forty'' (1979) *'' Split Image'' (1982) *''

'' (1982) *'' Uncommon Valor'' (1983) *'' Joshua Then and Now'' (1985) *''

'' (1988) *''

'' (1989) *'' Winter People'' (1989) *'' Folks!'' (1992) *'' The Shooter'' (1995) *'' Borrowed Hearts'' (1997) ; ;Director (Television) *'' On Camera'' (1956)—as W.T. Kotcheff * ''Hour of Mystery'' (1957) *''Underground'' (1958) *''

'' (1959) *''After the Funeral'' (1960) *''Lena, O My Lena'' (1960) *''I'll Have You Remember'' (1961) *'' BBC Sunday-Night Play'' (1962-1963) * ''ITV Television Playhouse'' (1963) * ''Espionage'' (1963) *''Land of My Dreams'' (1964) *''First Night'' (1963-1964) * ''Drama 64'' (1964) *'' Armchair Theatre'' (1958-1964) *''The Human Voice'' (1967) *'' The Desperate Hours'' (1967) *'' Edna, the Inebriate Woman'' (1971) *''What Are Families for?'' (1993) *'' Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick'' (1993) *''Love on the Run'' (1994) *'' A Family of Cops'' (1995) *'' Red Shoe Diaries 5: Weekend Pass'' (1995) *''A Husband, a Wife and a Lover'' (1996) *'' Buddy Faro'' (1998) *'' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (1999) *''Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly'' (1999)

Honors

References

External links

*
Canadian Film Encyclopedia

Ted Kotcheff's appearances on Combat Radio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotcheff, Ted 1931 births Living people Canadian people of Bulgarian descent Canadian television directors Comedy film directors University of Toronto alumni Film directors from Toronto Action film directors Directors of Golden Bear winners