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RIP Chad McQueen, notable bully from The Karate Kid
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RIP Chad McQueen, notable bully from The Karate Kid

Chad McQueen has died. The son of legendary actor Steve McQueen, the younger McQueen went on to have a two-decade acting career on his own, with his most prominent role being that of Dutch, one of the Cobra Kai bullies Daniel LaRusso played in the first two seasons. Karate child films. McQueen had a long history of direct-to-video action films before eventually retiring from acting; he spent the next twenty years of his life in motorsports, 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, actor and dancer Neile Adams McQueen, the younger McQueen often seemed built in the image of his father, accompanying his father on the set of films such as 1971’s Le MansMcQueen was instilled in the family’s love of speed early on, competing in dirt bike races and other high-speed sporting events before he was even a teenager. (His first acting role came in the 1978 film Skateboardhad a similar role; he is listed as “Competitive Skateboarder.”) McQueen got his biggest break as an actor in 1984 when he appeared in The Karate Kidmaking a powerful impression as the most openly psychotic of the gang of bullies who regularly harass Ralph Macchio’s character. At least part of the reason The Karate Child‘s story works because you, as a viewer, genuinely believe that Daniel LaRusso is in grave danger from his tormentors; a large part of that sense of menace comes from the wild-eyed glee with which McQueen delivers his lines, goading his cronies into further violence. Though he reprised the role for the film’s sequel, Karate child would be a high point for McQueen as a performer; the rest of his acting career has been filled with low-budget action films with names like Red line And Surface to airwhere he peered from VHS boxes alongside actors like Michael Madsen.

Instead, McQueen eventually turned his attention to racing, appearing in a number of major events, including, fittingly, the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, in a number of racing categories before a series of injuries ended his racing career. He later devoted his time and energy to his custom car and motorcycle company; he also produced two documentaries about his father, 2014 I am Steve McQueen and the year after Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans. When the producers of Karate child sequel tv series Cobra Kai approached him to return 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 actor Steven R. McQueen.