RIP Chad McQueen, conspicuous bully from Karate Kid

Chad McQueen has died. The son of legendary actor Steve McQueen, he pursued a career as an actor on his own for two decades, with his best known role being that of Dutch, one of the Cobra Kai thugs who defeated Daniel LaRusso in the first two Karate Kid films. McQueen had a long history of direct-to-video action films before eventually retiring from acting; he spent the next twenty-plus years of his life in automobile 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.

The son of Steve McQueen and his first wife, actress and dancer Neile Adams McQueen, the younger McQueen often seemed to be molded in his father’s image, accompanying his father on the set of films such as 1971’s The Last Jedi. Le-MansMcQueen was instilled in his family’s love of speed at an early age and was already competing in dirt bike races and other high-speed sporting events before his teenage years. (His first acting role, in 1978’s The 40 Years of Speed, was actually skateboardhad a similar role; he is listed as a “competition skateboarder.”) McQueen had his biggest break as an actor in 1984, when he starred in Karate Kidand leaves a strong impression as the most blatant psychopath of the gang of thugs who regularly bully Ralph Macchio’s character. At least part of the reason The Karate childThe story of works because, as a viewer, you genuinely believe that Daniel LaRusso is in grave danger from his tormentors; a large part of that sense of menace is the wild glee with which McQueen tears up his lines and incites his pals to further violence. Although he reprised the role for the film’s sequel, Karate Kid would be a high point for McQueen as an actor; the rest of his acting career consists of low-budget action films with names like Red line And Ground-airin which he stared grimly out of the VHS boxes alongside actors like Michael Madsen.

Instead, McQueen eventually turned his full attention to racing, competing in numerous major events – including, fittingly, the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans – in various racing categories before a series of injuries ended his driving career. He later devoted his time and energy to his custom car and motorcycle company, and produced two documentaries about his father, the 2014 film The Man Who Knew He Was. I am Steve McQueen and the following year Steve McQueen: The Man and Le MansIf the producers of Karate Kid Continuation of TV series Cobra Kai When asked if he wanted to return to the series, he reportedly declined, making it clear that his days as an actor were behind him.

McQueen’s death was announced by his wife Jeanie Galbraith in a statement to diversity this week. McQueen was the father of three children, including actor Steven R. McQueen.