Albert Pyun, director of cult films such as ‘Radioactive Dreams’ or ‘Cyborg’, dies at the age of 69. His wife, producer Cynthia Curnan, confirmed the news. Pyun suffered from multiple sclerosis and dementia. His wife says in a Facebook post: “I was next to him in his last breath, which sounded like he released all the weight in the world”.
Albert F. Pyun was born in Hawaii and raised on military bases. From an early age he showed a passion for the seventh art. In his early twenties, he worked as an intern for Toshirô Mifune and was also mentored by Takao Saito, Akira Kurosawa’s regular cinematographer. He began his career shooting commercials and In 1982 he made the leap to cinema with ‘Cromwell, King of the Barbarians’ which proved to be a box office hit due to its very low budget..
Working with little money was his great talent, and the lack of resources did not prevent him from making films that would later become very popular with a part of the public, even if they did not enjoy general acclaim, much less critical approval. In his filmography we find films such as ‘The Sentinels’, ‘Cyborg’ with Jean-Claude Van Damme, various sequels to ‘Kickboxer’ or the ‘Nemesis’ saga..
The “first” ‘Captain America’
He also directed the first contemporary film ‘Captain America’ (there was a 1944 film series with Dick Purcell as Cap). Released in 1990 with Matt Salinger as Steve Rogers and Scott Paulin as the Red SkullIt was a very loose adaptation of the Marvel Comics and had a complicated crafting, with lots of back and forth between studio hops and changes in front of and behind the cameras. The premiere was delayed until a direct-to-video release in the United States. Critics tore it apart, but over time it achieved cult status, going so far as to be screened at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013.
Pyun has continued to work almost non-stop, and although his last titles date back to 2017 and 2018, his wife says he had a couple of new projects on his hands despite his delicate state of health.
Source: E Cartelera
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
