Chad McQueen, an actor who portrayed an antagonist named Dutch in the first two Karate Kid films and who was the son of movie star Steve McQueen, has died. He was 63.
His family announced the death Thursday in a post on Mr. McQueen’s official Instagram account but did not cite a cause.He died Sept. 11, his lawyer told the Associated Press.
In “The Karate Kid” (1984), Mr. McQueen played Cobra Kai student and bully Dutch who, along with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and his gang, torments protagonistDaniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). He reprised the role in the sequel, “The Karate Kid Part II” (1986), but did not return for the franchise’s third installment or the current “Cobra Kai” television series, despite its producers expressing interest.
His later work included leading roles in ’90s action films such as the dystopian “Firepower,” in which he played an undercover police officer, and “Red Line,” in which he was a car thief.
Chadwick Steven McQueen was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 28, 1960.His father achieved international popularity as a star of action and adventure movies including “The Great Escape” (1963) and “Bullitt” (1968), and his mother, Neile Adams, was a Filipina American actress, singer and dancer.Chad McQueen with his father, Hollywood star Steve McQueen, in 1970. (Araldo Di Crollalanza/Shutterstock)
Like his father, Mr. McQueen enjoyed auto racing and in 2010 founded McQueen Racing, a performance vehicle company. He began racing dirt bikes at the age of 9, his company shared on social media, and grew up around movie sets.
He raced in Sports Car Club of America and International Motor Sports Association events, earning podium finishes, according to his company.
Since 2001, he had mainly focused on racing, but a near-fatal crash at the Daytona International Speedway several years later ended his racingcareer.
During a practice ahead of the 24 Hours of Daytona event, his car, a Porsche 911 GT3, rolled several times, leaving him with severe injuries that required screws and steel plates to stabilize his spinal column, he told Porsche’s official magazine. Mr. McQueen was in a coma for nearly a month.
He kept several of his father’s cars and motorcycles, and his company also contributed to several films about the elder McQueen.
Mr. McQueen’s first marriage, to Stacey Toten, ended in divorce. The couple had a son, Steven R. McQueen, an actor known for television roles in “The Vampire Diaries” and “Chicago Fire.”
In 1993, Mr. McQueen married Jeanie Galbraith, with whom he had two children, Chase and Madison, who both joined McQueen Racing. In addition to his wife and children,he is also survived by his mother.
His father died of a heart attack in 1980 at the age of 50 shortly after he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous neck tumor. A sister, Terry McQueen, died in 1998 at the age of 38.
He is now back with his dad.
It’s bad enough when one of your idols passes, but when their KIDS start dying, you really have to examine your own mortality.
Condolences to the entire extended family & to McQueen Racing Enterprises.