Tom Laughlin (1931-2013 )

Actor, writer, and director Tom Laughlin has passed away at the age of 82. Laughlin died in a hospital from complications of pneumonia Thursday in a California hospital.

After pursuing a career in acting following a viewing of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Laughlin earned roles in films such as “South Pacific”, “Gidget”, and “The Delinquents.” But it was his character Billy Jack that was his most famous. Inspired by the treatment of Native Americans Laughlin witnessed in the North Dakota town where he met his wife, Delores Taylor, Billy Jack was a half-Indian former Green Beret who had fought in Vietnam, and was trained in the martial art of hapkido. The vigilante character debuted in “The Born Losers”, written and directed by Laughlin, where Billy Jack confronts a biker gang that raped four girls while terrorizing a town. The sequel, simply titled “Billy Jack”, features Billy confronting racist and corrupt authorities in a town where his wife (played by Delores) runs a new-age school. After a lack of support and distribution, Laughlin sued Warner Brothers for the rights to the film, and released it on his own. The film became a cult hit, and two more sequels followed: “The Trial of Billy Jack”, a box office hit with controversial references to Kent State; and “Billy Jack Goes To Washington”, which was a flop. Despite several attempts at a fifth “Billy Jack” movie, and even a television series, Laughlin was unable to revive the character before his death. The “Billy Jack” films are considered groundbreaking, creating the lone vigilante films that populated the 70’s, including Charles Bronson’s “Death Wish” and Sylvester Stallone’s “Rambo”. They also introduced intricate martial arts sequences, before Bruce Lee and kung fu movies brought them to prominence.

Read more at ap.org.