Albert Pyun was a prolific genre filmmaker, with a vast portfolio of works that includes iconic films like “Cyborg,” “The Sword and the Sorcerer,” “Nemesis” 1989 “Captain America,” died Saturday in Las Vegas, Nev. He was aged 69.
Pyun was diagnosed with dementia and multiple sclerosis a few years back. His wife Cynthia Curnan (producer) had shared periodic updates about his health over the last months. She also encouraged fans to write personal messages to Curnan after his declining health.
Curnan confirmed Pyun’s death through Facebook, writing “I sat with him for his last breath that sounded like he was releasing the weight of the world.”
Pyun worked mainly under very low budgets to make direct-to-video films. His immersive style of surreal lighting, post-apocalyptic delapidation, and balletic action gained a loyal fan base among genre movie audiences. Over a filmmaking career spanning four decades, Pyun teamed with a veritable who’s who of action icons, including Jean-Claude Van Damme, Christopher Lambert and Burt Reynolds, as well as other collaborators such as Snoop Dogg, Charlie Sheen, Ice-T, Lance Henriksen, Ronny Cox, Kris Kristofferson, James Coburn, Rutger Hauer and Dennis Hopper.
Pyun was born in Hawaii on May 19, 1953. He was raised military-style, and spent his childhood living in bases all over the world, before his family moved back to Hawaii. After viewing one of his short films, Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune invited Pyun to serve as an intern on the production of Akira Kurosawa’s 1975 feature “Derzu Uzula.” After Mifune exited the project, Pyun instead worked on the production of one of the actor’s TV series, receiving tutelage from Kurosawa’s regular cinematographer Takao Saito.
Pyun arrived in Los Angeles shortly after returning to Hawaii to shoot commercials. His film career began in 1982 when he directed the fantasy epic High Fantasy. “The Sword and the Sorcerer.” The feature, which was made with a budget of $4 million, achieved a surprising commercial success and earned $40 million in box office.
Pyun developed a strong relationship with Cannon Pictures and was appreciated for his capacity to produce creative productions that were quick turnarounds. Through the 1990’s, he directed more than 20 feature films, including his four-part “Nemesis” The 1990 and series “Captain America,” It was the first ever feature-length, live-action film adaptation of the Marvel Comics super hero.
Pyun was able to finance his films himself after the turning of the millennium. “Road to Hell,” “Bulletface” “Invasion.” Late in his life, the director kept developing new creative ventures and continued medical treatment.
His wife said that Pyun was working on two features unfinished before his death. She hoped to turn the pieces into six episodes of a TV series. “To Albert, failure has never been an option,” Sie wrote.
Cynthia Curnan, his wife, has survived Pyun.