Chad McQueen dies: 'Karate Kid' bad guy and son of screen legend aged 63

Chad McQueen, who played Dutch in the first two The Karate Kid Films, appeared in nearly two dozen other films and was the son of screen legend Steve McQueen, has died aged 63. His family announced the news on social media but did not give a date, cause or other details.

“His extraordinary journey as a loving father to us, along with his unwavering commitment to our mother, truly exemplifies a life full of love and dedication,” his children Ginny, Chase and Madison posted on Instagram. “His passion for racing not only showcased his exceptional talent, but also served as a way to honor his father's legacy, a testament to the values ​​instilled in him.”

McQueen was best known for playing Dutch The Karate Kid (1984) and The Karate Kid II (1986), part of the original Cobra Kai Dojo with Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Sensei John Criss (Martin Cove). McQueen was the only one of the trio not to appear on The Cobra Kai The episode of the TV series where they were all reunited.

Hayden Schlossberg, a creator and EP at Netflix cobra kai, Today tweeted that producers want McQueen to reprise his role in the episode. “We tried to bring him in Cobra Kai And unfortunately didn't make it but we had a fun conversation with him,” he wrote on X. The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai Fans will always remember his wild character Dutch.”

Born on December 28, 1960 in Los Angeles, McQueen's other big-screen credits include fever pitch (1985), New York Police (1993), Jimmy Hollywood (1994), Papertrail (1998), Surface to Air (1998) and Downfall: The Price of Silence (2001), serving as a producer on the last three. He also guest starred in the 1980s TV series V And Jesse Hawkes and occasionally guest on talk shows.

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McQueen is listed as an executive producer on the treasure-hunt film Yucatan, A longtime passion project of his father's that is in early development from producers Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey under their Team Downey banner at Netflix. Steve McQueen's vision involves a story about a rebel rescue expert's search for Mayan treasure in the Yucatan Peninsula, in which he takes the lead role.

McQueen Jr. and Warner Bros. exec Lance Sloan, a family friend, began developing the project two decades ago. Warners spent years trying to find a film among the nearly 1,700 pages of notes and storyboards compiled by Steve McQueen and discovered in a trunk long after his death in 1980.

Chad McQueen's credits include executive producing and appearing in two 2010s documentaries about his father: I'm Steve McQueen And Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans.

Most recently, he appeared in the 2020 documentary A Life of Endless Summers: The Bruce Brown Story. The elder McQueen helped finance Brown's Oscar-nominated 1972 motorcycle documentary, On any Sunday. The film also featured expert-riding The Great Escape the star

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