Ted Kotcheff, Director of First Blood, Dies at 94 Ted Kotcheff, the Canadian director behind First Blood and Weekend at Bernie’s, has died at 94. He passed away Friday in Nuevo Nayarit, Mexico, surrounded by family. The cause of death has not been revealed. Kotcheff’s career spanned decades,
from early TV work at the CBC to international success with films like Wake in Fright (1971) and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974). His biggest hit, First Blood (1982),