American director David Worth dies aged 86

American director and cinematographer David Worth, best known for his work on ‘Bloodsport’ and ‘Kickboxer’, has died at the age of 86.

Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Worth began his career as a cinematographer and served as director of photography on films including Clint Eastwood’s ‘Bronco Billy’ and ‘Any Which Way You Can’. He later served as director of photography on the 1988 martial arts classic ‘Bloodsport’, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, before co-directing Van Damme in ‘Kickboxer’ the following year.

Jean-Claude Van Damme, David Worth & Michel Qissi

Worth remained closely associated with action and martial arts cinema throughout his career. His other directing credits included ‘Warrior of the Lost World’, ‘Lady Dragon’ and ‘Lady Dragon 2’, the latter two starring Cynthia Rothrock, as well as ‘American Tigers’, ‘True Vengeance’, ‘Shark Attack 2’ and ‘Shark Attack 3: Megalodon’.

Paying tribute, Van Damme said Worth’s work on ‘Bloodsport’ and ‘Kickboxer’ helped create “two martial arts classics that changed my life”, thanking him for his friendship and the films they made together.

Our thoughts are with David Worth’s family and friends at this difficult time.