Albert Pyun

Born in Hawaii, Albert Pyun got his first major exposure to film through the horror and action movies shown at a nearby military base. By the age of 10, Pyun was filming his own movies with an 8mm camera, and at 18 he traveled to Japan, where he was mentored by legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, actor Toshiro Mifune, and cameraman Takao Saito. After returning to Hawaii, Pyun worked as a commercial editor while attempting to make his own films on the side. Pyun directed his first feature in 1982 with "The Sword and the Sorcerer," which still stands as one of his biggest successes. He continued to work through the 1980s, mostly on "B-Movies" and direct-to-video films. In 1989 he completed work on another of his more recognizable efforts, "Cyborg," starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. During the 1990s, Pyun continued to pursue his interest in martial arts and science fiction with numerous releases, including installments in the "Kickboxer" series and 1992's "Nemesis." The director continued to work through the 2000s, bringing his Kurosawa-influenced cinematography to a series of films that, while poorly received, were filmed quickly and on sometimes-nonexistent budgets. Albert Pyun died on November 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, NV at the age of 69.