‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ Legend Dies of Heart Failure: Ted Kotcheff Was 94

Ted Kotcheff, the prolific Canadian-Bulgarian director who worked on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and also directed numerous Hollywood films, has died.

Kotcheff died of heart failure on Thursday in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, where he lived, at the age of 94, his daughter Kate Kotcheff told The Canadian Press. His son Thomas added in a statement to CBC, “He died of old age, peacefully, and surrounded by loved ones.”

Born William Theodore Kotcheff in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighborhood on April 7, 1931, Kotcheff began his career at the CBC in the ‘50s after graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in English literature, according to The Globe and Mail. Amid a career that spanned six decades, two Palme d’Or nominations, more than two dozen movies, several TV series, and work in both the Canadian and American entertainment industries, Kotcheff is widely remembered for his stint with Law & Order: SVU. Kotcheff produced 286 episodes and directed seven episodes of the Dick Wolf series throughout SVU’s throughout the show’s first 13 seasons from 1999 until 2012, including the series’ 1999 premiere, according to his IMDb profile. He also cast Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay as detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson.

“Ted was an integral part of the SVU family for over 13 years,” Wolf told Deadline. “He was not only a great producer and director, he was also a close friend. I will miss him.”

Meloni also paid tribute to the famed director, writing in an Instagram tribute, “Ted Kotcheff was producing director on SVU during my time there. I called him the Blustery Bulgarian. I loved that man. He was a master director- check his bio- and great company. To me his masterpiece was Wake In Fright.”

Kotcheff is also well remembered for his extensive work in the film industry. He notably directed the first Rambo movie, 1982’s First Blood. The film became a box office hit and spawned four sequels. His film resume also includes The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), Fun With Dick and Jane (1977), North Dallas Forty (1979), Uncommon Valor (1983), Weekend at Bernie’s (1989), Switching Channels (1988), and Winter People (1989), among many others.

Throughout his career, Kotcheff received numerous accolades. He earned Palme d’Or nominations for the 1971 thriller Wake in Fright, starring Gary Bond and Donald Pleasence, as well as the 1985 dramedy Joshua Then and Now, starring James Woods and Alan Arkin, and took home a BAFTA award in 1972 for directing Edna, the Inebriate Woman. In 2011, he was awarded the Director Guild of Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He received a special Tribute Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television in 2014.

Kotcheff is survived by his second wife, Laifun Chung, as well as their daughter Alexandra and son Thomas. He also had three children from a previous marriage to actress Sylvia Kay, who died in January 2019 at age 82.