Variety
Chad McQueen, ‘The Karate Kid’ Star and Steve McQueen’s Son, Dies at 63

Diego Ramos Bechara
Thu, September 12, 2024 at 5:39 PM EDT
2 min read

Chad McQueen, son of the legendary actor Steve McQueen who played “Dutch” in “The Karate Kid” film series, died Wednesday in Palm Springs. He was 63. {snip} McQueen is best known for his role as “Dutch” in “The Karate Kid” (1984) and its sequel, “The Karate Kid Part II” (1986). His portrayal of one of the Cobra Kai members was iconic in ’80s pop culture. His character, in particular, exhibited a merciless attitude and encouraged Johnny Lawrence (played by William “Billy” Zabka) to brutally beat up Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) during the night of the Halloween dance.

His character also mocks and threatens the New Jersey native before the All-Valley Tournament. During the second season of the TV series “Cobra Kai,” it is revealed that Dutch has been serving time in prison. Though there were talks of McQueen potentially appearing in the show, scheduling issues reportedly prevented it.

Although he would continue to appear in other films, such as “New York Cop” (1993) and “Red Line” (1995), his film career was not as extensive as his father’s. Following in his father’s footsteps, however, McQueen had a successful career in auto racing, his true passion. He competed professionally in events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring and founded McQueen Racing, a company that develops high-performance cars and motorcycles, continuing the family legacy of passion for automobiles.

In 2006, McQueen suffered a near-fatal crash while practicing for the Daytona International Speedway’s Rolex 24 event. Though he eventually pulled through, the crash effectively ended his professional racing career, but he has remained involved in motorsports through his company and other ventures.

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