Jonathan Avildsen is an American actor who has played a handful of minor roles in mostly films, with a couple of television appearances. His most notable parts were in The Karate Kid, Part III playing Cobra Kai villain Snake and then in Rocky V as a drug addict. His father, John G. Avildsen directed both films. Jonathan's brother Anthony Avildsen is also an actor; he appeared in the prologue of their dad's film Lean On Me. Anthony is relatively easy to spot; Morgan Freeman (as a young Joe Clark) calls him by name. In The Karate Kid, Part III, he played the cackling flunkie to villain Mike Barnes. He was known for the leather jackets and Chia Pet hairstyle of the character, and the catch phrase, "You know it!", also came from this role.
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Graffiti
Jon has had legal troubles since he was a teenager related to his passion for Graffiti. He is one of New York City's most famous graffiti writers of the post-train era, know as "JA" or "JA ONE", an acronym for his initials. His life as a Graffiti writer was featured in a 1995 Rolling Stone Magazine article by Kevin Heldman located here: [1]. Numerous Graffiti websites contain photos of his work [2] [3] [4] and he is a major celebrity among members of this subculture. Among his many graffiti film appearances is State Your Name, a documentary on Graffiti writers [5].
Filmography
- The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) as Snake
- Video Graf (1989)
- Gone Fishin' (1997) as Parking Lot Valet
- Rocky V (1990) as Druggy
- Titanic (1998) as JA
- Coyote Moon (1999) (V) as Petey Hogan
- Jane Bond (2001) as Operator
- White Boy (2002) as Cole
- State Your Name (2005) as JA [6]
