For a brief time after Karate Kid III Thomas Ian Griffith was set up to be the next B-movie action star. So why did not it stick?
Let me say these things up front The Karate Kid Part III is not a very good movie but Thomas Ian Griffith is great it in. Meanwhile Cobra Kai is an absolutely fantastic TV show and Griffith is again great in it. Theres a reason the brain trust behind Cobra Kai have made him such an integral part of the hit Netflix series about the karate based rivalries that consistently plague the San Fernando Valley. As Terry Silver the slick pony tailed businessman and martial arts sensei who has been a thorn in Daniel LaRussos side since he was a kid Griffith remains magnetic every moment he's on the screen his wild eyed menace perfectly matching the heightened soap opera ish drama playing out across the show. Karate Kid super fans those who will tolerate Part IIIs glaring problems just because Griffiths overcharged personality is so entertaining to watch eagerly anticipated his arrival in the show and have not been let down since he first joined the cast in Season 4.
That said 32 years passed between when Griffith first tied up Silvers ponytail and when he triumphantly returned to the role. For some of that time he worked as a writer and producer most notably on NBCs dark fantasy show Grimm which ran from 2011 to 2017. There were also occasional supporting appearances in notable genre films including John Carpenter Vampires in 1998 and the Vin Diesel led XXX in 2002. But for action movie junkies perhaps the most interesting part of Griffiths career outside The Karate Kid universe is the decade following his feature film debut in Karate Kid III when Griffith was positioned as the next big B movie star in a string of low budget action features tailor made for video store shelves.
During those years he starred in eight such films with titles like Kill Fee and Hollow Point. He also has a writing credit on a couple of them. In an era where video store success could propel an action hero like Steven Seagal or Jean Claude Van Damme into the mainstream Griffith was never able to break through and largely moved on to creative endeavors outside of acting. But with Griffith once again stealing scene after scene on Cobra Kai its worth asking the question Did Thomas Ian Griffith the action star deserve better?
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