I was saddened to learn of filmmaker Robert Ginty's death from cancer last week, at the age of 60. Ginty was a familiar face to me when I was growing up, as one of the fighter plane pilots on the Robert Conrad TV series BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP, as "Anderson" in the first season of THE PAPER CHASE (in the role played by Edward Hermann in the excellent film version), and as Bruce Dern's uniformed sidekick in COMING HOME (how strange to think of right wing wacko John Voight's 70s ouvre as a gigolo in MIDNIGHT COWBOY, a liberal minded teacher in CONRACK, a pacifist in DELIVERANCE, and as an anti-war paraplegiac Vietnam vet in this Hal Ashby directed flick).

But Ginty achieved his greatest notoriety in THE EXTERMINATOR, the 1980 vigilante flick written and directed by James Glickenhaus. While not as popular or well remembered as DEATH WISH, THE EXTERMINATOR, which co-starred Christopher George and Steve James, was a true grindhouse flick that went ont o gross $35 million and spawned a sequel, THE EXTERMINATOR 2 (which Glickenhaus had nothing to do with). Ginty continued to act, primarily in guest starring roles on regular TV series, and moved behind the camera to direct TV series of all stripes, such as XENA, DREAM ON, CHINA BEACH, and CHARMED.

I noted John Voight's weird political transformation because Ginty was an active liberal who had no problem with playing violent vigilante John Eastland. THe guy was smart enough to realize that acting is acting, and said that playing THE EXTERMINATOR enabled him to live a comfortable life. Most important, he had talent.