Biography
George P. Cosmatos (also credited as George Pan Cosmatos) was a Greek-Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Florence, Italy, on 4 January 1941, he grew up in Egypt and Cyprus. He studied at the London Film School and began his career as an assistant director on Exodus (1960).
Cosmatos made his early films in Europe, including Massacre in Rome (1973) and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). After relocating to North America, he directed action films such as Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Cobra (1986), both starring Sylvester Stallone, as well as Leviathan (1989) and the Western Tombstone (1993). He also directed Of Unknown Origin (1983) and Escape to Athena (1979). His final feature was Shadow Conspiracy (1997).
Cosmatos died of lung cancer on 19 April 2005 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was married to Swedish sculptor Birgitta Ljungberg Cosmatos until her death in 1997; their son Panos Cosmatos is also a film director.
