YouTube Dutch (Chad McQueen) attempts to face off Daniel (Ralph Macchio) in "The Karate Kid."
As fans of the Karate Kid are aware, Chad McQueen portrayed Cobra Kai team member, Dutch, in the first and second installment of the film franchise. As previously noted by Heavy, the 60-year-old has not yet made an appearance on the acclaimed series Cobra Kai. Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), however, has referenced the character several times in the show.
During Season 2, Episode 6, it is revealed that Dutch is in federal prison. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly in 2019, Cobra Kai’s co-creator and executive producer, Josh Heald mentioned that McQueen had been approached to reprise the role, but was unable due to conflicting “schedules.” Heald revealed that Cobra Kai “could perhaps visit [Dutch’s] story another time.” As noted by Screen Rant, however, McQueen has not worked as an actor for two decades. Rather, he decided to race cars, “similar to his father Steve McQueen.”
According to a January 2021 Wealthy Persons article, both The Karate Kid‘s star’s “successful career as an actor and professional racing car driver” has attributed to his impressive net worth of approximately $50 million. The publication also noted that he currently “owns the McQueen Racing company.”
McQueen Founded His Company Following a Race Car Injury
GettyChad McQueen strikes a pose for the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival in 2015.
According to the company’s website, his passion for automobiles started when he was a child due to his famous father’s influence. McQueen participated in numerous races throughout his career. However, “in 2006,” he crashed “during practice for 24 Hours of Daytona,” which caused the former actor to sustain “serious life threatening injuries.”
Four years after the accident, McQueen founded his company, which allowed him to “harness his experience and expertise towards development of high performance, limited edition custom cars, motorcycles, and accessories.”
McQueen Racing, LLC also sells merchandise, which includes hats, T-shirts, and sweatshirts. The clothing items are designed by McQueen’s adult children, Chase and Madison. The price of the merchandise ranges from $32 to $75.
McQueen Has Been an Executive Producer for Several Projects
GettyChad McQueen stands in front of a poster for “Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans” at the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival.
Since 1997, McQueen has been an executive producer for several projects, including two documentaries about his father, titled Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (2015) and I Am Steve McQueen (2014).
In 2016, McQueen spoke to Car and Driver about the making of Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans. During the interview, he opened up about how The Great Escape‘s star’s love of racing had a direct influencer on his son’s career as a driver, stating,
Growing up, there were always my dad’s cars and motorcycles around… a Jag XKSS, Lotus Eleven, and Cooper Formula Junior. I started riding motorcycles when I was six and racing at nine, and he came to every race, just as he made sure my sister and I were with him whenever he’d be on location. He’d coach me, ‘You can go in deeper here’ or ‘You don’t need to brake so hard there.’ Remember, my dad came out of a shaky background, and I think I benefited from the neglect his mom had shown him. He never knew his father, his mother drank a lot, and at one point a judge put him in a place called Boys Republic, where the motto still is ‘Nothing without labor.’ He told me they turned his life around.
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