Los Angeles (CNN) -- Tom Laughlin, the actor who wrote and starred in the "Billy Jack" films of the 1970s, died Thursday, his family confirmed Sunday. He was 82. Laughlin's Billy Jack character was a heroic Native American ex-Army Green Beret who used his karate skills to fight racism and oppression. The second of the series -- titled "Billy Jack" -- was a low-budget independent film that became a box-office blockbuster in 1971. Laughlin's vigilante character defends a counterculture "Freedom School" from townspeople who harass and discriminate against the Native American students. The film was criticized by those who saw its central theme as a message that violence was an answer to injustice.
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The Billy Jack character was a Native American ex-Green Beret vigilante
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The low-budget "Billy Jack" became a box-office blockbuster in 1971
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The film was criticized for its message that violence was an answer to injustice
@placeholder later attempted a political career, putting his name on presidential primary ballots in 1992, 2004 and 2008.