Irvin Kershner (born April 29, 1923) is an American film director born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Southern California and began his career filming documentaries. Kershner is probably best known as the director for the hit movie Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. In addition, Kershner also directed the unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again. The film was the product of a lengthy twenty year legal battle between Kevin McClory/Sony and EON Productions/MGM over the rights of the James Bond character and the characters of S.P.E.C.T.R.E..

Kershner is also known for directing various episodes of seaQuest DSV.

Quotes

• "Of all the younger guys around, all the hot-shots, why me? I remember he said, 'Well, because you know everything a Hollywood director is supposed to know, but you're not Hollywood.' I liked that."

- on why George Lucas chose him to direct The Empire Strikes Back

• "I like to fill up the frame with the [characters'] faces. There's nothing more interesting than the landscape of the human face."

Filmography

• Stakeout on Dope Street (1958)
• The Young Captives (1959)
• A Face in the Rain (1963)
• The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964)
• A Fine Madness (1966)
• Loving (1970)
• Up the Sandbox (1972)
• S*P*Y*S (1974)
• The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)
• Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Never Say Never Again (1983)
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
• Traveling Man (1989)
• Robocop 2 (1990)

External link