 Obituary, Noted Film Director, Irvin
Kershner
Irvin Kershner, filmmaker, photographer,
and mentor to many younger Hollywood filmmakers, died at his home in Los Angeles November 27 after a three and a half year
battle with lung cancer. He was 87. Best known for directing “The Empire Strikes Back,” the 1980 landmark
sequel to George Lucas’s original Star Wars film, he had a career in film and television that spanned forty years.
Irvin Kershner's background was a mixture of music
and art. The study of music (violin, viola, and composition) was the most important activity of his early years. He studied
at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia and went on to attend the Temple University - Tyler School of Fine Arts.
Later, he went to New York and Provincetown to study with the famous painter Hans Hofmann. He then moved to Los Angeles where
he studied photography at the Art Center College of Design. Kershner's accomplishments as painter, photographer and musician
are all evident in his work as a film director.
He began his film career at the USC - School of Cinema teaching photography
and taking cinema courses under Slavko Vorkapich, the great montage artist and then dean of the School of Cinema. Kershner
next accepted a job as still photographer on a State Department film project in Iran under the Four Point Program, which ultimately
led to an assignment as a director and cinematographer of documentaries in Iran, Greece and Turkey with the United States
Information Service.
When he returned to the States, he and the late Paul Coates, along with Andrew Fenady, developed
the Emmy-award winning documentary television series CONFIDENTIAL FILE. Kershner worked as writer, director, cinematographer
and editor. He later developed and directed the television series THE REBEL, as well as the pilots for PEYTON PLACE, CAIN'S
ONE HUNDRED, and PHILIP MARLOWE.
Although his first feature, STAKEOUT ON DOPE STREET, was partly financed by Roger
Corman, it was not produced by him. The project was written and produced by Kershner with colleague Andrew Fenady, who
was his partner on CONFIDENTIAL FILE.
In the 60s and 70s, he made films starring such screen luminaries as Robert Shaw (THE LUCK OF GINGER COFFEY),
Sean Connery (A FINE MADNESS), George C. Scott (THE FLIM-FLAM MAN) Eva Marie Saint (LOVING) Barbra Streisand (UP THE SANDBOX)
Richard Harris (RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE), and Faye Dunaway (EYES OF LAURA MARS). He also directed Connery in the film
that returned the actor to the James Bond role for a curtain call, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN.
In 1969,
Kershner teamed up with novelist John Irving to create a screen adaptation of Irving’s novel “Setting Free the
Bears.” In his 1999 memoir titled “My Movie Business,” Irving noted: “Kershner was my hero ...
He was a wild man with a non-stop imagination and boundless energy. I just tried to keep up with him, which wasn't easy.
Kershner never sat down. He paced, reciting the entire story, from the opening shot to the end credits, without once referring
to the script. Kershner was the real screenwriter. I was just taking dictation. ‘You changed something!
Stop!’ I would shout. ’Of course I changed something!’ He would shout back. ‘I'm always changing
something. It's my job to change something!’"
In June 2010, Irvin Kershner received a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
Films. At the time, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK executive producer, George Lucas wrote, “(Kershner's) films have a maturity
and a depth of character, and that’s just what my middle chapter needed. The Star Wars story has had to evolve in order
to stay fresh, and it took a filmmaker like you to make that important step in galaxy-building.”
Lucas went on to say, “Your career has been compelling
and eclectic, and I can’t think of anyone better suited for this honor.”
Kershner was a long-time friend of Francis Ford Coppola who observed upon learning of Kershner’s passing, “We
all enjoyed knowing Kersh, learning from him -- and admired his creative spirit and indomitable will. It was always exciting
to talk with him about all aspects of cinema and life. He will most certainly be missed.”
Barbra Streisand, a friend of nearly forty years, remarked, “He had the most incredible spirit, an exuberance for life.
Always working, always thinking, always writing, amazingly gifted and forever curious. We met doing ‘Up The Sandbox’
in 1972 and remained friends ever since. I loved him.”
Empire Strikes Back star Billy Dee Williams noted, “He was an extraordinary mountain of a man with whom I'm proud
to have shared the world of art. I bet he's smiling at us right now with that wonderful impish smile.”
In recent years, Kershner continued to produce and write, while teaching screenwriting at the University of Southern California
and lecturing in many countries. He also created an extraordinary collection of fine art photographs for exhibition in New
York, San Francisco, and Mexico. Some of his work now exists as a permanent photography exhibition at the newly opened Los
Angeles County General Hospital.
Dr. James Ragan, friend, poet, and former director of the USC Professional
Writing Program, noted, "Kersh was a truly gifted, devoted, and generous mentor to all who had the privilege of working
with him. His film co-workers, students, and friends alike knew him as a gentleman, a student of film and human history. He
loved teaching, whether on a set or in a classroom. He had a sense of humor to match his unwavering commitment to high standards.
His intellectual curiosity was a constant, as was his devotion to the art of filmmaking. He was one of the most respected
film directors of his generation--or any—a continent in an ocean of islands. He will be truly missed.”
His son, David, noted, “My father never really retired. He had a powerful drive to create—whether it be
through film, photography, or writing. At the time of his death, he was co-writing a Broadway musical entitled ‘Djinn’
and working on a documentary about his friend Ray Bradbury. The musical is a fable about tolerance and a deep bond of friendship
between a Jewish immigrant and an Arab Sheik, set in a Palestinian village prior to the birth of Israel.”
When learning the news of Kershner’s passing, Ray Bradbury wrote, “Kersh was an amazing man, a good friend,
and I loved him with all my heart.”
Kershner’s agent, Derek Maki of Coolwaters Productions, LLC, stated,
“Kersh loved his fans around the world and appreciated the recognition he still received three decades after the release
of his landmark film, The Empire Strikes Back.”
Matthew Robbins, writer, director, and former assistant to
Kershner on the film LOVING, wrote the attached tribute to his friend that captures the spirit of the man.
Irvin Kershner’s complete filmography, samples of his photography, and an official biography are available at http://www.irvinkershner.net.
At Mr. Kershner’s request, there will be no funeral. Instead of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to:
The Settlement Music School, P.O. Box 63966, Philadelphia, PA or The San Juan Preservation Trust, P.O. Box 327, Lopez, WA
98261
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| Kershner directs Sean Connery in his return to the role he made famous JAMES BOND! |
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| On set Kershner directs Darth Vader for his big lightsaber battle. |
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| Kershner explains an in depth scene to C-3PO. |
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| Mr. Kershner directing ROBOCOP 2! |
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