Irvin Kershner(1923-2010)
- Director
- Cinematographer
- Actor
Irvin Kershner was born on April 29, 1923 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. A graduate of the University of Southern California film
school, Kershner began his career in 1950, producing documentaries for
the United States Information Service in the Middle East. He later
turned to television, directing and photographing a series of
documentaries called "Confidential File". Kershner was one of the
directors given his first break by producer
Roger Corman, for whom he shot
Stakeout on Dope Street (1958).
The main theme that runs through many of his films is social alienation
and human weaknesses - although his biggest commercial success was the
science fiction blockbuster
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
Irvin Kershner died at age 87 of lung cancer in his home in Los
Angeles, California on November 27, 2010.