Irvin Kershner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Irvin Kershner
Born	Isadore Kershner (1923-04-29)April 29, 1923 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	November 27, 2010(2010-11-27) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Film director, producer, actor
Years active	1952–2009
Children	2

Irvin Kershner (born Isadore Kershner; April 29, 1923 – November 27, 2010) was an American director for movies and television. He was known for directing many different kinds of films.

Early in his career, he directed unique, independent movies. He also taught at the University of Southern California. Later, he became famous for directing big, popular movies. These included The Empire Strikes Back, the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again, and RoboCop 2. Throughout his career, he won many awards. He was even nominated for an Emmy Award and the Palme d'Or.

Early Life and Education

Irvin Kershner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were from Russia and were Jewish. He grew up loving music and art. Playing the violin and viola, and writing music, were very important to him when he was young.

He studied art at Temple University in Philadelphia. Then, he went to New York City and Provincetown, Massachusetts, to learn from a famous painting teacher, Hans Hofmann. Later, he moved to Los Angeles to study photography.

During World War II, Kershner served in the U.S. Eighth Air Force for three years. He was a flight engineer. After the war, he started his film career at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He taught photography and took film classes there. He then worked as a photographer for a State Department film project in Iran. This led to him directing and filming documentaries in Iran, Greece, and Turkey.

Starting His Career in Film

When Irvin Kershner returned to the United States, he worked with Paul Coates. They created a TV show called Confidential File. Kershner wrote, directed, filmed, and edited the show. He also helped create and direct other TV series. These included The Rebel (1959–61) and pilot episodes for shows like Peyton Place.

He then began directing feature films. Some of his early movies were The Hoodlum Priest and The Luck of Ginger Coffey. He also directed A Fine Madness with Sean Connery and The Flim-Flam Man with George C. Scott. Other films included Loving and Up the Sandbox with Barbra Streisand.

Kershner also directed the TV movie Raid on Entebbe. This true story was nominated for nine Emmys, including Best Direction. He also directed the supernatural thriller Eyes of Laura Mars.

Kershner saw himself as an "internationalist." He said he was interested in many religions and cultures. He believed in connecting with people from all over the world.

Directing The Empire Strikes Back

Irvin Kershner directed The Empire Strikes Back (1980). This was the sequel to the very popular 1977 movie Star Wars. George Lucas, the writer and producer, knew Kershner from when he taught at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Kershner was a surprising choice to direct the film. He once asked Lucas why he picked him over younger directors. Lucas replied that Kershner knew everything a Hollywood director should know, but he wasn't "Hollywood." Lucas liked that Kershner cared a lot about how characters grew and changed in a story.

At first, Kershner didn't want to direct the movie. But his agent encouraged him to take the job. Kershner later said he was "grabbed by the fairytale" of Star Wars and wanted to help keep it going. He liked to show characters' faces up close in his films. He felt there was "nothing more interesting than the landscape of the human face."

Kershner chose not to direct Return of the Jedi (1983). He had spent almost three years working on The Empire Strikes Back. Richard Marquand directed the third film instead. Kershner later said he would have directed one of the prequel trilogy films if they had been made sooner.

Later Projects and Acting

After The Empire Strikes Back, Kershner directed Never Say Never Again. This movie brought Sean Connery back as James Bond. He also directed the HBO film Traveling Man, which earned him an award nomination. Another big film he directed was RoboCop 2.

Kershner also directed the first episode of the TV series seaQuest DSV. He even started acting in movies. His first acting role was in the Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). He played Zebedee, the father of two of Jesus's apostles. He also played a film director in Steven Seagal's movie On Deadly Ground.

He taught at the University of Southern California in the Master of Professional Writing Program. In 2000, he was a judge at the 22nd Moscow International Film Festival. He also taught at the University of Maryland, College Park for several years.

Death

Irvin Kershner passed away on November 27, 2010, at his home in Los Angeles. He had been battling lung cancer for three and a half years. Before he died, he was still working on photography projects. He was cared for by his two sons, David and Dana.

Filmography

As Director

Movies

Television

As Actor

As Producer

Awards and Recognitions

Irvin Kershner received many awards for his work:

• He won a Lifetime Career Award at the Saturn Awards in 2010.
• He was named Director of Achievement at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in 2002.
• For The Empire Strikes Back, he won Best Director at the Saturn Awards in 1980.
• The Empire Strikes Back also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1980.
• He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Director for the TV movie Raid on Entebbe in 1976.
• His film The Hoodlum Priest won the OCIC Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1961.
• The Hoodlum Priest was also nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1961.

See also

In Spanish: Irvin Kershner para niños