Empire Strikes Back Director Dies

The director of the second—and to many fans, the best—Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, died today at the age of 87. Irvin Kershner taught George Lucas, who later returned to offer his former teacher a job directing the Star Wars sequel. Kershner initially turned the job down, but his agent convinced him to reconsider. In addition to The Empire Strikes Back, Kershner directed the Emmy Award-winning TV movie Raid on Entebbe and the Sean Connery Bond film Never Say Never Again.