Motion Picture and Television Director. He was best known for directing the big screen feature "Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). Born in Philadelphia, he was educated early in music before serving as a flight engineer aboard B-24 bombers, while with the US Army Air Force during World War II. Upon his discharge, he enrolled at Temple University's Tyler School of Fine Arts, where he studied art and design; he was mentored in New York City by Hans Hofmann, before moving to California in 1948; he attended UCLA, where he studied photography. Kershner would later study film at USC and teach photography there. For three years beginning in 1950, he served as a documentary filmmaker for the US State Department; he was sent abroad to Iran, Greece and Turkey. Following his return home, he worked as a cameraman and director for the local Los Angeles TV documentary series "Confidential File." It would be Roger Corman who gave him his first break as a feature director with the low-budget project "Stakeout on Dope Street" (1958); he followed this with "The Young Captives" (1959), and "Hoodlum Priest" (1961, which earned the Catholic Film Office Award at the Cannes Film Festival). Kershner found steady work directing TV episodes of the Nick Adams' series "The Rebel" (1959 to 1961); he continued to build a fine resume of feature efforts which included "A Fine Madness" (1966), "The Flim-Flam Man" (1967), "Loving" (1970), "Up the Sandbox" (1972), "A Man Called Horse" (1976), "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978), "Never Say Never Again" (1983) and "RoboCop 2" (1990). He received an Emmy Award nomination with the TV-movie "Raid on Entebbe" (1977).
Motion Picture and Television Director. He was best known for directing the big screen feature "Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). Born in Philadelphia, he was educated early in music before serving as a flight engineer aboard B-24 bombers, while with the US Army Air Force during World War II. Upon his discharge, he enrolled at Temple University's Tyler School of Fine Arts, where he studied art and design; he was mentored in New York City by Hans Hofmann, before moving to California in 1948; he attended UCLA, where he studied photography. Kershner would later study film at USC and teach photography there. For three years beginning in 1950, he served as a documentary filmmaker for the US State Department; he was sent abroad to Iran, Greece and Turkey. Following his return home, he worked as a cameraman and director for the local Los Angeles TV documentary series "Confidential File." It would be Roger Corman who gave him his first break as a feature director with the low-budget project "Stakeout on Dope Street" (1958); he followed this with "The Young Captives" (1959), and "Hoodlum Priest" (1961, which earned the Catholic Film Office Award at the Cannes Film Festival). Kershner found steady work directing TV episodes of the Nick Adams' series "The Rebel" (1959 to 1961); he continued to build a fine resume of feature efforts which included "A Fine Madness" (1966), "The Flim-Flam Man" (1967), "Loving" (1970), "Up the Sandbox" (1972), "A Man Called Horse" (1976), "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978), "Never Say Never Again" (1983) and "RoboCop 2" (1990). He received an Emmy Award nomination with the TV-movie "Raid on Entebbe" (1977).
Bio by: C.S.
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