Gary Kurtz dies

The original text, Gary Kurtz Passes Away, was published on the star wars website on September 24, 2018.

Gary Kurtz, legendary producer of Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980), died on Sunday, September 23 at the age of 78. Kurtz was an important figure in the history of Star Wars and Lucasfilm. All of his works embody his narrative talent.

Kurtz first co-produced the youth film American Style Painting (1973) with George Lucas as a producer. The film was an unexpected success, critically acclaimed, and received multiple Academy Award nominations, including Kurtz and another producer, Francis Ford Coppola, who was nominated for Best Picture.

After the success of American Style, Kurtz worked as a producer on Lucas's next film, Star Wars. Star Wars, which had a budget of just $11 million, went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, receiving 10 Oscar nominations — including Kurtz's Best Picture nominations — and winning six of them. He went on to make a star wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, a film that was clearly more budgeted and challenging than its predecessor. Today, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back are widely regarded as a place on the list of the best movies of all time.

After Star Wars, Kurz produced Dark Crystal (1982) and Return to Oz (1985). Both films later became offbeat classics.

Lucasfilm deeply remembers the talented and intelligent Kurtz. We will remember his contributions to Star Wars and the film industry.

This article is from: Star Wars Chinese Network