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Lawrence Kasdan Biography (1949-)

Full name, Lawrence Edward Kasdan; born January 14, 1949, in Miami Beach, FL;son of Clarence Norman (a manager of retail electronics stores) and Sylvia Sarah (an employment counselor; maiden name, Landau) Kasdan; brother of Mark Kasdan (a producer, writer, and director); married Meg Goldman (a writer), November 28, 1971; children: Jacob (a producer, director, writer, and actor, asJake Kasdan), Jonathan (a writer and actor). Addresses: Office: KasdanProductions, 4117 Radford Ave., Studio City, CA 91604.; Agent: Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Nationality

American

Gender

Male

Occupation

Writer, producer, director, actor

Birth Details

January 14, 1949

Miami Beach, Florida, United States

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Film Work
• Director
• Body Heat, Warner Bros., 1981
• The Big Chill, Columbia, 1983
• Silverado, Columbia, 1985
• The Accidental Tourist, Warner Bros., 1988
• I Love You to Death, TriStar, 1990
• Grand Canyon, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991
• Wyatt Earp, Warner Bros., 1994
• French Kiss (also known as Paris Match), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1995
• Mumford, Buena Vista, 1998
• Dreamcatcher, Warner Bros., 2002
• Producer
• (With Mark Kasdan) Silverado, Columbia, 1985
• Cross My Heart, Universal, 1987
• (With Michael Grillo and Charles Okun) The Accidental Tourist, Warner Bros., 1988
• (With Grillo and Okun) Grand Canyon, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991
• (With Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner) The Bodyguard, Warner Bros., 1992
• Wyatt Earp, Warner Bros., 1994
• (With others) Mumford, Buena Vista, 1998
• Home Fries, Warner Bros., 1998
• Dreamcatcher, Warner Bros., 2002
• Executive Producer
• (With Marcia Nasatir) The Big Chill, Columbia, 1983
• Immediate Family (also known as Parental Guidance), Columbia, 1989
• Jumpin' at the Boneyard, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1992
• Film Appearances
• Second detective, Into the Night, Universal, 1985
• (Uncredited) Devo's lawyer, I Love You to Death, TriStar, 1990
• Dr. Green, As Good as It Gets, Columbia/TriStar, 1997
• Television Appearances
• Specials
• The 18th Annual American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Sir David Lean, ABC, 1990
• The 13th Annual ACE Awards, TNT, 1992
• Star Wars: The Magic and the Mystery, Fox, 1997
• Guns for Hire: The Making of "The Magnificent Seven," 2000
• The Big Show (also known as The Big Show: Toronto InternationalFilm Festival), CBC (Canada), 2001
• Episodic
• "George Lucas: Heroes, Myths and Magic," American Masters, PBS, 1993
• American Cinema, PBS, 1995
• Also appeared in an episode of The Directors, Encore.
• Stage Director
• Four Dogs and a Bone, 1995
• WRITINGS
• Screenplays
• (With Leigh Brackett) The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V--The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1980; published by Random House (New York City), 1985; published as The Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back:The Illustrated Screenplay, Ballantine (New York City), 1998; publishedas The Empire Strikes Back: A Facsimile of the Complete Script with Special Edition Scenes, Ballantine, 1998
• (With George Lucas) Raiders of the Lost Ark (also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark), Paramount, 1981; published byOSP Publishing, 1995
• Body Heat, Warner Bros., 1981; published by Harvest Moon, 2000
• Continental Divide, Universal, 1981
• (With Lucas) Return of the Jedi (also known as Blue Harvest, Revenge of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VI--Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: Episode VI, Revenge of the Jedi, and Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983; published as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: The Illustrated Screenplay, Ballantine, 1998
• (With Barbara Benedek) The Big Chill, Columbia, 1983; published bySt. Martin's Press (New York City), 1987
• (With Mark Kasdan) Silverado, Columbia, 1985; published by HarvestMoon, 2000
• (With Frank Galati) The Accidental Tourist (adaptation of the novel by Anne Tyler), Warner Bros., 1988
• (With Meg Kasdan) Grand Canyon, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1991
• The Bodyguard, Warner Bros., 1992
• (With others) Wyatt Earp, Warner Bros., 1994
• Mumford, Buena Vista, 1998
• Dreamcatcher, Warner Bros., 2002
• Radio Scripts
• (With Brian Daley and George Lucas) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: TheNational Public Radio Dramatization, National Public Radio; published byBallantine (New York City), 1996
• Other Writings
• The Empire Strikes Back Notebook, edited by Diane Attias and Lindsay Smith, Ballantine (New York City), 1980
• (With George Lucas) The Art of Return of the Jedi, [New York City], 1983, Ballantine, 1994
• (With Jake Kasdan) Wyatt Earp: The Film and the Filmmakers, Newmarket Publishing and Communications (New York City), 1994
• Contributor to periodicals, including American Film, Film Comment, Films, and Films in Review.

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Books

• Contemporary Authors, Volume 109, Gale, 1983
• International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Volume 2: Directors, St. James Press, 1996

Periodicals

• American Film, January/February, 1989, pp. 46-51
• Film Dope, March, 1984
• New York Times, November 1, 1981