Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Force Awakens (2015), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). He also wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and The Bodyguard (1992), and is the writer-director of Body Heat (1981), The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985), The Accidental Tourist (1988), and Dreamcatcher (2003). Kasdan is known for updating old Hollywood genres—film noir, science fiction, and Westerns—in a classical dramatic style with quick-witted dialogue while dealing with contemporary social themes. As a director, he has made various personal films that examine characters and generations. Kasdan has been nominated for four Academy Awards: as a producer for Best Picture nominee The Accidental Tourist, for which he was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, and for Best Original Screenplay for both The Big Chill and Grand Canyon (1991). He has often collaborated with his wife, Meg Kasdan, his brother, Mark Kasdan, and his two sons, Jonathan Kasdan and Jake Kasdan. He has frequently cast Kevin Kline and William Hurt in his films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lawrence Kasdan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

• 2026Marty, Life Is Short — Self (voice), Director, Producer
• LIGHT & MAGIC — Executive Producer, Director
• 2019Last Week at Ed's — Director, Producer
• 2018Solo: A Star Wars Story — Writer, Executive Producer
• 2015Star Wars: The Force Awakens — Creative Consultant, Co-Producer, Writer
• 2012Darling Companion — Director, Writer, Producer
• 2007In the Land of Women — Producer
• 2007The TV Set — Executive Producer
• 2003Dreamcatcher — Director, Screenplay, Producer
• 1999Mumford — Writer, Director, Producer
• 1999The Big Chill: A Reunion — Self - Writer, Director, Executive Producer
• 1998Home Fries — Producer
• 1997As Good as It Gets — Dr. Green
• 1995French Kiss — Director
• Montana Jones — Original Story
• 1994Wyatt Earp — Gambler, Producer, Screenplay, Director
• 1992The Bodyguard — Screenplay, Producer
• 1991Grand Canyon — Writer, Director, Producer
• 1991Jumpin' at the Boneyard — Executive Producer
• 1990I Love You to Death — Director
• 1989Immediate Family — Executive Producer
• 1988The Accidental Tourist — Director, Producer, Screenplay
• 1987Cross My Heart — Producer
• 1985Into the Night — Detective #2
• 1985Silverado — Screenplay, Director, Producer
• 1983Return of the Jedi — Screenplay
• 1983The Big Chill — Director, Executive Producer, Writer
• 1981Body Heat — Writer, Director
• 1981Continental Divide — Writer
• 1981Raiders of the Lost Ark — Screenplay
• 1980The Empire Strikes Back — Screenplay
• November Road — Director, Writer

Appearances as themselves (19)

• 2024Music by John Williams — Self - Filmmaker
• 2023Timeless Heroes: Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford — Self
• 2018Kasdan on Kasdan — Self
• 2017Five Came Back — Self
• Five Came Back — Self
• 2016John Williams: The Seventh Symphony — Self
• 2011A Conversation with the Masters: The Empire Strikes Back 30 Years Later — Self
• 2006All of What Follows Is True: The Making of 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' — Self
• 2005Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool — Self
• 2004Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy — Self
• 2004Männer im Trenchcoat, Frauen im Pelz — Self
• 2004The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing — Self
• 2004The Force Is with Them: The Legacy of 'Star Wars' — Self
• 2003100 Greatest Sexy Moments — Self
• 2003Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy — self
• 2000Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' — Self
• 1999The Making of Silverado — Self
• 1997Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery — Self
• Film '72 — Self