Gary Kurtz Death
Gary passed away on September 23, 2018 at the age of 78 in London, England. Gary's cause of death was cancer.
When did Gary Kurtz die?
September 23, 2018How did Gary Kurtz die? What was the cause of death?
CancerHow old was Gary Kurtz when died?
78Where did Gary Kurtz die? What was the location of death?
London, England
Gary Kurtz Birthday and Date of Death
Gary Kurtz was born on July 27, 1940 and died on September 23, 2018. Gary was 78 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: July 27, 1940
Date of Death: September 23, 2018
Age at Death: 78
Gary Kurtz - Biography
Gary Kurtz (born July 27, 1940) is an American film producer whose list of credits includes American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Dark Crystal (1982) and Return to Oz (1985). Kurtz also co-produced the 1989 science fiction adventure film Slipstream, which reunited him with Star Wars star Mark Hamill.
During 1965, Kurtz was an assistant director on a Monte Hellman Western, Ride in the Whirlwind, starring Jack Nicholson for Proteus Films. He then served as production manager on Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet with Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue for American International Pictures. Kurtz additionally worked as an assistant director and second unit director, as well as a camera operator for the second unit, on the musical comedy Beach Ball for Paramount Pictures.
When principal photography began on Star Wars on March 22, 1976 in the Tunisian desert for the scenes on the planet Tatooine, the project faced several problems. Produced with a budget of $11 million and released on May 25, 1977, the film earned $460 million in the United States and $314 million overseas, surpassing Jaws as the nominal highest-grossing film and remaining that way until being surpassed by E.T. the Extra Terrestrial in 1982. When adjusted for inflation, it is the second highest-grossing film in the US and Canada and is the third highest-grossing in the world as of 2012.
Among the many awards the film received were ten Academy Award nominations, winning six; the nominations including Kurtz himself for Best Picture, and Alec Guinness for Best Supporting Actor. The film is often ranked among the best films of all time. In 1989, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant."
