Irvin Kershner (born Isadore Kershner; April 29, 1923 – November 27, 2010) was an American director for film and television. Early in his career as a filmmaker he directed quirky, independent drama films, while working as a lecturer at the University of Southern California. Later, he began making high-budget blockbusters such as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the James Bond adaptation Never Say Never Again and RoboCop 2. Through the course of his career, he received numerous accolades, including being nominated for both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Palme d'Or. Description above from the Wikipedia article Irvin Kershner , licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- April 29, 1923
- November 27, 2010 (aged 87)
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Director and actor, also producer and writer
- 25 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
Known for
What are Irvin Kershner's films like?
Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 1 · Earnest 14
A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 8
A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 5 · Intense 9
Steady 5 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 3
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 3
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2
Casual 4 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 5
A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 4
Moods and endings
- Happy5
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Irvin Kershner's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 25 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).
- Badlands (1973) · thanks · free
- The Nature of Existence (2009) · actor · free
- The Rebel (1959) · director · free
- American Perfekt (1997) · producer · free
- Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) · director · free
- Up the Sandbox (1972) · director · free
- The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976) · director · free
- RoboCop 2 (1990) · director · free
Subscription and free streaming for Irvin Kershner's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
39 credits, 25 with a MovieCove page; 18 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Lost Tribe(2010)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
The Nature of Existence(2009)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Berkeley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Manhood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
American Perfekt(1997)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Angus(1995)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
On Deadly Ground(1994)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
SeaQuest 2032(1993)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows
SeaQuest DSV(1993)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
RoboCop 2(1990)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Traveling Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Wildfire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Amazing Stories(1985)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Never Say Never Again(1983)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Eyes of Laura Mars(1978)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Raid on Entebbe(1976)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
S*P*Y*S(1974)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Badlands(1973)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Up the Sandbox(1972)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all filmsFilm '72 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Loving(1970)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Flim-Flam Man(1967)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
A Fine Madness(1966)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The Luck of Ginger Coffey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Kraft Suspense Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
A Face in the Rain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Cain's Hundred (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
The Hoodlum Priest(1961)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Rebel(1959)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
The Young Captives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Naked City(1958)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Stakeout on Dope Street(1958)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Now Is Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Confidential File: Horror Comics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Confidential File: Barbiturates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Career shape
A full career of 37 titles from 1955 to 2005.
Biggest box office
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Highest rated
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Film career
- 1988Screen debut· The Last Temptation of Christ
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Irvin Kershner's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th10
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 25 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved4
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Irvin Kershner's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Irvin Kershner work with?
People who share at least 2 of Irvin Kershner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Robert Lawrence shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Geoffrey LewisShared titles: American Perfekt (1997), The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Geoffrey Lewis
- Harrison FordShared titles: Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery (1997), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Harrison Ford
- Mark HamillShared titles: Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery (1997), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Hamill
- Sean ConneryShared titles: Never Say Never Again (1983), A Fine Madness (1966)See all 2 shared titles with Sean Connery
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Robert LawrenceShared titles: Never Say Never Again (1983), S*P*Y*S (1974), Up the Sandbox (1972), Loving (1970)See all 4 shared titles with Robert Lawrence
- Michael KahnShared titles: Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), The Return of a Man Called Horse (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Kahn
- Jerry GoldsmithShared titles: S*P*Y*S (1974), The Flim-Flam Man (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Goldsmith
- Gordon WillisShared titles: Up the Sandbox (1972), Loving (1970)See all 2 shared titles with Gordon Willis
Producers
- Mohit RamchandaniShared titles: The Lost Tribe (2010), The Nature of Existence (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Mohit Ramchandani
- Irwin WinklerShared titles: S*P*Y*S (1974), Up the Sandbox (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Irwin Winkler
- Robert ChartoffShared titles: S*P*Y*S (1974), Up the Sandbox (1972)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Chartoff
Mixed roles
- John WilliamsShared titles: Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery (1997), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)See all 2 shared titles with John Williams
- Lawrence KasdanShared titles: Star Wars: The Magic & the Mystery (1997), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)See all 2 shared titles with Lawrence Kasdan
- Melvin SloanShared titles: The Hoodlum Priest (1961), Stakeout on Dope Street (1958)See all 2 shared titles with Melvin Sloan