---
name: "Gary Kurtz"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gary-kurtz"
fi1m_id: "gary-kurtz"
imdb_id: "nm0476030"
tmdb_id: 12401
wikidata_id: "Q1494912"
roles: ["Producer"]
born: "27 July 1940"
died: "23 September 2018"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 85
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-04T17:51:58.463200+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gary Kurtz

## Identity

Gary Kurtz

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/gary-kurtz
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** gary-kurtz
- **IMDb ID:** nm0476030
- **TMDB ID:** 12401
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1494912
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kurtz, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1494912, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476030/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12401

Producer. Born 27 July 1940 in Los Angeles, California, United States. Died 23 September 2018.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer
- **Born:** 27 July 1940, Los Angeles, California, United States
- **Died:** 23 September 2018
- **Active:** 1971–1982
- **Also known as:** Gary Douglas Kurtz
- **Frequently works with:** [Carrie Fisher](https://film.one/person/carrie-fisher.md), [Harrison Ford](https://film.one/person/harrison-ford.md), [Mark Hamill](https://film.one/person/mark-hamill.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 85, as producer, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 84 (3), 1980s 85 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 85 to 75 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Adventure 3, Action 2, Drama 2, Science Fiction 2, Comedy 1, Family 1
- **Screen time:** 9 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,498m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Kurtz, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1494912, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0476030/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/12401

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*The Empire Strikes Back*](https://film.one/film/the-empire-strikes-back.md) (92), [*Star Wars*](https://film.one/film/star-wars.md) (88)
- **Peacock:** [*The Dark Crystal*](https://film.one/film/the-dark-crystal.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Gary Kurtz was an American film producer. He collaborated with George Lucas on *American Graffiti* (1973) as co-producer, and produced *Star Wars* (1977) and *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980).

His other credits include *The Dark Crystal* (1982), *Return to Oz* (1985) and *Slipstream* (1989). Kurtz began his career as an assistant director in the 1960s and later lived in London.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com, bbc.co.uk.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *The Dark Crystal* (1982), Fi1m 78, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-crystal.md)
- *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), Fi1m 92, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-empire-strikes-back.md)
- *Star Wars* (1977), Fi1m 88, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/star-wars.md)
- *American Graffiti* (1973), Fi1m 84, Co-Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md)
- *Two-Lane Blacktop* (1971), Fi1m 81, Associate Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/two-lane-blacktop.md)

## Complete filmography (22)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Empire Strikes Door* (2019), Actor
- *Gangster Kittens* (2016), Executive Producer
- *The Definitive History of Star Wars* (2015), as Contributor
- *5-25-77* (2008), Producer
- *Friends and Heroes* (2007), series, Supervising Producer
- *The Destruction of Troy and the Adventures of Odysseus* (1998), Animation Supervisor, Director
- *The Steal* (1995), Producer
- *The Making of Slipstream* (1989), as Executive Producer
- *Slipstream* (1989), Producer
- *Return to Oz* (1985), Executive Producer
- *The Dark Crystal* (1982), Producer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-crystal.md)
- *The Empire Strikes Back* (1980), Producer — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-empire-strikes-back.md)
- *The Making of Star Wars* (1977), Executive Producer
- *Star Wars* (1977), Producer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/star-wars.md)
- *The Godfather Part II* (1974), as Photographer in Court (uncredited) — Fi1m 92, [page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii.md)
- *American Graffiti* (1973), Co-Producer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/american-graffiti.md)
- *To Be Free* (1973), Editor
- *Chandler* (1971), Associate Producer
- *Two-Lane Blacktop* (1971), Associate Producer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/two-lane-blacktop.md)
- *Imago* (1970), Editor
- *The Shooting* (1966), Assistant Camera
- *Beach Ball* (1965), Assistant Director

## Gallery

- ![Gary Kurtz](https://film.one/media/person/102267/gallery-dea407012ff2.jpg) Gary Kurtz — No machine-readable author provided. Joho567 assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Gary_Kurtz1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Gary Kurtz at Elstree Studios on May 5, 2012](https://film.one/media/person/102267/gallery-1840278d5659.jpg) Gary Kurtz at Elstree Studios on May 5, 2012 — Documentally, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/GaryKurtz2012.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1978: Best Picture (nominated), for *Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope*
- 1974: Best Picture (nominated), for *American Graffiti*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gary-kurtz