​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Irvin Kershner (April 29, 1923 – November 27, 2010) was an American film director and occasional actor, best known for directing quirky, independent films early in his career, and then Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Description above from the Wikipedia article Irvin Kershner , licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.