Richard Marquand

English-born Richard Marquand's directorial career, which included helming a blockbuster space adventure and a hit courtroom thriller, was sadly cut short when the filmmaker died at the relatively young age of 49. After working for a period in docudramas for the BBC, he helmed his first major theatrical feature with the occult shocker "The Legacy" (1979). The World War II spy thriller "Eye of the Needle" (1981), while a modest success in theaters, was more importantly the film that attracted the attention of George Lucas, ultimately leading to Marquand's being hired to direct the culminating episode of the "Star Wars" saga, "Return of the Jedi" (1983). Although he hit a lull with the largely forgotten steamy romance "Until September" (1984), Marquand bounced back with the suspenseful courtroom mystery "Jagged Edge" (1985), paving the way for the subgenre that would soon become ubiquitous in film and on television. He made one more cinematic misstep with the rock-themed romantic drama "Hearts of Fire" (1987), which would unfortunately be his last project before his untimely death. In a promising career cut far too short, Marquand nonetheless left behind a number of enduring films which fans of all ages would enjoy over the decades to come.