Famously the director of what is surely the best Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Irvin Kershner has sadly passed away at the age of 87.

Kershner also helmed Sean Connery’s belated reappearance of James Bond, Never Say Never Again in 1987, and the sci-fi sequel RoboCop 2 in 1990.

In a career that stretched back to the 50s, Kershner’s body of work is voluminous and varied, ranging from dramas, such as 1959’s The Young Captives, to the supernatural thriller Eyes Of Laura Mars, in 1978, which was written by a young John Carpenter.

It’s for The Empire Strikes Back that Kershner will be best remembered, however, and for this truly spectacular contribution to geek culture, he has our unending gratitude.