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Gary Kurtz

Gary Kurtz

Producer and actor · Died September 23, 2018, aged 78 · Los Angeles, California, United States

Oscar nominee

Gary Douglas Kurtz (July 27, 1940 – September 23, 2018) was an American film producer whose list of credits includes American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Dark Crystal (1982) and Return to Oz (1985). Kurtz also co-produced the 1989 science fiction adventure film Slipstream, which reunited him with Star Wars star Mark Hamill. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gary Kurtz, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 27, 1940
Died
September 23, 2018 (aged 78)
From
Los Angeles, California, United States
Works as
Producer and actor
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 46% in 30 days

What are Gary Kurtz's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Ideas.

Genres

Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

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

share of theme weight
Self
34%
Ideas
21%
Morality
16%
Bonds
16%
Society
9%
Power
4%
Art4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 8 · Serious 3 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 7 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 9 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
6
Warm
6
Tense
4
Melancholic
4
Joyful
3
Other
13

How their films linger

Hopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous2

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 Gary Kurtz's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gary Kurtz'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

22 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Gangster Kittens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • The Definitive History of Star Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Contributor

  • 5-25-77(2008)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Friends and Heroes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Show 13 episodes · Supervising Producer

  • The Destruction of Troy and the Adventures of Odysseus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Animation Supervisor

  • The Steal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Producer

  • The Thief and the Cobbler(1993)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Making of Slipstream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Executive Producer · Actor

  • Slipstream(1989)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Return to Oz(1985)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Dark Crystal(1982)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back(1980)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Making of 'Star Wars'(1977)

    Executive Producer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope(1977)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Godfather Part II(1974)

    as Photographer in Court (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • American Graffiti(1973)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • To Be Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Editor

  • Chandler(1971)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Two-Lane Blacktop(1971)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Imago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Editor

  • The Shooting(1966)

    Assistant Camera

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Beach Ball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Assistant Director

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles from 1965 to 2019.

Biggest box office

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

$775M worldwide

Highest rated

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 22: 3 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting1 of 22: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleProducing14 of 22: 13 only producing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thEditing2 of 22: 2 only editing, 0 with another roleOther crew3 of 22: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1960s2 · crew1970s8 · 1 acting · 7 crew1980s5 · 1 acting · 5 crew1990s2 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s3 · 2 acting · 1 crew

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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1974–1978.

  1. 1978
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Picture
  2. 1974
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Picture

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Gary Kurtz's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

5-25-77 (2008)

66th percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 39. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

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 Gary Kurtz's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity and profanity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles33–44 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles3–39 · median 10 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles3–35 · median 8 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles4–35 · median 25 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles31–67 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Gary Kurtz work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gary Kurtz's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mark Hamill shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles