About the Filmmakers...

"I Love You to Death" is the first script that LAWRENCE KASDAN has directed that he did not write.

Born in Miami Beach, Fla., and raised in West Virginia, Kasdan grew up in a family that encouraged him to write. He attended the University of Michigan, supporting himself with an array of writing awards while he studied English Literature. He then went on to earn a master's degree in education.

For the next five years Kasdan worked as an advertising copywriter in Detroit and Los Angeles while trying to sell his screenplays to the Hollywood studios. The sixth screenplay he submitted, "The Bodyguard," was the first to be purchased.

His next screenplay, "Continental Divide," led him to Steven Spielberg and, eventually, George Lucas. The two asked him to write the script for "Raiders of the Lost Ark." When screenwriter Leigh Brackett died before finishing the script for the Star Wars saga "The Empire Strikes Back," Kasdan took over as writer. He went on to co-write "Return of the Jedi" with Lucas.

Kasdan made his critically acclaimed directorial debut with the film "Body Heat," in which he cast two little-known actors, William Hurt and Kathleen Turner, in the lead roles. Next he directed "The Big Chill," which he co-wrote with Barbara Benedek and which was nominated for three Academy Awards, including best picture.

He then followed with the sprawling Western "Silverado," which he directed, produced and co-wrote with his brother Mark. After "Silverado," he produced the film "Cross My Heart," directed by Armyan Bernstein.

Kasdan next directed "The Accidental Tourist." Written by Kasdan and Frank Galati, and based on the novel by Anne Tyler, the film was named best picture of 1988 by the New York Film Critics. It received four Academy Award nominations, including best picture, best screenplay adapted from another medium, best original score and best supporting actress for Geena Davis, who won the award.

Kasdan was the executive producer of "Immediate Family," written by Barbara Benedek and directed by Jonathan Kaplan, starring Glenn Close, James Woods, Mary Stuart Masterson and Kevin Dillon. He has recently set up shop at 20th Century Fox, where he is working on a film he will write, produce and direct.

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