Director Irvin Kershner, renowned for making the epic Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back, has died aged 87.

Kershner also directed Sean Connery as James Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983) and Peter Weller in Robocop II (1990).

He died at home in Los Angeles after a long illness, his goddaughter Adriana Santini told AFP.

George Lucas, who hired Kershner to make the second Star Wars movie in 1980, said he had lost a friend.

"The world has lost a great director and one of the most genuine people I've had the pleasure of knowing," Lucas said in a statement.

"Irvin Kershner was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

"When I think of Kersh, I think of his warmth, his thoughtfulness and his talent.

"I knew him from USC - I attended his lectures and he was actually on the festival panel that gave the prize to my THX short (the film THX 1138).

"I considered him a mentor," he added.

Born in Philadelphia in 1923, Kershner trained as a musician and in photography before he started making documentaries and then feature films.

The Empire Strikes Back was his big break, followed by Never Say Never Again three years later.

As well as directing, Kershner also acted in Martin Scorsese's controversial 1988 movie The Last Temptation Of Christ.

Lucas, who launched the blockbuster Star Wars franchise in 1977, said he chose Kershner after deciding that he did not want to direct it himself.

"I needed someone I could trust, someone I really admired and whose work had maturity and humour. That was Kersh all over," he said.

"I didn't want Empire to turn into just another sequel, another episode in a series of space adventures.

"I was trying to build something, and I knew Kersh was the guy to help me do it.

"He brought so much to the table. I am truly grateful to him.

"He was a friend as well as a colleague. He will be missed," he added.

Lucas's cult sci-fi saga is currently being reworked for re-release in 3D starting in 2012.

The six blockbusters filmed between 1977 and 2005 have already netted more than $US4.3 billion worldwide.

- AFP