Howard G Kazanjian was born on July 26,1942 and is an Armenian-American film producer best known for the Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.
12 Facts About Howard Kazanjian
2.
Howard Kazanjian is a published non-fiction author, with a focus on the factual Old West of US history.
3.
Howard Kazanjian later worked with director Robert Wise on his production of The Hindenburg.
4.
Howard Kazanjian eventually moved into film production rather than directorial work.
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Howard Kazanjian is most notable for having served as executive producer on Raiders of the Lost Ark and producer on Return of the Jedi.
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Howard Kazanjian is recognized as an uncredited producer on The Empire Strikes Back, replacing producer Gary Kurtz midway through the production.
7.
Jones was intended to be a smoker and a drinker, but Howard Kazanjian convinced Lucas and Steven Spielberg to remove that.
8.
The scene where sunlight passing through the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra reveals the location of the Well of the Souls was proposed by Howard Kazanjian, who was inspired by the golden statues of Ramesses II at the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt.
9.
The ending scene of Return of the Jedi was originally only going to show the Force ghosts of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, but two days before the scene was shot, Howard Kazanjian suggested that the ghost of Anakin Skywalker appear as well.
10.
Howard Kazanjian has been an instructor at "Act One", a group designed to train Christians entering into film and television, and was named by Beliefnet as one of the twelve most powerful Christians in Hollywood.
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Howard Kazanjian is an active member of the Armenian charity and cultural community, and a USC alumnus.
12.
Howard Kazanjian was producer for all films unless otherwise noted.