Short answers, pulled from the story.
Lawrence Kasdan was born on the 14th of January 1949 in Miami Beach, Florida. He grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, the son of Sylvia, an employment counselor, and Clarence, an electronics-store manager.
Lawrence Kasdan directed Body Heat in 1981, The Big Chill in 1983, Silverado in 1985, The Accidental Tourist in 1988, and Dreamcatcher in 2003. He also directed I Love You to Death, Grand Canyon, Wyatt Earp, French Kiss, Mumford, and Darling Companion.
Lawrence Kasdan co-wrote four Star Wars films: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, Return of the Jedi in 1983, The Force Awakens in 2015, and Solo: A Star Wars Story in 2018. He also wrote Raiders of the Lost Ark, released in 1981.
Lawrence Kasdan has been nominated for four Academy Awards. He was nominated as a producer for Best Picture and for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Accidental Tourist, and for Best Original Screenplay for both The Big Chill and Grand Canyon.
Lawrence Kasdan felt too burned out after years of rewrites on The Bodyguard, and he was preparing to direct Grand Canyon, so he chose to produce the film instead. He hired Mick Jackson to direct and cast Whitney Houston in the lead role of Rachel Marron.
Lawrence Kasdan has frequently cast Kevin Kline and William Hurt in his films and often works with his wife, Meg Kasdan, his brother, Mark Kasdan, and his sons, Jonathan and Jake Kasdan. Composer James Newton Howard has scored every Kasdan film since Grand Canyon in 1991.