Edlund was born in
Fargo, North Dakota and raised in
Fergus Falls, Minnesota. After first joining the
United States Navy, he developed an interest in
experimental film and attended the
USC School of Cinematic Arts in the late 1960s. On the strength of a couple of short films, he was picked by
John Dykstra to work as first cameraman at the embryonic
Industrial Light & Magic on the production on
Star Wars for which he shared an Academy Award. Edlund continued to work with Dykstra on
Battlestar Galactica but was invited back by
George Lucas to work on
The Empire Strikes Back. Edlund's considerable technical challenge on this film was to optically
composite miniatures against a white background resulting in a second Academy Award. Edlund also did distinguished work for Lucas and ILM on
Raiders of the Lost Ark and
Poltergeist. In 1983, following the completion of
Return of the Jedi, Edlund set up his own effects company,
Boss Films, whose credits include
Ghostbusters,
Big Trouble in Little China,
Die Hard,
The Hunt for Red October,
Cliffhanger,
Outbreak and
Air Force One. Boss Film Studios was one of the first traditional effects houses that successfully transitioned from "tangible world" visual effects, to computer generated imagery, with many notable CGI artists beginning their careers at Boss. Aside from film-work, Edlund also developed and manufactured the
Pignose portable-style guitar amplifier (co-designed by Wayne Kimball). He is a Governor of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a founder of the Academy's visual effects branch and is chair of the Branch Executive Committee, also chairman of the Academy’s Science and Technology Council. He also serves as board member of the
Visual Effects Society and on the board of directors of the
American Society of Cinematographers. Edlund was married to Rita Kogan, the only daughter of entrepreneur and
Taito founder
Michael Kogan, before her death in 2019. == Filmography ==