Richard Edlund, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer behind such classics as the original 'Star Wars' trilogy and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' was actually born in Fargo.

Edlund was born on December 6th, 1940, in Fargo, though he was raised in Fergus Falls, MN.

According to his Wikipedia page, Edlund developed an interest in experimental film, which took him to the University of Southern California in the 1960s.

On the strength of a handful of short films, Edlund was invited to work on the original 'Star Wars' film as a first cameraman.

From there, Edlund went on to work on some of the biggest films of all-time, according to his IMDb page:

  • Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  • Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  • Poltergeist (1982)
  • Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
  • Ghostbusters (1984)
  • Fright Night (1985)
  • Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
  • Masters of the Universe (1987)
  • The Monster Squad (1987)
  • Alien 3 (1992)

Edlund has also won seven Academy Awards and one Primetime Emmy.

Not bad for a guy from Fargo, huh?

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