After first joining the Navy, he developed an interest in experimental film and enrolled in film school in California in the late 60s. 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 of the first of the Star Wars films 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 back ground resulting in a second academy award. Edlund also did distinguished work for Lucas and ILM on Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Poltergeist series.
Following the completion of the original Star Wars films with Return of the Jedi, Edlund set up his own effects company, Boss Films, whose credits include Ghostbusters.
He also worked on other projects such as Masters of the Universe, Die Hard, Ghost, or Alien³.
- The Jedi Master's Quizbook
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 213