Film Director Richard Marquand Dies at Age 49

British film director Richard Marquand, whose box-office hits included “Jagged Edge” and “Return of the Jedi,” died Friday morning in a hospital outside London. He was 49.

The hospital did not release the cause of death, but the British domestic news agency, Press Association, said the director had suffered a stroke last Sunday.

At the time of his death, Marquand had been awaiting the autumn release of his “Hearts of Fire.” It is a musical drama starring Bob Dylan, who portrays a legendary musician who for a decade has been a self-exiled gentleman farmer in rural Pennsylvania.

As director of “Return of the Jedi,” the third “Star Wars” movie, George Lucas picked Marquand from a long list of those vying for the job. At the time he was selected, Marquand had just two feature films to his credit and no science-fiction experience.

“I never really inquired why Lucas wanted me,” Marquand said in an interview with The Times in 1981. “I suppose he was looking for a younger-generation film maker who could work quickly and didn’t have an ego problem. You can’t be an auteur when you direct a ‘Star Wars.’ You have to be able to work very closely with Lucas.”

Marquand’s other film credits include the “Eye of the Needle” and “Until September.”

Before films, Marquand worked in the television industry. He directed “The Birth of the Beatles” and the “Search for the Nile,” which won an Emmy in 1972.

Marquand, son of former British Health Minister Hilary Marquand, was born in Cardiff, Wales, and was educated at King’s College, Cambridge, where he studied modern languages.

He entered the Royal Air Force and was stationed briefly in Hong Kong, where he later took a job as a newscaster. After returning to Britain, Marquand directed several television documentaries for the British Broadcasting Corp.

Marquand was married twice and had four children, two by each marriage.