Jon Landau, Oscar-winning 'Titanic' and 'Avatar' producer, dies at 63
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Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time, 'Titanic' and two 'Avatar' films, has died. He was 63.
Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time, "Titanic" and two "Avatar" films, has died. He was 63.
Landau's family announced his death Saturday. No cause of death was given.
Landau's partnership with Cameron led to three Oscar nominations and a best picture win for 1997's "Titanic." Together the pair account for some of the biggest blockbusters in movie history, including "Avatar" and its sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water."
Landau's career began in the 1980s as a production manager, and he gradually rose through the ranks, serving as a co-producer on "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "Dick Tracy."
He took on the producer role on "Titanic," Cameron's expensive epic about the infamous 1912 maritime disaster. The bet paid off: "Titanic" became the first movie to cross US$1 billion in global box-office earnings and went on to win 11 Oscars, including best picture.
"I can't act and I can't compose and I can't do visual effects, so I guess that's why I'm producing." Landau said while accepting the award with Cameron.
Their partnership continued, with Landau becoming a top executive at Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. In 2009 the pair watched as "Avatar," a sci-fi epic filmed and shown in theaters with groundbreaking 3D technology, surpassed the box-office success of "Titanic." It remains the top-grossing film of all time.