Oscar-winning ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’ producer, Jon Landau, dies at 63
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John Landau dies at 63 after working closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time,
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Jon Landau speaks at Grades of Green Verte 2014 at MBS Media Campus on June 6, 2014, in Manhattan Beach, California, United States. (AP)
Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time, Titanic and the 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.
Cameron, in a statement, remembered “a dear friend, and my closest collaborator of 31 years.” “A part of myself has been torn away,” said Cameron.
“His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit, and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades,” said Cameron. “His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique.”
Landau's career history
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. Titanic became the first movie to cross $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 rising to a top executive role at Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment. In 2009, they celebrated as "Avatar," a groundbreaking sci-fi epic shown in theaters with revolutionary 3D technology, surpassed the box-office success of "Titanic." It remains the highest-grossing film of all time.
Its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” is third on the list.
Landau, who became executive vice president of feature films at 20th Century Fox at just 29, oversaw major hits like Home Alone, its sequel, Mrs. Doubtfire, and True Lies, where he began collaborating closely with James Cameron.
He also played a pivotal role in bringing the manga adaptation "Alita: Battle Angel" to theaters in 2019. While Cameron supported the project, his commitments to "Avatar" prevented him from directing, so Landau worked with director Robert Rodriguez to complete the film.
Born on July 23, 1960, in New York, Landau was the son of film producers Ely and Edie Landau. The family relocated to Los Angeles in the 1970s, where Landau later graduated from the University of Southern California’s film school.
