Movie Producer Jon Landau Dies at the Age of 63

95th Oscars® nominee Jon Landau arrives at the Oscar Nominee Luncheon held in the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton on Monday, February 13, 2023. The 95th Oscars will air on Sunday, March 12, 2023 live on ABC. Credit/Provider: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

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Film producer Jon Landau has died aged 63.
He had a close working relationship with writer/director James Cameron.
Landau helped shepherd movies including ‘Titanic’ and the ‘Avatar’ franchise.

Jon Landau, a respected film producer who is in large part responsible for James Cameron’s movies since ‘Titanic’ making it successfully to screens, has died after a cancer diagnosis. He was 63.

Landau, who had a passion for movies, was always a welcome, warm presence for members of the press on sets, where he was the biggest champions of the filmmakers with whom he worked, and frequently made himself available to tour sets and answer questions.

Jon Landau: Early Life and Career

Producer Jon Landau arrives at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA, on Sunday, March 7, 2010. Credit/Provider: Greg Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Born in 1960 in New York, he was the son of Ely A. Landau and Edie Landau, who owned Manhattan movie houses, founded the American Film Theater and produced more than a dozen films themselves.

Landau’s own path to cinematic history began at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.

His early career saw him climb the ranks at 20th Century Fox, eventually becoming Executive Vice President of Feature Production. This period honed his producing skills, seeing him work on movies such as ‘Die Hard 2’, ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ and ‘True Lies’, which brought him into contact with director James Cameron.

Jon Landau and James Cameron

Director James Cameron for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’

Landau and Cameron had such a successful working partnership on that film that when Landau decided to go back to producing himself, he received offers from three directors and opted to join Cameron to work on a project the filmmaker had codenamed ‘Planet Ice’.

The result, of course, was ‘Titanic’, which became a cultural phenomenon. Despite a monumentally (and well-documented) troubled production, the movie shattered box office records and garnered Landau his first Academy Award for Best Picture.

Landau joined Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment company and the duo continued their successful partnership, with ‘Avatar’ surpassing ‘Titanic’ to become the highest-grossing film of all time (a record it held for a decade).

They continued to push cinematic boundaries with ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ (directed by Robert Rodriguez) and the recent ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ solidifying Landau’s position as a producer who consistently delivered visually stunning and commercially successful movies.

Jon Landau Dies: Peter Jackson Pays Tribute

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’s Oscar winning producer Jon Landau.

Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, who in addition to their own filmmaking achievements, co-own Wētā FX, which crafts the effects for the ‘Avatar’ movies, paid tribute:

“We speak for the entire Wētā FX team when we say we are devastated by the loss of Jon Landau. Jon was not only a monumental figure in the film industry but also a cherished collaborator and friend. Jon brought unparalleled passion to the projects he worked on, and his influence will continue to inspire for years to come. Our deepest condolences are with Jon’s family and loved ones, as well as Jim and the Lightstorm Entertainment team.”

Landau is survived by his wife Julie, who once worked as a film accountant; sons Jamie, an actor, Jodie, a vocalist, composer and percussionist, two sisters, Tina Landau, a theater director, and Kathy Landau, executive director of the Manhattan arts organization Symphony Space; and half-brother Les Landau, a director on various ‘Star Trek’ series.

“James comes up with the great dreams,” Landau told The Jewish Journal in 2010, “and it’s my job to make those dreams come true.”

He was right about that, and Cameron –– not to mention the wider world of cinema –– will most definitely miss him.

Oscar® nominee Jon Landau and guests arrives on the red carpet of the 95th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023. Credit/Provider: Kyusung Gong / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

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