Jon Landau, Producer of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar,’ Dies at 63
For many years, he worked closely with director James Cameron and together they created three extremely successful movies that made a lot of money.
On July 7, 2024, at 5:56 in the morning Eastern Time.
Jon Landau, a famous film producer who won an Oscar and worked closely with director James Cameron on blockbuster movies like "Titanic" and the two "Avatar" films, has passed away at the age of 63.
Mr. Landau passed away on Friday in Los Angeles, as announced by his family in a statement released by Disney. The statement did not disclose the cause of death.
The partnership between Mr. Landau and Mr. Cameron has spanned many years and has been incredibly successful at the box office. Their first collaboration, "Titanic," was the first movie to make over $1 billion worldwide when it was released in 1997. This record was later surpassed by their next film together, "Avatar," which earned a total of $1.84 billion in 2009.
The movie "Titanic" received 14 Oscar nominations and won 11, including best picture, which James Cameron and Jon Landau both received.
In his speech accepting the award, Mr. Landau mentioned that he lacks the ability to act, compose music, or create visual effects, which is why he has chosen to focus on producing instead.
Jon Landau was born in New York City on July 23, 1960, as stated by his family. He got his first taste of the film industry from his parents, Ely and Edie Landau, who were both involved in producing movies.
He went to study at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Later on, he had a job as a production manager on movies like "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989) and "Dick Tracy" (1990).
He was appointed as the executive vice president of feature productions at 20th Century Fox, where he managed movies such as "Home Alone" (1990), "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993) and "Speed" (1994).
During that period, he crossed paths with Mr. Cameron, who was in charge of the film "True Lies" (1994), a mix of action and comedy released by 20th Century Fox, as per the information provided. After Mr. Landau made the decision to depart from the company, Mr. Cameron offered him the opportunity to review the script for a project known as "Planet Ice." This project eventually evolved into "Titanic" and marked the beginning of a collaborative relationship that endured for many years.
The second movie that Mr. Landau and Mr. Cameron collaborated on, “Avatar,” made almost $3 billion globally and received nine Academy Award nominations. It took home awards for best art direction, best cinematography, and best visual effects. A follow-up film, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” premiered in 2022.
In addition to his role as the COO of Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, Mr. Landau was also instrumental in bringing an "Avatar" themed attraction to Walt Disney World.
The family announced that Mr. Landau is survived by his wife, Julie Landau; their two sons, Jamie Landau and Jodie Landau; his two sisters, Tina Landau and Kathy Landau; his brother Les Landau; and additional family members.
