Obituary: Jon Landau, producer

Although director James Cameron took the plaudits and the limelight, the Oscar-winning film-maker’s career was built upon the 31-year-long relationship he had with his producer Jon Landau. The New Yorker was born to cinema, being the son of a producer and a studio executive, but he chose to work his way up through the ranks, starting as a production manager. His first film as producer, Campus Man, made little impact on cinema history but he fared better as co-producer on Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy. Landau was named an executive vice-president of feature movies at 20th Century Fox when he was 29, which led him to oversee major hits including Home Alone and its sequel, as well as Mrs. Doubtfire. In 1993 Landau met James Cameron when assigned to oversee Cameron’s Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle True Lies and the two became fast friends. Landau signed up to produce Cameron’s next film, Titanic, and was rewarded richly both in terms of box office returns and awards.

"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 Best Film Oscar alongside Cameron.

Titanic became the highest-grossing film of all time, until the next Landau-Cameron production, Avatar, surpassed it. Landau produced its sequel and Cameron said Landau — who he described as "the heart of the Avatar family" — would remain credited as a producer for the three sequels to come. Landau died on July 5 aged 63. — Agencies