Jon Landau, 'Titanic', 'Diehard', 'Avatar' Producer Dies At 63

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Jon Landau, who produced three of the biggest- grossing movies in history with director James Cameron's "Titanic" and both "Avatar" films, has died of cancer at age 63.

Landau's son Jamie Landau told The Hollywood Reporter that his father died Friday in Los Angeles.

Landau's sister Tina posted the following tribute Saturday on the social media platform X: "The best brother a girl could ever dream of - my brother Jon - has passed away. My heart is broken but also bursting with pride & gratitude for his most extraordinary life, and the love and gifts he gave me - and all who knew him or his films."

Actress Frances Fisher, who appeared in "Titanic," had noted Landau's death late Friday, writing "Rest in Power Jon" on X.

Landau was born in New York in 1960 to parents who owned movie theaters and were both film producers as well.

His phenomenally successful career as a producer was accompanied by a meteoric rise in the studio ranks, in which he was named an executive vice president of feature movies at 20th Century Fox when he was just 29. He oversaw films including "Die Hard 2" (1990), "The Last of the Mohicans" (1992), "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993) and Cameron's "True Lies" (1994).

That last film touched off Landau's partnership with Cameron. They teamed up for 1997's "Titanic," for which they both won Oscars. In 2009, they struck gold again with "Avatar," which remains the biggest-grossing film of all time.

Their most recent venture, 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water," is third on the all-time list, one spot ahead of "Titanic."

Landau becoming a top executive at Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment in 2009.

In January 2023, Landau and Cameron placed their handprints and footprints in cement in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX.

City News Service