Producer and film executive Jon Landau was best known for his work producing films including “Titanic” and “Avatar.” He also worked as a producer on “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” “Dick Tracy,” “Solaris,” and “Western Stars,” among others. According to IMDB, he has worked on 16 projects that were completed and another 7 that are in various stages of production and post-production.
Unfortunately, Landau won’t get to see those 7 projects once they are completed. Variety reported that Landou died on Friday, July 5, 2024. The cause of death was cancer, but the entertainment news outlet did not state what kind of cancer.
Landau, 63, was at his home in Los Angeles when he died.
Working as a producer was literally in Landau’s blood. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his father was an Oscar-nominated producer.
Back in 2022, Landau spoke to THR about what it was like to work with James Cameron on “Titanic.” He said, “I’ve seen an evolution of him.” He added, “Jim learns from every one of his experiences. He looks back and goes, ‘This is what worked, this is what didn’t work, how do I make it better?’”
Landau was born in the Bronx in New York City. He played football in high school prior to moving with his family to Brentwood in Los Angeles during his junior year of high school.
He attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts. After graduation, he moved back to New York where he started his career by working as a set production assistant.
Landau worked his way up as a production supervisor, production manager and finally as a producer. In 1989, he took a job at FOX and ended up becoming the studio’s Executive VP. When “Titanic” came along, he left FOX to work with Cameron.
According to KGW8, Landau is survived by his wife Julie and their two children, a son named Jamie and a daughter named Julie. He is also survived by his brother and two sisters.
Watch the video below to learn more about Landau’s contributions in Hollywood and his recent death.