Jon Landau | |
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![]() Landau in 2022 | |
Born | [1] New York City, U.S. | July 23, 1960
Died | July 5, 2024 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 63)
Education | University of Southern California |
Occupation | Film producer |
Years active | 1987–2024 |
Spouse | Julie |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
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Jon Landau (/ˈlændaʊ/; July 23, 1960 – July 5, 2024)[1] was an American film producer, who won an Academy Award for Best Picture for producing James Cameron's disaster film Titanic (1997). He was also nominated for producing Cameron's science fiction films Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). As of 2024[update], these are three of the four highest-grossing films of all time.
Landau was the son of Edie, a producer, and Ely A. Landau, a studio executive and producer. He had two half-brothers, Neil Landau and Les Landau, and two sisters, Tina Landau and Kathy Landau.[2] He attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts.[3] Landau was Jewish.[4][2]
Throughout the early 1990s, Landau was executive vice president of feature film production at Twentieth Century Fox.[5]
He was best known for producing Titanic (1997), a film which won him an Academy Award and became the highest-grossing film of all time, the first ever to reach $1 billion in gross revenues. The film reached $1.84 billion, more than double the $914 million of then-record-holder Jurassic Park (1993). Titanic later went on to gross another $300 million in 2012, pushing the film's worldwide total to $2.18 billion, becoming the second film to ever hit $2 billion, as a result.[6]
In 2009, Landau and James Cameron produced the science fiction blockbuster Avatar,[7] which has since surpassed their earlier collaboration, Titanic, to become the new highest-grossing film of all time, with $2.92 billion. Avatar earned Landau his second Academy Award nomination.
For nearly 40 years, Landau was married to Julie.[8] They had two sons, Jamie and Jodie.[8][9][10]
Landau died at the age of 63 on July 5, 2024.[11] Variety reported that he died of cancer.[12] Avatar 3, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, which were produced by him prior to his death, will be released posthumously.
Producer
Co-producer