Richard D. Zanuck, one of the most legendary and influential figures in the history of the movie business, died Friday morning at age 77.
Zanuck had a huge influence on Hollywood and the culture at large, first as the head of 20th Century Fox and, for the past four decades, as a film producer.
On his watch, Fox released era-defining classics such as “The Sound of Music,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “MASH.”
PHOTOS: Richard Zanuck | 1934 - 2012
As a producer, Zanuck, who was the son of Darryl Zanuck, the first chief of Fox, continued a remarkable run; he was a driving force on movies such as “Jaws,” "Cocoon,” and “Driving Miss Daisy.”
In recent years, he had collaborated frequently with Tim Burton, producing about a half-dozen of the auteur's movies, including the recently released"Dark Shadows."
A complete obit will follow at latimes.com/obituaries and other posts will be coming shortly on Movies Now.
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