London, July 14 (ANI): Richard Zanuck, the Oscar-winning film producer behind "Driving Miss Daisy" and the son of the founder of Twentieth Century Fox, has died. He was 77.
Dick Zanuck, as most people called him, died of a heart attack at his Beverly Hills home on Friday morning.
His friend Steven Spielberg called him a "cornerstone of the film industry".
Son of the legendary movie mogul Darryl Zanuck and actress Virginia Fox, he became the youngest studio head in history when he took over 20th Century Fox aged 28.
After his father made him 20th Century Fox's head of production, the younger Zanuck went on to oversee the release of some of the era's classics, including 'The Sound of Music' and 'Butch Cassidy' and the 'Sundance Kid'.
He went on to run his own production company after several big-screen musicals for Fox flopped and his father fired him, spending most of his career as an independent producer.
The legendary prducer collaborated with Spielberg on the blockbuster 'Jaws' and several other films.
"He taught me everything I know about producing. He was one of the most honourable and loyal men of our profession and he fought tooth and nail for his directors," the BBC quoted Spielberg as saying in a statement.
His 1989 film 'Driving Miss Daisy' won four Oscars, including best picture for Zanuck and his wife and collaborator Lili Fini Zanuck.
In his later years, Zanuck collaborated closely with director Tim Burton on a number of monies, including 'Planet of the Apes', 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. (ANI)
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