Richard Zanuck died today at his home in Los Angeles of a heart attack.

He was the Producer of a vast string of hugely successful films, including: The French Connection, Patton, The Sound of Music, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Driving Miss Daisy, Jaws, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice In Wonderland, the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes, and most recently Dark Shadows.

His work is to be admired, respected and studied, along with his passion, commitment and involvement as a producer. To wit:

"I think there's been a devaluation of the concept," he told Variety. "Maybe too many people have used the term 'producer' when they weren't qualified. That's what the Producers Guild has been fighting for years. I was the chairman of the producers' branch of the Academy for about 10 years, and we were constantly trying to find ways to prevent this proliferation of credits. A producer should contribute from the very beginning until the very end, in all aspects. I'm there at the set every day, on every shot. Not that the director, particularly Tim (Burton), needs me, but just in case. There are producers who don't even watch the dailies, who have some contact with the project and get their name slapped on there. That's what we've been trying to get rid of."

Rest in Peace Richard.

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