'Star Wars' wasn't the only classic sci-fi film Ladd greenlit at Fox. Maisel' and 'Law & Order: SVU' character actor, dead at 65

RIP: Children's author Shirley Hughes, known for her popular 'Alfie' series, dies at 94 'My biggest contribution to 'Star Wars' was keeping my mouth shut and standing by the picture,' Ladd told Variety. His only false move may have been granting Lucas' merchandising rights rather than a raise when 'American Graffiti' became a hit. Esquire magazine put him on the cover in 1978 with the headline: 'Triumph of the Laid-Back Style.'Įven when the studio's confidence wavered on 'Star Wars,' Ladd kept his trust in what would become one of the highest grossing films ever made. And he did so with an easy-going, tight-lipped manner that made him widely admired by stars and filmmakers. helped steer films including 'Once Upon a Time in America' (1984), 'The Right Stuff' (1983) 'Gone, Baby Gone' (2007) and Mel Gibson's 'Braveheart' (1995), for which he won best picture.Īll told, films Ladd produced or greenlit movies that won more than 50 Oscars and 150 nominations. As studio head at Fox and MGM (twice), Ladd - affectionately known as 'Laddie' - was involved in some 14 best-picture nominees, including 'Young Frankenstein' (1974), 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (1975), 'Chariots of Fire' (1981) and 'Blade Runner' (1982).

Ladd Jr., the son of 'Shane' star Alan Ladd, started in the film business as his father's stuntman but rose to become one of its leading - and most widely liked - executives. Ladd died Wednesday, his daughter Amanda Ladd-Jones, who directed the documentary 'Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies,' wrote in a Facebook post. NEW YORK - Alan Ladd Jr., the Oscar-winning producer and studio boss who as a 20th Century Fox executive greenlit 'Star Wars,' has died.

Brave heart actor dies