Producer Richard D. Zanuck Passes Away at 77

According to published reports, film producer Richard D. Zanuck, who worked on such films as THE SOUND OF MUSIC and SWEENEY TODD, passed away today from a heart attack. He was 77 years old.

In 1972, Zanuck joined up with David Brown to form an independent Production Company called The Zanuck/Brown Company at Universal Pictures. They went on to produce such box office hits as Cocoon (1985) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989) before dissolving their partnership in 1988. They were jointly awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1990.

He worked with Tim Burton six times, producing Planet of the Apes (2001), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Dark Shadows (2012).