(Los Angeles Times) 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."
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."