Arts & Entertainment
'Spider-Man' Producer Laura Ziskin Dies of Breast Cancer
The 61-year-old producer, who worked out of an office on the Sony lot in Culver City, is also known for "No Way Out" and "As Good as It Gets."
Laura Ziskin, who produced blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man and Pretty Woman, died Sunday at her Santa Monica home after a seven-year fight against breast cancer, The Associated Press reported. Ziskin worked out of a office on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City.
Ziskin's 35-year producing career includes such films as No Way Out with Kevin Costner and As Good as It Gets with Jack Nicholson. She was president of Fox 2000 Pictures for five years in the 1990s. She also produced the Academy Awards telecasts in 2002 and 2007 and was the first woman to be a solo producer of the awards show.
Ziskin was the producing mastermind behind the three Spider-Man movies and was working on the fourth at the time of her death.
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Ziskin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and later formed the group Stand Up to Cancer with other women in the entertainment industry. The organization has since raised more than $200 million to fight the disease.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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