Laura Ziskin, producer of hit movies including the “Spider-Man” franchise, “As Good As It Gets” and “Pretty Woman,” died last night in her Santa Monica home following a 7-year battle with breast cancer. After being diagnosed in 2004, Ziskin teamed up with other women in the entertainment industry to form the nonprofit Stand Up to Cancer, raising $200 MILLION to find a cure.
Laura Ziskin was a “Spider-Man” novice when she first met with her future producing partner on the blockbuster film franchise. She quickly became an expert on the Marvel Comics superhero and his alter-ego Peter Parker, applying the same tenacity that took her from humble beginnings as a game-show writer to Hollywood’s top echelons in a career of nearly 40 years.
“She became a geek,” said Avi Arad, producer on the “Spider-Man” films with Ziskin, 61, who died Sunday at her Santa Monica home after a seven-year battle with breast cancer. “The biggest thing to know and remember about her is her passion. I remember her coming into ‘Spider-Man’ and how fast she learned everything there is to learn. …
“She became a bonafide geek,” said Arad, who was head of Marvel Comics’ film division when he and Ziskin first met. “Her office now looks more like my office than a normal Hollywood producer’s office. A lot of Spidey stuff. She fell in love with Peter Parker, and we had this great fortune that she fell in love with him. It was a great team. She was the best partner I ever had. We couldn’t have made these movies without her.”
With $2.5 billion at the box office worldwide, the three “Spider-Man” films were the peak of Ziskin’s professional career, which included shepherding such films as “Fight Club,” ”Pretty Woman” ”No Way Out” and “As Good as It Gets” as producer, executive producer or studio executive.