John Calley, a prominent figure in Hollywood died this week after a long battle with cancer, he was 81-years old.

During his tenure at three major studios Calley worked to have many notable films made including A Clockwork Orange, The Remains Of the Day, Spider-Man and The Da Vinci Code.

During his career Calley spent time at the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In a statement release to the press Mike Nichols said of his friend:

“John was unique. As a friend he was always there and always funny. He made life a joy for those he loved,” while adding, “As a studio head he was unfailingly supportive and didn’t try to do the filmmaker’s job. When he believed in someone he trusted and supported him and when very rarely he had a suggestion it was usually a life saver. In fact that’s what he was: a life saver.”

Apart from his time as a studio head Calley also served as the producer or associate producer on 10 films including The Sandpiper, The Americanization of Emily and The Remains of the Day which received an Oscar nomination but ultimately lost to Schindler’s List.

Following his death Sony Pictures Entertainment released an obituary, here is part of that posting:

Mr. Calley was born on July 8, 1930, in Jersey City, N.J. He joined the entertainment industry at the age of 21, landing a job in the NBC mailroom in New York after serving in the U.S. Army. That job led to positions of increasing responsibility in sales, production and programming during the television network’s formative years, with Mr. Calley eventually becoming director of nighttime programming. From there, Mr. Calley went on to become vice president of Henry Jaffe Enterprises, where he was responsible for developing and producing musical entertainment for films. He next moved to Ted Bates Advertising as vice president in charge of radio and television programming.

Mr. Calley later joined Filmways, where he produced such hits as ICE STATION ZEBRA, TOPKAPI, THE CINCINNATI KID, THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY, THE LOVED ONE and CATCH-22, based on the Joseph Heller novel of wartime insanity. While working on CATCH-22, Mr. Calley became identified with a seismic shift in Hollywood’s balance of power. The late 1960s ushered in a new generation of younger filmmakers just as the major studios were discovering the vast potential of the youth market, largely due to the runaway success of EASY RIDER.

“Kids were kings. After EASY RIDER, everything was exploding everywhere,” Mr. Calley recalled in a 1999 newspaper interview. “We were all young, it was our time, and it was very exciting. The founders were no longer in charge … What had been this rigid, immobile structure had completely come apart, and what was left was a lot of freedom.”

In 1969, Mr. Calley moved to Warner Bros., where he served as head of production, president and vice chairman. During his 13 years there with partners Frank Wells and Ted Ashley, Warner Bros. had a string of successful films. The studio’s hits included THE EXORCIST, DIRTY HARRY, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, DELIVERANCE, TOWERING INFERNO, A STAR IS BORN, BLAZING SADDLES, WHAT’S UP DOC?, JEREMIAH JOHNSON, KLUTE, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, SUPERMAN, BARRY LYNDON, CHARIOTS OF FIRE and WOODSTOCK.

The obituary in it’s entirety is much longer and showcases the reach Mr. Calley had on the entire entertainment industry.

Our condolences go out to John Calley’s family and friends, he will truly be remembered for the work he has accomplished and for his tremendous love of the film’s he helped bring to the masses.