Saul Zaentz, Controversial Record Executive and Lauded Producer Behind 'Amadeus,' Dead at 92

Saul Zaentz, the music industry executive who became a film producer for three movies that won Academy Awards for Best Picture, has died at the age of 92, his nephew Paul Zaentz said on Saturday.

Zaentz died on Friday at his San Francisco area home from complications related to Alzheimer's disease, Paul Zaentz said.

Zaentz is best know for being a producer for acclaimed films including the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus in 1984 and The English Patient in 1996. All three were awarded Oscars for best picture.

"He was an amazing man," said nephew Paul Zaentz, who is also a movie producer. "He always taught me to only make films I am passionate about."

Zaentz was born in Passaic, New Jersey in 1921 and later joined the U.S. Army, where he served in Europe and the Pacific during World War II, according to his nephew.

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