Stuart Cornfeld–producer of such memorable horror films as The Fly, Mimic, and The Ruins–has passed away at the age of 67.
Cornfeld— recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffer Alumni Medal, which honors AFI Conservatory alumni who embody the qualities of the filmmaker for which it is named–reportedly passed away following a battle with cancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In a 2013 interview with AFI, Cornfeld downplayed his role in making movies. “There’s nothing terribly important about a producer,” he said. “I mean, honestly, what you want to do is just make the films that you work on better.”
Arguably Cornfeld’s best-known and most successful horror movie was 1986’s The Fly, directed and co-written by David Cronenberg and starring Jeff Goldblum. The Fly–which earned an Academy Award for Best Makeup–grossed $60.6 million at the box office worldwide on a budget of just $9 million.
In 1997 Cornfeld worked with Guillermo del Toro on Mimic. The film starred Mira Sorvino as a biologist, who along with her colleagues, develops a way to combat a plague spread by cockroaches which targets children in New York City. Mimic was able to earn $25.5 million at the box office. The film also marks the major film debut of The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus.
The supernatural horror vehicle The Ruins, released in 2008, was directed by Carter Smith and adapted by Scott Smith from his novel of the same name. This film also succeeded at the box office, to the tune of $22 million worldwide on an $8-million budget.
Cornfeld also produced such lighter, comedic films as Zoolander, Dodgeball and Tropic Thunder.
Cornfeld is survived by his sisters Lois and Ellen and by his former wife Johanna Went.
The staff of Horror News Network extends its condolences to his family and friends.
