Co-producer with Jerry Bruckheimer of Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, and other popular films.
He started out in Los Angeles making a living with small acting parts and teaching tennis on local courts.
He was responsible for the comedy Bad Boys, the submarine drama Crimson Tide, and the Oscar-winning Dangerous Minds, all for Disney. His films with Jerry Bruckheimer earned more than $3 billion and 15 Academy Award nominations.
He was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, in a working-class family.
His drug use eventually killed him, although friends like Jeffrey Katzenberg tried to intervene and get him help.
