Alexander Salkind

The central figure of a filmmaking dynasty, Alexander Salkind became one of the more high-profile international movie producers throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with his greatest success coming with the epic "Superman" (1978). Growing up in a Russian-Jewish family who had fled Europe as the start of WWII, a young Alexander joined father Mikhail Salkind on Latin American film productions like "Marina" (1945) before branching out on his own with the Buster Keaton entry "Boom in the Moon" (1945). Upon their return to Europe, the duo went on to produce larger efforts like "The Battle of Austerlitz" (1960) and "The Trial" (1963). With the addition of Salkind's only child, Ilya, to the family business, three generations of producing acumen came to bear on the swashbuckling hit "The Three Musketeers" (1973). That film and its equally successful sequel provided Salkind with a much needed hit and paved the way for their greatest triumph, "Superman" (1978), the superhero adventure that made an icon of its young star, Christopher Reeve. Despite the infamous firing of director Richard Donner, the sequel "Superman II" (1981) gave the Salkinds another box-office smash, although subsequent sequels and spin-offs from the franchise yielded increasingly diminished results. Sadly, the disastrous "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" (1992) was the spirit-breaking end to the producer's career, a debacle that resulted in a bitter lawsuit filed against him by his own son. As accomplished as he was controversial, Salkind left an indelible mark upon the industry with a number of beloved films.