Guy McElwaine | Hollywood mogul, 71

Guy McElwaine, 71, who as a Hollywood agent and studio chief was involved in such blockbusters as

All the President's Men

and

The Karate Kid

, died Wednesday at his Bel-Air home after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

In the 1960s, Mr. McElwaine owned a management and public-relations company whose clients included Frank Sinatra, Warren Beatty, and the Mamas and the Papas.

He later joined Creative Management Associates, the forerunner of the powerful International Creative Management. There, he was the first agent to sign Steven Spielberg. In the 1970s, he worked at Warner Bros. as senior executive vice president, helping supervise All the President's Men and Dog Day Afternoon.

In 1981, he became president of Columbia Pictures and later the chairman and chief executive officer. Under his tenure, the studio produced or distributed such hits as Ghostbusters, The Karate Kid and Gandhi. He resigned in 1986 and two years later was back with ICM as an agent. He later was president and chief operating officer of Trilogy Entertainment Group. At the time of his death, he was president of Morgan Creek Productions and was an executive producer for the 2006 Matt Damon drama The Good Shepherd. - AP