Jake Eberts | Famed film producer, 71

Jake Eberts, 71, the Canadian independent producer and founder of Britain's Goldcrest Films, which revived the British cinema industry in the 1980s with a string of Oscar-winning movies, including

Gandhi

and

Chariots of Fire,

died Thursday in Montreal.

He was diagnosed in late 2010 with uveal melanoma, a rare cancer of the eye, which recently spread to his liver, said his wife, Fiona.

During four decades in the film business, Mr. Eberts financed or produced more than 50 films, including four that won Academy Awards for best picture: Chariots of Fire (1981), Gandhi (1982), Driving Miss Daisy (1989) and Dances With Wolves (1990).

He also produced The Killing Fields (1984), City of Joy (1992), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) and the ecological documentary Oceans (2009).

He was known for his financing savvy and personal approach to moviemaking, backing projects that appealed to him on a deep emotional level and presenting compelling stories without gratuitous sex, car chases, and violence.

"He was truly the gentleman of Hollywood," said Jim Berk, chief executive of Participant Media, which partnered with Mr. Eberts on Oceans and other projects.

"Jake's purpose in life was to try to create content that not only tells stories but leads to social awareness and people inspired to do things that are beyond the norm. So he would look for that. . . . He had that special touch finding those stories."

- Los Angeles Times