Sam Mercer dead at 69: Hollywood movie producer behind M. Night Shyamalan Films, has passed away

Hollywood movie producer Sam Mercer has died at the age of 69. He was behind eight of M. Night Shyamalan Films, including the blockbuster The Sixth Sense. His wife Tegan Jones told The Hollywood Reporter that her husband had passed away at his home from younger-onset Alzheimer’s. 

Sam Mercer grew up in Massachusetts in the States and after attending college, started working as a location manager. He worked on huge films such as National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,  Peggy Sue Got Married and The Witches of Eastwick. After starting his career as a location manager, Sam then became a production executive at the Walt Disney Company, films he supervised included the iconic Robin Williams movie Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam. 

When he became vice president of motion picture production at Hollywood Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter reported that “he oversaw the release of films including Arachnophobia (1990), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Joy Luck Club (1993) and Quiz Show (1994).”

Sam Mercer then became an independent producer on movies such as Congo and Mission to Mars. However, he then became best known for his collaborations with the writer M. Night Shyamalan. They worked together on the blockbuster movie The Sixth Sense, which starred Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. It was a phenomenal success and made $673 million worldwide.

M. Night Shyamalan released a statement regarding Sam Mercer which read: “Sam and I started working together when I was in my mid-twenties. He taught me that the culture of a set comes from the top down. He led with kindness and showed me how to navigate pressure with grace. He was the best big brother I could have hoped for. He made every movie a family and I’ve tried to emulate that in every film since. He made me laugh and took care of me at the same time. He did this with everyone. I’ll never forget his perfectly neat desk, his gentle eyes, and his magical ability to convey that everything was going to be okay. When he was around, that was always true.”

As well as working with M. Night Shyamalan on The Sixth Sense, they collaborated on  movies such as Lady in the Water, The Happening and The Last Airbender. Sam Mercer leaves behind his wife Tegan and children Miles and Sierra. According to The Hollywood Reporter, donations in his memory can be made to Lorenzo’s House, which helps young people and their families with younger-onset dementia.