Oscar-Winning Producer Jake Eberts: July 10,1941—September 6, 2012

Veteran film producer Jake Eberts, whose socially-relevant films include Gandhi, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, and Chariots of Fire, died Thursday morning in his hometown of Montreal. He was 71. 

Eberts financed or produced more than 50 films over the course of his career, including the four listed above that won the Oscar for Best Picture. 

Last August, Eberts spoke with TakePart about his most recent project, the IMAX 3D documentary Jerusalem, which is slated for release in 2013. 

Eberts worked closely over the years with Jeff Skoll, the founder of TakePart's parent company, Participant Media.

"Jake and Jeff Skoll forged a relationship that goes back a decade when they partnered to bring one of Jake's films, Gandhi, to the Middle East to promote peaceful change," Participant Media CEO Jim Berk said Friday morning. Eberts was "a man who defined the term 'class act' and will be long remembered for his contributions to the film industry," he added. 

In 2011, Eberts sat down with TakePart at the Skoll World Forum in Oxford to talk about the importance of living your calling in life.

For more on Eberts' life and legacy, visit the Montreal Gazette.