Nicolas Clermont, one of Canada's leading independent producers, has died aged 59.

President of Montreal-based production company Filmline International, Clermont oversaw several major films, most recently The Art Of War, which was co-produced with Franchise Pictures and starred Wesley Snipes. It was the highest-grossing Canadian film of 2000. Clermont was in production on another high-profile action film, Renny Harlin's A Sound Of Thunder, again partnered with Franchise, but the project is delayed due to a potential overlap should SAG decide to strike.

Born in France, Clermont began his film career in the early sixties before immigrating to Canada in 1968. After a stint in Los Angeles, Clermont returned to Montreal in the early 1980s where he co-founded Filmline with partners David Patterson and Pieter Kroonenburg.

Among Filmline's best known titles are Bethune: The Making of A Hero, the first official co-production with China; This Is My Father, a Canada/Ireland co-production starring Aidan Quinn, James Caan, Stephen Rea and John Cusack; and Eye Of The Beholder, a Canada/UK co-production starring Ewan McGregor.