NEED TO KNOW
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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere premiered in theaters on Oct. 24
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The biopic follows Bruce Springsteen during his younger years and highlights several pivotal relationships in his life
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His longtime manager, Jon Landau, is portrayed by Jeremy Strong
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere gives viewers a closer look at many of The Boss’ relationships, including the singer’s close-knit bond with his longtime manager, Jon Landau.
The biopic, which was released in theaters on Oct. 24, stars Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen, following the rock icon as he was recording and releasing his emotional 1982 album, Nebraska. While it highlights his strained dynamic with his father and dives into his relationship with a love interest, Faye, the film also spends a lot of time on Springsteen’s professional and personal friendship with Landau (Jeremy Strong).
Landau gave his stamp of approval on the casting choice while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in October 2024.
“I died and went to heaven,” Landau joked when he heard Strong would be portraying him. “He’s a great guy. We’ve had the chance to know each other, and I’m just dying to see what he does and what I learn from it.”
In the film, Landau not only supports Springsteen’s decision to release the bedroom-recorded version of Nebraska, but also encourages him to get professional help for his mental health struggles.
So, where is Jon Landau now? Here’s everything to know about the life of Bruce Springsteen’s manager following the events of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Who is Jon Landau?
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Bruce Springsteen and manager Jon Landau during sessions for Springsteen’s 1981 album “The River” on March 15, 1980, in New York City.
Landau was born in New York City in 1947, before moving to Lexington, Mass., as a young teen, per his bio on Primary Wave. He was raised in a music-loving family and began playing guitar when he was 7 years old.
As he grew older, Landau shifted from playing in a band to pursuing a career as a music journalist, according to his bio.
The Brandeis University alum eventually became a music critic, working for Rolling Stone and several other outlets. In 1974, he saw a performance of Springsteen’s and famously proclaimed the musician as “rock and roll’s future,” a review that ultimately kickstarted their partnership.
“I saw my rock and roll past flash before my eyes. I saw something else: I saw rock and roll’s future and its name is Bruce Springsteen,” Landau wrote in his review of Springsteen’s performance, per Mass Moments.
According to Biography, Landau, who was also a producer, worked with Springsteen’s then-manager, Mike Appel, to create the rocker’s third studio album, Born to Run. By 1978, he took over from Appel as Springsteen’s manager.
Landau has also worked with rock band MC5, Shania Twain and Train, among others. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award for Lifetime Achievement, per his Primary Wave bio.
What was the relationship between Jon Landau and Bruce Springsteen like?
David Gahr/Getty
Bruce Springsteen and manager Jon Landau during sessions for Springsteen’s 1981 album ‘The River’ on March 15, 1980, in New York City.
In Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, viewers see Landau be the driving force in leading Springsteen to seek help for his mental health struggles — much like in real life.
Springsteen has been open over the years about navigating depression, which began to get serious during his early 30s. During a May 2025 conversation with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Springsteen opened up about experiencing his “breakdown” around the release of Nebraska.
Though it was difficult to navigate, Springsteen noted that Landau “had some experience with it and directed me in to get some help, which I did.”
According to TIME, the “Born in the U.S.A.” singer contemplated suicide following the release of Nebraska, but it was his manager who told him he needed “professional help.”
“It was and has been a total life changer,” Springsteen told the outlet in September 2025.
Do Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau still work together?
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Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau at Opening Night ‘Springsteen On Broadway’ on May 5, 2019, in Los Angeles.
Springsteen and Landau continue to have a close professional and personal relationship.
Nearly 50 years have passed since Landau took over as Springsteen’s manager, a role that he still holds to this day. Landau even served as the singer’s best man during his wedding to his first wife, Julianne Phillips, per the Los Angeles Times.
During a February 2017 conversation with Billboard, Landau opened up about how he has changed as a manager over the several decades that he has represented Springsteen.
“The job is to understand and to help with the constant transformation process that’s going on [with Bruce],” he said. “To do that you have to recognize the changes that are going on with yourself. You also have to be able to lead sometimes and to follow at other times.”
He went on to say that Springsteen “goes in a lot of different directions,” often wanting to cover “a lot of mileage.”
“He’s usually in the lead. But every now and then, somebody might get to say, ‘Hey, you know, we seem to be veering [off course] a little. Are we missing something over there?’ ” Landau continued. “It’s personal management in our particular case. There’s nothing abstract about it.”
According to The Atlantic, Strong attended one of Springsteen’s concerts with Landau to prepare for the role, where he watched the manager see his client perform.
“The expression of sheer love and awe in his eyes, it makes me want to cry,” Strong said of Landau.
Where is Jon Landau now?
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Jon Landau and Jeremy Strong attend the New York Film Festival Spotlight Gala on Sept. 28, 2025, in New York.
Although he is still Springsteen’s manager, Landau sold his producer and neighboring rights royalties — a.k.a. rights to income related to the performance or broadcast of songs — to Primary Wave Music in August 2024, per Variety.
According to The Atlantic, Landau was present on the set of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, sitting behind the monitors as Strong embodied his character. Strong told the outlet that he and Landau spent time together during the making of the film, when the actor “drilled him with questions.”
Once the film wrapped, Landau continued showing his support for the cast and crew by attending the premiere at the New York Film Festival in September 2025.
As for his personal life, Landau was first married to music critic Janet Maslin and later wed his second wife, Barbara Downey, per The New Yorker. According to Billboard, he is a father to two children, including a daughter named Kate who has followed in her dad’s footsteps scouting new talent.
Landau has also faced a string of health issues, as he had a growth surgically removed from his brain that resulted in him losing vision in one eye, per The New Yorker. As Landau shared with the outlet, Springsteen was by his side nearly every day as he recovered from the surgery.
“He knew I was going through something, and I thought I was going to die,” Landau said. “It wasn’t rational, but the fear was there … We shared a lot of deep talk.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
Read the original article on People
