Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- Zalman King , a onetime actor who went on to produce and direct numerous films including `` Wild Orchid , '' died Friday after a lengthy battle with cancer , his son-in-law said . King was 70 . After fighting cancer for six years , King died Friday morning at his home in Santa Monica , California , son-in-law Allison Burnett told CNN . His wife and longtime contributor , writer-director Patricia Louisiana Knopp , was by his side . Born Zalman Lefkovitz , King broke into Hollywood in the 1960s as an actor with roles on several TV series including `` The Alfred Hitchcock Hour , '' `` Bonanza , '' `` Gunsmoke '' and `` The Young Lawyers , '' according to the online Internet Movie Database website , imdb.com . He produced several films in the 1980s , including the erotic drama `` 9Â½ Weeks '' starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke . And in 1989 , King moved behind the camera to direct `` Wild Orchid , '' written by him and his wife and featuring Rourke and Jacqueline Bisset . According to Burnett , late director Stanley Kubrick would call King `` every night '' while shooting `` Eyes Wide Shut , '' starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman , to get ideas on shooting erotic scenes . King also knew Martin Sheen for decades , as well as his son Charlie Sheen , according to Burnett . The former `` Platoon , '' `` Wall Street '' and `` Two and a Half Men '' star lauded King as a `` brilliant and noble soul '' in a statement Friday on his website . `` My dear friend of 40 years , Zalman King , just lost his battle with cancer , '' Charlie Sheen wrote . `` Fought like a recon marine til the bitter end . ''
Charlie Sheen remembers King was an actor in Friday TV shows . He later produced several films , including `` Wild Orchid '' His directing credits include the erotic drama , `` Nine and 1/2 Weeks '' Zalman King as a `` brilliant and noble soul ''