Richard Donner
Known For
Directing
Born
1930-04-24 in Bronx, New York, USA
Died
2021-07-05
Biography
Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930–July 5, 2021) was an American film director and producer. Described as "one of Hollywood's most reliable makers of action blockbusters," Donner directed some of the most financially successful films of the 1970s and 1980s. His 50-year career crossed genres and influenced trends among filmmakers across the world. Donner began his career in 1957 as a television director. In the 1960s, he directed episodes of the series The Rifleman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, The Banana Splits, and many others. Donner made his film debut with the low-budget aviation drama X-15 in 1961 but had his critical and commercial breakthrough with the horror film The Omen in 1976. He directed the landmark superhero film Superman in 1978, which provided an inspiration for the fantasy film genre to eventually gain artistic respectability and commercial dominance. Donner later went on to direct films in the 1980s such as The Goonies and Scrooged, while reinvigorating the buddy cop film genre with the Lethal Weapon series. Donner and his wife, Lauren, owned a production company, The Donners' Company, which is most successful for producing the Free Willy and X-Men film franchises. Donner also produced Tales from the Crypt and co-wrote several comic books for Superman publisher DC Comics. In 2000, Donner received the President's Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Donner, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Most Known For
Tales from the Crypt
as Man at Bar (uncredited)
Lassie
as Clay Braddock
The Goonies
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
as Inebriate
Superman
as Man in Street (extended version) (uncredited)
HBO First Look
HBO First Look
as Self
Sam Benedict
as Grover Stann
Eli Roth's History of Horror
as Self
Superpowered: The DC Story
as Self (archive footage)
Conspiracy Theory
as Cab Passenger (uncredited)
Timeline
as Man in Car (uncredited)
16 Blocks
as Man Holding a Birthday Cake (uncredited)
Superman II
as Man Walking by Diner (uncredited)
Reunited Apart
as Self
Maverick
as Dealer (uncredited)
Cursed Films
as Self - Director, The Omen
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
as Man Walking by Diner (uncredited)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
as Self (archive footage)
Out Cold
as Snooty Bartender (uncredited)