Richard Donner
Born
24 April 1930 (95)
Place of Birth
Bronx, New York, USA
Also known as
Richard D. Schwartzberg, Richard D. Donner
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,...
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.
Filmography (40)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
2024
Valerie
2019
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
2019
Davi's Way
2018
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
2017
Life After Flash
2017
Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond
2016
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
2014
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics
2013
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
2013
Casting By
2012
Maximum Impact: The Legacy of 'Lethal Weapon'
2012
Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
2010
Making of a Cult Classic: The Unauthorized Story of 'The Goonies'
2010
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
2009
Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound
2008
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
2006
Superman II: Restoring the Vision
2006
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
2006
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
2006
16 Blocks
2006
The Curse of 'The Omen'
2005
Timeline
2003
Out Cold
2001
The Omen Legacy
2001
Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman'
2001
Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend
2001
666: The Omen Revealed
2000
Lethal Weapon 4
1998
Conspiracy Theory
1997
Film Music Masters: Jerry Goldsmith
1995
Assassins
1995
Maverick
1994
Lethal Weapon 3
1992
Radio Flyer
1992
Two-Fisted Tales
1992
First Works
1989
Lethal Weapon 2
1989
Scrooged
1988
Lethal Weapon
1987