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Richard Donner

Personal Info

Known For

Directing

Birthdate

1930-04-24

Day of Death

2021-07-05

Place of Birth

Bronx, New York, USA

Richard Donner

Biography

Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker. 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 career spanning more than six decades 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 (41)

⭐ 8.1 Role: Self (archive footage)

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

2024
⭐ 1.8 Role: Self

Valerie

2019
⭐ 6.8 Role: Self

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film

2019
⭐ 0 Role: Self

Davi's Way

2018
⭐ 5.4 Role: Self

Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies

2017
⭐ 5.7 Role: Self

Life After Flash

2017
⭐ 6.9 Role: Self

Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond

2016
⭐ 7.2 Role: Self - Filmmaker

Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire

2014
⭐ 6.8 Role: Unknown

Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics

2013
⭐ 6.8 Role: Self

Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot

2013
⭐ 6.9 Role: Self

Casting By

2012
⭐ 6.7 Role: Self

Maximum Impact: The Legacy of 'Lethal Weapon'

2012
⭐ 7.0 Role: Self (archive footage)

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

2010
⭐ 8.0 Role: Self

Making of a Cult Classic: The Unauthorized Story of 'The Goonies'

2010
⭐ 5.9 Role: Self

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos

2009