Richard 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, 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.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (44)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
as Self (archive footage)
2024
Valerie
as Self
2019
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
as Self
2019
Davi's Way
as Self
2018
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
as Self
2017
Life After Flash
as Self
2017
Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond
as Self
2016
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
as Self - Filmmaker
2014
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics
as Self
2013
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
as Self
2013
Casting By
as Self
2012
Maximum Impact: The Legacy of 'Lethal Weapon'
as Self
2012
Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
as Self (archive footage)
2010
Making of a Cult Classic: The Unauthorized Story of 'The Goonies'
as Self
2010
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Executive Producer (Production)
2009
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
as Self
2009
Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound
as Self - Director, Superman: The Movie
2008
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
as Self
2006
Superman II: Restoring the Vision
as Self
2006
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
as Man Walking by Diner (uncredited)
2006
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
as Self
2006
16 Blocks
as Man Holding a Birthday Cake (uncredited)
2006
The Curse of 'The Omen'
as Self
2005
Timeline
as Man in Car (uncredited)
2003
Ritual
Producer (Production)
2002
Out Cold
as Snooty Bartender (uncredited)
2001
The Omen Legacy
as Self
2001
Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman'
as Self
2001
Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend
as Self
2001
666: The Omen Revealed
2000
X-Men
Executive Producer (Production)
2000
Any Given Sunday
Executive Producer (Production)
1999
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
Producer (Production)
1999
Made Men
Producer (Production)
1999
Lethal Weapon 4
Director (Directing)
1998
Double Tap
Producer (Production)
1997
Conspiracy Theory
as Cab Passenger (uncredited)
1997
Free Willy 3: The Rescue
Executive Producer (Production)
1997
Bordello of Blood
Executive Producer (Production)
1996
Film Music Masters: Jerry Goldsmith
1995
Assassins
Director (Directing)
1995
W.E.I.R.D. World
Executive Producer (Production)
1995
The Omen
Executive Producer (Production)
1995
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
Executive Producer (Production)
1995
