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.
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Full filmography
- Lassie (1954) as Clay Braddock
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) as Man at Bar (uncredited)
- Superman (1978) as Man in Street (extended version) (uncredited)
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) as Inebriate
- The Goonies (1985) as Policeman (uncredited)
- HBO First Look (1992)
- HBO First Look (1992) as Self
- Sam Benedict (1962) as Grover Stann
- Superman II (1980) as Man Walking by Diner (uncredited)
- Eli Roth's History of Horror (2018) as Self
- Reunited Apart (2020) as Self
- 16 Blocks (2006) as Man Holding a Birthday Cake (uncredited)
- Superpowered: The DC Story (2023) as Self (archive footage)
- Conspiracy Theory (1997) as Cab Passenger (uncredited)
- Maverick (1994) as Dealer (uncredited)
- Timeline (2003) as Man in Car (uncredited)
- Cursed Films (2020) as Self - Director, The Omen
- Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) as Self (archive footage)
- Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) as Man Walking by Diner (uncredited)
- Out Cold (2001) as Snooty Bartender (uncredited)
- E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
- Casting By (2012) as Self
- Inside Moves (1980) as Man who closes the ambulance doors (uncredited)
- Life After Flash (2017) as Self