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Photo of Richard Donner

Richard Donner

Producer, Director, Actor, Additional Credits
Born April 24, 1930Died July 5, 2021 (91 years)
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.

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Ladyhawke
  • The Rifleman
  • Wanted: Dead or Alive
  • Inside Moves
  • Route 66
  • London Affair
  • Double Tap
  • W.E.I.R.D. World

Known For

  • The Goonies
  • Lethal Weapon
  • Superman
  • Lethal Weapon 2
  • Lethal Weapon 3
  • Lethal Weapon 4
  • The Omen
  • 16 Blocks
  • Scrooged
  • Maverick
  • X-Men Origins: Wolverine
  • Conspiracy Theory
  • Assassins
  • Timeline
  • Superman II
  • Ladyhawke
  • The Lost Boys
  • Free Willy
  • Any Given Sunday
  • The Twilight Zone
  • The Toy
  • Radio Flyer
  • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
  • Delirious

Filmography

2012
Black & White in Colors · as Associate Producer
2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine · as Executive Producer
2003
2002
2002
2000
X-Men · as Executive Producer
1999
Any Given Sunday · as Executive Producer
1999
1998
1997
1997
1997
Free Willy 3: The Rescue · as Executive Producer
1997
Perversions of Science (TV Series) · as Executive Producer
1996
Secrets of the Cryptkeeper's Haunted House (TV Series) · as Executive Producer
1996
Bordello of Blood · as Executive Producer
1995
1995
W.E.I.R.D. World · as Executive Producer
1995
The Omen · as Executive Producer
1995
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home · as Executive Producer
1995
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight · as Executive Producer
1994
Free Willy The Animated Series (TV Series) · as Executive Producer
1994
1993
Tales From the Cryptkeeper (TV Series) · as Executive Producer
1993
Free Willy · as Executive Producer
1992
1992
Two-Fisted Tales · as Executive Producer
1991
Delirious · as Executive Producer
1989
1989
Tales from the Crypt (TV Series) · as Executive Producer
1988
1987
The Lost Boys · as Executive Producer
1987
1985
1985
1981
The Final Conflict · as Executive Producer

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