Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker and film producer. He directed several financially successful films during the New Hollywood period. Michael Barson, Senior Publicist for Putnam, author of over ten books, wrote, Donner was “one of Hollywood’s most reliable makers of action blockbusters.” This 50 year career crossed genres and influenced trends among film makers.
In 1957 he was a television director. Donner directed episodes of The Rifleman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, The Banana Splits, and many others. His film debut was a low-budget aviation drama in 1961, X-15. His commercial breakthrough was The Omen in 1976. He directed Superman in 1978. In the 1980s, were The Goonies and Scrooged, and the buddy cop films of the Lethal Weapon series.
Donner and his wife Lauren owned a production company. The Donners’ Company (formerly Donner/Shuler Donner Productions) were known for co-executive producing Free Willy and X-Men franchises. Donner also produced Tales from the Crypt. He 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 & Horror Films.
Source: Wikipedia
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