Richard Donner
Known for: Directing
Born: April 24, 1930
Died: July 5, 2021
Place of birth: Bronx, New York, USA
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.
Advertisement
Filmography
81 movies · 52 TV shows, newest first
8.1
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
2024
7.4
Superpowered: The DC Story
2023
5.5
Reunited Apart
2020
7.2
Cursed Films
2020
3.0
Valerie
2019
6.8
Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film
2019
6.4
Eli Roth's History of Horror
2018
NR
Davi's Way
2018
5.4
Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies
2017
5.6
Life After Flash
2017
6.9
Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond
2016
7.2
Marlon Brando: An Actor Named Desire
2014
6.8
Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics
2013
6.8
Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot
2013
6.9
Casting By
2012
6.7
Maximum Impact: The Legacy of 'Lethal Weapon'
2012
7.0
Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
2010
8.0
Making of a Cult Classic: The Unauthorized Story of 'The Goonies'
2010
6.3
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2009
5.6
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
2009
5.9
Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound
2008
6.0
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
2006NR
Superman II: Restoring the Vision
2006
7.4
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
2006
7.6
Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman
2006
6.5
16 Blocks
2006
6.4
The Curse of 'The Omen'
2005
5.7
Timeline
2003
4.7
Ritual
2002
5.9
Out Cold
2001
7.0
The Omen Legacy
2001
7.6
Taking Flight: The Development of 'Superman'
2001
7.2
Making 'Superman': Filming the Legend
2001
5.9
666: The Omen Revealed
2000
7.0
X-Men
2000
6.8
Any Given Sunday
1999
8.7
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
1999
5.3
Made Men
1999
6.6
Lethal Weapon 4
1998
5.1
Double Tap
1997
6.6
Conspiracy Theory
1997
6.1
Free Willy 3: The Rescue
1997
6.2
Perversions of Science
1997
8.1
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
6.0
Bordello of Blood
1996
7.0
Film Music Masters: Jerry Goldsmith
1995
6.5
Assassins
1995
3.3
W.E.I.R.D. World
1995
5.0
The Omen
1995
NR
The Omen
1995
5.9
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
1995
6.8
Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
1995
5.0
Free Willy
1994
6.9
Maverick
1994
6.2
Free Willy
1993
5.5
HBO First Look
1992
6.7
Lethal Weapon 3
1992
7.0
Radio Flyer
1992
5.1
Two-Fisted Tales
1992
5.7
Delirious
1991
7.0
First Works
1989
7.0
Lethal Weapon 2
1989
10.0
Mel Gibson's Unauthorized Video Diary
1989
8.0
Tales from the Crypt
1989
6.8
Scrooged
1988
7.1
The Lost Boys
1987
7.3
Lethal Weapon
19878.0
The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson
1987
5.7
Scream Greats, Vol.2: Satanism and Witchcraft
1986
7.5
The Goonies
1985
6.7
The Making Of The Goonies
1985
7.0
Ladyhawke
1985
5.9
The Toy
1982
6.8
The Making of 'Superman: The Movie'
1982
5.8
The Final Conflict
1981
6.3
Inside Moves
1980
6.8
Superman II
1980
7.2
Superman
1978
7.4
The Omen
1976
6.8
Bronk
1975
5.7
Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic
1975
6.0
A Shadow in the Streets
1975
7.2
Petrocelli
1974
9.0
Sons and Daughters
1974
7.0
Lucas Tanner
1974
10.0
Senior Year
1974
7.2
Kojak
1973
10.0
Nightside
1973
7.1
The Streets of San Francisco
1972
8.0
Banyon
1972
7.4
Ghost Story
1972
NR
The Marshal of Madrid
1972
NR
Sam Cade
1972
6.8
Bearcats!
1971
6.7
Cannon
1971
7.5
Sarge
1971
7.0
The Interns
1970
4.6
Twinky
1970
4.8
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors
1969
5.3
Salt & Pepper
1968
6.8
Ironside
1967
7.3
Jericho
1966
6.5
Felony Squad
1966
5.9
It's About Time
1966
5.6
The F.B.I.
1965
8.0
Get Smart
1965
7.0
The Trials of O'Brien
1965
7.5
The Wild Wild West
1965
7.4
Gilligan's Island
1964
7.2
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
1964
7.2
12 O'Clock High
1964
6.3
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
1963
7.3
Mr. Novak
1963
7.3
The Fugitive
1963
7.0
The Lieutenant
1963
4.5
Philbert (Three's a Crowd)
1963
6.7
The Eleventh Hour
1962
7.9
Combat!
1962
6.7
Sam Benedict
1962
5.7
X-15
1961
6.7
Route 66
1960
6.9
The Tall Man
1960
6.7
The Detectives
1959
8.5
The Twilight Zone
1959
7.1
The Rifleman
1958
7.0
Wanted: Dead or Alive
1958
7.7
Perry Mason
1957
6.6
Wagon Train
1957
7.3
Have Gun, Will Travel
1957
6.2
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
1956
6.3
Lassie
1954
6.6
Letter to Loretta
1953
NR
Lethal Weapon 5
—