Richard Donner

29 films directed 2 Awards

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.

Most directed genres

Recurring actors

Awards and nominations

1979 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
— star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

The career in numbers

US$ 796 mi Total budget from 17 film(s) with data
US$ 2.0 bi Total box office from 16 film(s) with data
US$ 47 mi Average budget from 17 film(s) with data
US$ 124 mi Average box office from 16 film(s) with data
6.8 Average rating from 17 film(s) with data
2.7× Return on investment from 16 film(s) with data

Budget and box office do not exist for every film in our records. Averages are computed over the films that carry the figure, and the count beside each one says how many.

Films directed

Film	Year	Budget	Box office	Rating
16 Blocks	2006	US$ 55 mi	US$ 66 mi	6.5
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut	2006	US$ 54 mi	—	7.4
Timeline	2003	US$ 80 mi	US$ 44 mi	5.7
Lethal Weapon 4	1998	US$ 140 mi	US$ 285 mi	6.6
Conspiracy Theory	1997	US$ 75 mi	US$ 137 mi	6.6
Assassins	1995	US$ 50 mi	US$ 30 mi	6.5
Maverick	1994	US$ 75 mi	US$ 183 mi	6.9
Lethal Weapon 3	1992	US$ 35 mi	US$ 322 mi	6.7
Radio Flyer	1992	US$ 35 mi	US$ 5 mi	7.0
Two-Fisted Tales	1992	—	—	5.1
Lethal Weapon 2	1989	US$ 25 mi	US$ 228 mi	7.0
Scrooged	1988	US$ 32 mi	US$ 60 mi	6.8
Lethal Weapon	1987	US$ 15 mi	US$ 120 mi	7.3
The Goonies	1985	US$ 19 mi	US$ 70 mi	7.5
Ladyhawke	1985	US$ 20 mi	US$ 18 mi	7.0
The Toy	1982	US$ 28 mi	US$ 47 mi	5.9
Inside Moves	1980	—	—	6.3
Superman	1978	US$ 55 mi	US$ 300 mi	7.2
The Omen	1976	US$ 3 mi	US$ 61 mi	7.4
Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic	1975	—	—	5.7
A Shadow in the Streets	1975	—	—	6.0
Senior Year	1974	—	—	10.0
Nightside	1973	—	—	10.0
Sam Cade	1972	—	—	—
The Marshal of Madrid	1972	—	—	—
Twinky	1970	—	—	4.6
Salt & Pepper	1968	—	—	5.3
Philbert (Three's a Crowd)	1963	—	—	4.5
X-15	1961	—	—	5.7

Directors