Director Richard Donner, a pioneer of action-adventure movies, has died. He was 91. His passing was affirmed by a spokesperson with Warner Bros. No reason has been revealed.
He is made due by his wife, maker Lauren Shuler Donner; they met during the making of the 1985 film Ladyhawke. Together, they established The Donners Company, whose credits include the X-Men and Free Willy franchises.
Donner gave generations of moviegoers something to love. Baby boomers might know his work directing TV episodes of the original Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. furthermore, Gilligan’s Island — it was Donner who directed the exemplary Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare At 20,000 Feet” starring William Shatner. In 1978, he stunned crowds with Superman, featuring Christopher Reeves as “the man of steel.” In the next decade, The Goonies, delivered by Steven Spielberg, turned into a significant hit with kids. The brother cop-activity parody Lethal Weapon, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, was a particularly business hit, Donner directed three more. Simply last year Donner revealed to The Daily Telegraph that Lethal Weapon 5 was coming.
Donner’s films were not generally darling by pundits. “So empty headed it clatters,” composed The New York Times’ Vincent Canby of Donner’s first feature film The Omen, featuring Gregory Peck and Lee Remnick. All things considered, The Omen was a huge business achievement that spawned multiple sequels.
In 2017, the Library of Congress added Donner’s Superman to the National Film Registry. Michael Cavna, maker of the “Comic Riffs” column in The Washington Post, commended the choice — saying “Donner’s sense of story and demand for great special effects, paired with Reeve’s winning, sometimes screwball-comedy charm, elevated the movie.”
Donner influenced generations of movie producers, including his friend and mentee Steven Spielberg, who offered recognition on Twitter:
“Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favorite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally and-of course-the greatest Goonie of all.”