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"Superman: The Movie" Director Richard Donner Dies at Age 91
Director/producer Richard Donner who was best known for directing such films as "Superman: The Movie", "The Goonies" and the "Lethal Weapon" films has passed away at the age of 91.
Donner was born Richard Donald Schwartzberg on April 24, 1930 in the Bronx to Jewish parents, Hattie and Fred Schwartzberg who owned a small furniture manufacturing business.
Donner started his career with hopes of acting and landed a bit part in a TV show directed by Martin Ritt, who encouraged Donner to become a director instead and hired him as his assistant. Later, Donner got a job at Desilu, where he directed commercials. He transitioned into television dramas in the late 1950s, directing some episodes of the Steve McQueen western serial "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and the Chuck Connors western "The Rifleman". In his early career as a director he worked on over twenty-five television series including "Have Gun Will Travel," "The Fugitive," "Combat!," "Get Smart," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "The Wild Wild West," "Gilligan's Island," "Kojak," "Tales from the Crypt" and "The Twilight Zone" (most notably the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" starring William Shatner and "From Agnes - With Love" starring Wally Cox), as well as the serial "Danger Island" from the children's program "The Banana Splits".
Donner directed his first feature film in 1961, "X-15", which starred Charles Bronson and Mary Tyler Moore. It was not until seven years later, however, that he directed his next film "Salt and Pepper" in 1968, with Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford. His break-through film was "The Omen" (1976); a supernatural horror made in the wake of the success obtained by "The Exorcist". The film stars Gregory Peck, David Warner & Lee Remick and became the fifth highest-grossing movie of 1976.
In 1978, Donner directed "Superman: The Movie", starring Christopher Reeve in the title role. The film became a hit worldwide, projecting both Reeve and Donner to international fame. Co-stars included Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Marlon Brando as Jor-El and Gene Hackman as archvillain Lex Luthor. It succeeded at the box office, grossing $134 million domestically.
Principal photography of Superman included filming of its first sequel, "Superman II" which Donner expected to complete following the release of the first film. However, despite the first film's success, Donner was fired from the film due to his difficult relationship with executive producers Alexander Salkind and Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler. The Salkinds refused Donner's demand that Spengler be fired; instead, the Salkinds replaced Donner as director of "Superman II" with Richard Lester, who had worked with the Salkinds on "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers" and as an uncredited producer on "Superman: The Movie". Following Donner's dismissal, Marlon Brando's scenes were removed from "Superman II" and much of the film was re-shot under Lester's direction. Gene Hackman refused to return for re-shoots; consequently, all the Lex Luthor scenes that appear in "Superman II" were filmed by Donner, although Donner received no onscreen credit for directing, because Donner refused to be on the credits.
In the years that followed the release of "Superman II", Donner continued to promote that his cut of the film was superior to that of the theatrical cut. Following a petition by fans for the release of Donner's original vision for the film, "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" was released on November 28, 2006, the same date as the DVD release of the summer film "Superman Returns". This version of the film features the re-insertion of Marlon Brando's scenes as Jor-El, and relies on a minimum of footage shot by Richard Lester.
Following his work on Superman, Donner had mixed commercial flops ("Inside Moves," "Radio Flyer") and successes ("The Goonies," the "Lethal Weapon" series, "Scrooged," and "Conspiracy Theory"). In the case of Superman, it was Donner who insisted the subject of the comic book superhero should be treated "straight," as in portrayed with respect to the fantasy genre's particular conventions and tone, rather than "camp", an approach that strongly influenced later genre directors such as Tim Burton ("Batman," "Batman Returns"), Bryan Singer ("X-Men," "X2," "X-Men: Days of Future Past"), Christopher Nolan ("Batman Begins," "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises"), and Zack Snyder ("Man of Steel," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Zack Snyder's Justice League"), who have made successful superhero films of their own.
In October 2006, Donner, Geoff Johns and artist Adam Kubert became the new creative team on Action Comics, the publisher's most time honored publication and one of DC Comics' two main Superman titles. Together, Johns and Donner collaborated on the stories Last Son and Escape from Bizarro World, both of which have been released in collected book form. Donner and Johns also co-wrote a story for Action Comics #1000, released in April, 2018.
On October 16, 2008, Donner and his wife of 35 years, Lauren Shuler Donner received stars in a double ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their achievements in motion pictures, located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard.
On November 10, 2010, Donner's authorized biography "You're the Director... You Figure It Out: The Life and Films of Richard Donner" by James Christie was published by BearManor Media. The book features a foreword by actor Mel Gibson.
The staff of the Superman Super Site extends our deepest thoughts and prayers to the Donner family during this difficult time of mourning.
