Farewell to Richard Donner, director of ‘Goonies’ and ‘Superman’ dead

Richard Donner, an American television director and producer who entered the history of cinema, has died for having directed the first “Superman” with Christopher Reeve, “The Goonies” and the four films of the “Lethal Weapon” saga with Mel Gibson. The director died on Monday 5 July at the age of 91. The announcement of the disappearance was made by his wife, producer Lauren Schuler Donner, and her manager. Born in New York on April 24, 1930, Donner began his career as an actor, playing small parts. Around the age of 30 he made his directorial debut directing commercials. His first film for the big screen was “The Legendary X-15” (1961), with the participation of Charles Bronson, a low-budget military drama that did not achieve great success, and for this Donner decided to work in television. , later directing numerous episodes of famous series such as “The Edge of Reality”, “The Fugitive”, “Kojak” and “Cannon”. The ‘second’ debut of Donne at the cinema dates back to 1976, the year in which she shoots the horror film “The Omen” with Gregory Peck. But it is only in 1978 that the director obtains the long-sought consecration and the first major commercial success: he directs Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve in “Superman”. Inspired by the story of the famous comic by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the film sees the young “Superman” arrive on Earth and get a job. In 1980 he signed “The boys from Max’s bar” and in the same year (although uncredited) he was one of the creators of “Superman II”. After “Toy by the Hour” (1982), in 1985 he directed “The Goonies”, in collaboration with Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus, and “Ladyhawke”. In 1987 he helps newcomer director Joel Schumacher make a name for himself in Hollywood, producing the cult “Lost Boys”, which combines horror film themes with favorite “Goonies” situations. In 1987 Donner directs “Lethal Weapon”, with Danny Glover and Mel Gibson, written by Shane Black: the film tells the story of two very different policemen, of whom Gibson is the lethal weapon of the situation. The success of the action movie was so extraordinary that in 1989 “Lethal Weapon 2” was released where the two agents Riggs and Murtaugh were joined for the first time by Joe Pesci. In 1992 the Glover-Gibson couple returns with “Lethal Weapon 3” and six years later the final chapter will come with “Lethal Weapon 4” (1998). In 1994 Donner returns to work on TV, shooting episodes of the series “Tales from the Crypt “. For the cinema he signed “Maverick” (1994), “Assassins” (1995) and “Conspiracy Hypothesis” (1997). At the end of the nineties Donner set aside directing to devote himself to the production of television series and films (such as the lucky one ” X Men “of 2000), but returning behind the camera with” Timeline – At the edge of time “(2003), based on the novel by Michael Crichton, and” Only 2 hours “(2006) with Bruce Willis. In 2009 he co-produced “X-Men origins: Wolverine”.