Very sad news has just come in as legendary filmmakerRichard Donnerhas reportedly died. The world-famous director-producer, best known for directing movies likeSuperman,The Goonies, and theLethal Weaponseries, was 91 years old at the time of his passing. As of now, a cause of death hasn’t been revealed, nor is it clear exactly when the filmmaker passed. His death was confirmed through his production company, per Variety.
Donner was born Richard Donald Schwartzberg on August 08, 2025, in New York. Initially set on becoming an actor, Donner got his start directing commercials for Desilu in the 1950s. This led to directing classic television dramas likeWanted: Dead or Alivewith Steve McQueen andThe Riflemanwith Chuck Connors. As a TV director, Donner wound up working on many other well-known shows from classic television likeThe Fugitive,Get Smart,The Wild Wild West,Gilligan’s Island,Tales from the Crypt, andThe Twilight Zone.
In 1961, Donner made his feature directorial debut withX-15, an aviation drama starring Charles Bronson and Mary Tyler Moore. He later helmedSalt and Pepperwith Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford followed by the cult classic horror flickThe Omenin 1976. The latter helped to further establish Donner as a successful director, and he would direct the originalSupermanmovie with Christopher Reeve that was released in 1978. He was controversially fired fromSuperman IIduring the sequel’s production.
Donner is also widely known for helming theLethal Weaponmovie series, starting with the original installment in 1987. The filmmaker would return to the director’s chair for all three subsequent installments in 1989, 1992, and 1998. In December, at the age of 90, Donner confirmed his plans to developLethal Weapon 5with Danny Glover and Mel Gibson returning for one last adventure. He also said at the time that he intended for the sequel to be his final movie.
“This is the final one. It’s both my privilege and duty to put it to bed. It’s exciting, actually… Hahaha! It’s the last one, I’ll promise you that,” Donner told The Daily Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Donner’s other work as a director includes the adventure comedy movieThe Goonies, one of the most popular cult movies of all time. He has also directed movies likeThe Toywith Richard Pryor,Scroogedwith Bill Murray,Radio Flyerwith Elijah Wood, andAssassinswith Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. His final movie is the action thriller16 Blockswith Bruce Willis and Mos Def that was released in 2006.
The legendary director also served as an executive producer on a variety of projects. For the small screen, he executive produced shows likeTales from the Cryptand its animated spinoffTales from the Cryptkeeper. He also served as an EP for theTales from the Cryptmovies as well as the originalFree Willytrilogy,Any Given Sunday,X-Men, andX-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Donner’s survivors include his wife, Shuler Donner, with whom he’s been married since 1986. Our thoughts are with her along with everyone else who knew Donner now feeling the pain of his passing. The legacy he built will ensure that he is never forgotten.Rest in peace. This news comes to us fromVariety.
