He also directed the kids\u2019 adventure classic ‚The Goonies.‘<\/b>
\nFilmmaker Richard Donner, who helped create the modern superhero blockbuster with 1978\u2019s \u201cSuperman\u201d and mastered the buddy comedy with the \u201cLethal Weapon\u201d franchise, has died. He was 91. Donner died Monday in Los Angeles, his family said through a spokesperson. Donner gained fame with his first feature,1976\u2019s \u201cThe Omen.\u201d A then-unheard-of offer followed: $1 million to direct 1978\u2019s \u201cSuperman.\u201d Donner channeled his love of the character into making the film, repeatedly facing off with producers over the need for special effects that would convince the audience that a superhero could really fly. In the title role, Donner cast Christopher Reeve, who was associated with \u201cSuperman\u201d for the rest of his life. By the 21st century, the genre was dominating the box office in the U.S. and thriving overseas. The heads of Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment \u2013 producers of most of today\u2019s superhero fare \u2013 both worked for Donner when they were starting out in Hollywood. Steven Spielberg, who produced \u201cThe Goonies,\u201d wrote in a statement that, \u201cDick had such a powerful command of his movies, and was so gifted across so many genres. Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favorite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally, and \u2013 of course \u2013 the greatest Goonie of all. He was all kid. All heart. All the time. I can\u2019t believe he\u2019s gone, but his husky, hearty laugh will stay with me always.\u201d Tributes also poured in on Twitter Monday, including from \u201cGoonies\u201d star Sean Astin. \u201cRichard Donner had the biggest, boomiest voice you could imagine,\u201d Astin wrote. \u201cHe commanded attention and he laughed like no man has ever laughed before. Dick was so much fun. What I perceived in him, as a 12 year old kid, is that he cared. I love how much he cared.\u201d Director Kevin Smith tweeted that, \u201cRichard Donner made the devil a child in The Omen, invented the modern day comic book movie with Superman, and reinvented the buddy cop movie with Lethal Weapon. I got to meet with him last year about a project. Guy was a natural born storyteller. Thanks for all the flicks, Dick!\u201d Filmmaker Edgar Wright added, \u201cRichard Donner\u2019s big heart & effervescent charm shone in his movies through the remarkable performances of his cast, which is no mean feat. You remember all the characters in Superman, Lethal Weapon, The Goonies & more, because Donner knew how to capture that magic onscreen.\u201d Wright said he, only met Donner once but said, \u201cHe was funny, charming and so full of stories (and happy to indulge my geeky questions).\u201d Donner followed \u201cSuperman\u201d with an indie, \u201cInside Moves,\u201d in 1980 and \u201cThe Toy\u201d with Richard Pryor in 1982. In 1985, he made the kids\u2019 adventure classic \u201cThe Goonies\u201d and \u201cLadyhawke,\u201d which would introduce him to his future wife, Lauren Shuler Donner. The two married the following year. In 1993, they founded The Donners Company, which has produced such hits as \u201cDeadpool,\u201d \u201cThe Wolverine\u201d and the \u201cX-Men\u201d franchise. Adjusted for inflation, his films have generated more than $1 billion in box office receipts. \u201cLet me tell you: Dick Donner directing is truly the sexiest man alive,\u201d Shuler Donner said at a film academy tribute to the director in 2017. She said a director\u2019s personality often reveals itself onscreen. \u201cIf you look at Dick\u2019s movies, Dick is fun, larger than life, loud, strong, with a big mushy heart,\u201d she said. \u201cHis confidence, his fearlessness, his humor are what make people adore him and has wrapped around me like a protective cloak. \u201cThe combination of learning moviemaking from Richard Donner and falling in love with him has made me personally and professionally a better producer and a happier, loving person,\u201d she continued, calling \u201cLadyhawke\u201d their \u201cpersonal love story.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m the hawk and he\u2019s the wolf,\u201d she said. In 1987, Donner cast Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched police pair in the buddy-cop action film \u201cLethal Weapon.\u201d The film was a smash, spawning several sequels and a TV show. \u201cHe was a master storyteller,\u201d Gibson said in 2017. \u201cHe was humble. He had this sign over this door that said \u2018Leave your ego at the door,\u2019 and there was no ego around him. It was hard for me to walk into the room, actually.\u201d Donner followed up with the Bill Murray hit \u201cScrooged\u201d in 1988 and \u201cLethal Weapon 2\u201d the next year. His other credits include \u201cMaverick,\u201d \u201cConspiracy Theory\u201d and \u201cRadio Flyer.\u201d Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg on April 24,1930, in New York City, Donner changed his name when he set out to become an actor. \u201cI would have been an out-of-work actor now if it wouldn\u2019t have been for the great director Marty Ritt,\u201d Donner said. He recalled Ritt telling him, \u201cYour problem is you can\u2019t take direction,\u201d and suggesting he pursue directing instead. \u201cAnd because I\u2019d been hanging with him a little bit, he said, \u2018You\u2019re my assistant on the next show,\u2019 and that turned my life around,\u201d Donner said. \u201cI never went back to acting.\u201d He started working in television, directing episodes of \u201cGilligan\u2019s Island,\u201d \u201cPerry Mason\u201d and \u201cThe Twilight Zone.\u201d Away from the camera, Donner was known for his extraordinary kindness and generosity, covering college tuition for one \u201cGoonies\u201d star (Jeff Cohen, now an entertainment attorney) and paying for life-saving rehab for another (actor Corey Feldman). Donner told The Associated Press in a 1985 interview that the young cast helped him through the production. \u201cI never had kids of my own, and they became like my family,\u201d he said. Cohen, Feldman and \u201cLethal Weapon\u201d star Rene Russo were among those lauding Donner for his kindness at the 2017 film academy tribute. \u201cYou were charming and funny and witty and all these amazing (things), but the thing that killed me is you were kind,\u201d Russo said. \u201cYou were so kind, and that\u2019s what makes you the sexiest man in the world.\u201d Along with his wife, Donner was also a passionate animal advocate, rescuing dozens of dogs over the years and fighting against the captivity of killer whales. Though a few of Donner\u2019s films generated Oscar nominations, he was never nominated. But he got his chance to thank the academy \u2013 and his many friends and colleagues \u2013 at that tribute. \u201cThis industry is my friend, and it\u2019s been the greatest gift in the world to me,\u201d Donner said. \u201cYou guys are all my Oscar.\u201d Comments are not available on this story. Send questions\/comments to the editors.<\/p>\n