Prolific director Richard Donner, known for his work on the original "Superman" as well as "The Goonies," has died at 91.
His wife, Lauren Schuler Donner, confirmed the news to Deadline. Donner died Monday. No cause of death was disclosed.
Donner kickstarted his career directing for television in the '60s. He helmed various shows including "Route 66," "The Twilight Zone," "Gilligan’s Island," "Perry Mason" and "The Wild Wild West."
He directed his debut feature, "X-15," in 1961, which was followed by several other titles, but Donner's big break came with the 1976 horror film, "The Omen." Two years later he directed the original "Superman" film, which starred Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Ned Beatty, and became the most expensive film ever made up to that point, according to Vulture.
Over the next few decades, Donner directed various other blockbuster successes including the beloved children's adventure film "The Goonies" in 1985, the first "Lethal Weapon" film as well as the Free Willy trilogy. He was also involved in producing "X-Men" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
Tributes flooded social media following news of Donner's death. Among those honoring the legendary director was Steven Spielberg, who worked with him on "The Goonies."
"Dick had such a powerful command of his movies, and was so gifted across so many genres," Spielberg wrote in a statement 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. He was all kid. All heart. All the time. I can’t believe he’s gone, but his husky, hearty, laugh will stay with me always."
"Lethal Weapon" star Danny Glover also honored Donner’s memory in a statement to Vulture.
"My heart is broken. Working with Dick Donner, Mel Gibson and the 'Lethal Weapon' Team was one of the proudest moments of my career," he said. "I will forever be grateful to him for that Dick genuinely cared about me, my life and my family. We were friends and loved each other far beyond collaborating for the screen and the success that the Lethal Weapon franchise brought us. I will so greatly miss him."
"Goonies" star Sean Astin meanwhile recounted the caring nature of Donner on the set of the film.
"Richard Donner had the biggest, boomiest voice you could imagine," he tweeted. "He 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."
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Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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