Film Director, Producer, Comic Book Writer. Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg to Russian Jewish parents, he was best known for directing the first modern superhero film "Superman" in 1978. He acted in Off-Broadway productions before moving to Los Angeles, California, where he began directing industrial films and television commercials. In the early 1960s, he graduated to TV series, helming episodes of such shows as "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and "Route 66." In 1961, he directed his first feature film, a Cold War drama called "X-15," which starred Charles Bronson and Mary Tyler Moore. Besides "Superman," he went on to direct such films as "The Omen" (1976), "Inside Moves" (1980), "The Toy" (1982), "The Goonies" (1985), "Ladyhawke" (1985), the "Lethal Weapon" series (1987-1998), "Scrooged" (1988), "Radio Flyer" (1992), "Maverick" (1994), "Assassins" (1995), "Conspiracy Theory" (1997), "Timeline" (2003) and "16 Blocks" (2006). A substantial portion of these films were distributed by Warner Bros. He later returned to television, and his TV credits during this time included "The Twilight Zone," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Gilligan's Island" and "Perry Mason." He earned various awards and honors for his career work. He also was a part of the creative team for DC Comics' Action Comics series. With his wife, Lauren Shuler Donner, they produced the X-Men film series based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name for 20th Century Fox via their production company, The Donners' Company.
Film Director, Producer, Comic Book Writer. Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg to Russian Jewish parents, he was best known for directing the first modern superhero film "Superman" in 1978. He acted in Off-Broadway productions before moving to Los Angeles, California, where he began directing industrial films and television commercials. In the early 1960s, he graduated to TV series, helming episodes of such shows as "Wanted: Dead or Alive" and "Route 66." In 1961, he directed his first feature film, a Cold War drama called "X-15," which starred Charles Bronson and Mary Tyler Moore. Besides "Superman," he went on to direct such films as "The Omen" (1976), "Inside Moves" (1980), "The Toy" (1982), "The Goonies" (1985), "Ladyhawke" (1985), the "Lethal Weapon" series (1987-1998), "Scrooged" (1988), "Radio Flyer" (1992), "Maverick" (1994), "Assassins" (1995), "Conspiracy Theory" (1997), "Timeline" (2003) and "16 Blocks" (2006). A substantial portion of these films were distributed by Warner Bros. He later returned to television, and his TV credits during this time included "The Twilight Zone," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Gilligan's Island" and "Perry Mason." He earned various awards and honors for his career work. He also was a part of the creative team for DC Comics' Action Comics series. With his wife, Lauren Shuler Donner, they produced the X-Men film series based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name for 20th Century Fox via their production company, The Donners' Company.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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