July 8, 2021
Directors Guild of America President Thomas Schlamme made the following statement regarding the recent passing of Director Richard Donner:
“Our world is measurably sadder with the loss of legendary filmmaker Richard Donner. Dick was the type of director we all looked up to – inventive, creative and well-respected throughout the industry and by his peers. He directed some of the most iconic productions on both the big and small screen which will always be remembered, from scaring audiences half to death with his classic Twilight Zone episode ‘Nightmare at 20,000 Feet’ to making them believe a man could fly with his brilliant 1978 blockbuster Superman.”
“In addition to his cultural contributions to film and television, Donner was a proud champion of directors’ creative rights. He served on the Guild’s Theatrical Creative Rights Committee and fought hard to ensure that directors were properly credited for their work. Directors and Guild leaders knew they could count on Dick’s wisdom and thoughtful solutions to handling creative rights issues. We have lost a true friend of the DGA. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and the many people who loved him.”
DGA Service and Career Highlights
A DGA member since 1958, Donner was actively involved in the Guild’s creative rights issues throughout his career and served on the Creative Rights Committee.
Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in the Bronx, New York City in 1930, Donner joined the Navy after high school and became an aerial photographer for a small carrier. His interest in photography grew in the service and after he was discharged, he began working for a number of small industrial companies. Working as a truck driver, set painter, and assistant editor, he learned a variety of positions around the filmmaking craft. His experience in multiple jobs led him to work with director George Blake, who eventually gave him his first shot directing industrials, documentaries and commercials at his company. He would go on to direct commercials in an exclusive deal for Desilu Productions. Donner’s success in commercials gained the attention of writer and producer Ed Adamson. Adamson offered him an episode of Wanted: Dead or Alive starring Steve McQueen, igniting his episodic television career. The 82 productions on his filmography also includes the feature films The Omen, Maverick, Ladyhawke and the Lethal Weapon series; as well as episodes of iconic television shows such as Wanted: Dead or Alive, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Rifleman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Perry Mason, Gilligan’s Island, The Fugitive and The Twilight Zone, including the classic episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.” Donner’s features, Superman and The Goonies, were both selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.