Steph Deschamps / July 6, 2021
Richard Donner, the prolific director of the first Superman movie, The Goonies and other masterpieces, died Monday at the age of 91, the American press reported.
Among Donner's great titles are The Curse (1976), Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover started in 1987, Ghosts in Celebration (Scrooged, 1988) and his last film in 2006, 16 Blocks.
He has also directed episodes of major television shows such as Max the Menace (Get Smart), Perry Mason, Gilligan's Island and The Twilight Zone He was also producer of X-Men and Free Willy.
The Hollywood Reporter quotes Richard Donner's assistant to confirm his death, while Deadline says his wife Lauren Schuler Donner did not specify the cause of death.
Richard Donner had the greatest, most resonant voice anyone could imagine, Goonies star Sean Astin commented on Twitter.
He was an attention-getter and laughed like no one had ever laughed before. Dick was so funny. What I saw in him, as a 12-year-old, what it meant to him, and I really appreciated it, Astin tweeted.
Steven Spielberg, who wrote the story on which The Goonies is based, said in a statement that Donner had a powerful command of his films.
Born in the Bronx and raised in New York City before attending New York University, Donner also served in the U.S. Army, according to Hollywood Reporter.