Richard Donner was born on April 24, 1930 in the Bronx, New York City. He is an American film director, and also a film producer.

He started his career with hopes of acting but quickly moved into directing commercials and making business films. He moved into television in the late 1950s, directing some episodes of the Steve McQueen western serial '.

He has worked on over twenty-five other television series including The Fugitive, Get Smart, The Wild Wild West, Gilligan's Island, The Six Million Dollar Man, Tales from the Crypt and a famous episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", as well as the serial, Danger Island from the children's program The Banana Splits.

He followed it with the hit Superman: The Movie in 1978. He also directed Ladyhawke (1985), The Goonies (1985), Lethal Weapon (1987), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Maverick (1994).

His last directorial credits include Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), 16 Blocks (2006) and Superman II (2006) (V).

Director

• Sam and George (2008)
• Superman II (2006) (V)
• 16 Blocks (2006)
• Timeline (2003)
• Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
• Conspiracy Theory (1997)
• Assassins (1995)
• The Best of Sting: Fields of Gold 1984-1994 (1994) (V)
• Maverick (1994)
• "Tales from the Crypt" (3 episodes, 1989-1992)
• Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
• Radio Flyer (1992)
• Two-Fisted Tales (1991) (TV)
• Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
• Scrooged (1988)
• Lethal Weapon (1987)
• The Goonies (1985)
• Ladyhawke (1985)
• The Toy (1982)
• Inside Moves (1980)
• Superman II (1980)
• Superman (1978)
• A Very Special Place (1977) (TV)
• The Omen (1976)
• "Bronk" (1975) TV series
• Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) (TV)
• A Shadow in the Streets (1975) (TV)
• Bronk (1975) (TV)
• "Petrocelli" (2 episodes, 1974)
• "Kojak" (3 episodes, 1973-1974)
• Lucas Tanner (1974) (TV)
• Senior Year (1974) (TV)
• "The Streets of San Francisco" (2 episodes, 1974)
• "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974) TV series
• "Cannon" (4 episodes, 1971-1973)
• Stat! (1973) (TV)
• Nightside (1973) (TV)
• Hernandez (1973) (TV)
• "Ironside" (1 episode, 1972)
• "Banyon" (1 episode, 1972)
• "Ghost Story" (1 episode, 1972)
• "Cade's County" (3 episodes, 1971-1972)
• "The Sixth Sense" (1972) TV series
• "Bearcats!" (2 episodes, 1971)
• "Sarge" (1 episode, 1971)
• "The Interns" (1 episode, 1971)
• Twinky (1969)
• "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour" (1968) TV series
• Salt and Pepper (1968)
• "Felony Squad" (3 episodes, 1966)
• "The Wild Wild West" (3 episodes, 1966)
• "Jericho" (1 episode, 1966)
• "It's About Time" (1 episode, 1966)
• "The Fugitive" (2 episodes, 1966)
• "The F.B.I." (1 episode, 1966)
• "Get Smart" (2 episodes, 1965)
• "12 O'Clock High" (4 episodes, 1965)
• "The Trials of O'Brien" (1965) TV series
• "Perry Mason" (3 episodes, 1964-1965)
• "Gilligan's Island" (3 episodes, 1964-1965)
• "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (4 episodes, 1964)
• "Mr. Novak" (7 episodes, 1963-1964)
• "The Twilight Zone" (6 episodes, 1963-1964)
• "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters" (1 episode, 1964)
• "The Lieutenant" (2 episodes, 1963-1964)
• "The Nurses" (1 episode, 1963)
• "Combat!" (1 episode, 1963)
• Philbert (Three's a Crowd) (1963)
• "The Eleventh Hour" (2 episodes, 1963)
• "Sam Benedict" (6 episodes, 1962-1963)
• "Have Gun - Will Travel" (3 episodes, 1961-1962)
• "The Rifleman" (7 episodes, 1962)
• "The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor" (1 episode, 1962)
• X-15 (1961) (as Richard D. Donner)
• "Route 66" (1 episode, 1961)
• "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (5 episodes, 1960-1961)
• "Letter to Loretta" (5 episodes, 1961)
• "Zane Grey Theater" (1 episode, 1960)

Awards

• MTV Movie Award Best Action Sequence "Lethal Weapon 3" 1993