Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker. Described as "one of Hollywood's most reliable makers of action blockbusters", Donner directed some of the most financially successful films of the 1970s and 1980s. His career spanning more than six decades crossed genres and influenced trends among filmmakers across the world. Donner began his career in 1957 as a television director. In the 1960s, he directed episodes of the series The Rifleman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, The Banana Splits, and many others. Donner made his film debut with the low-budget aviation drama X-15 in 1961, but had his critical and commercial breakthrough with the horror film The Omen in 1976. He directed the landmark superhero film Superman in 1978, which provided an inspiration for the fantasy film genre to eventually gain artistic respectability and commercial dominance. Donner later went on to direct films in the 1980s such as The Goonies and Scrooged, while reinvigorating the buddy cop film genre with the Lethal Weapon series. Donner and his wife, Lauren, owned a production company, The Donners' Company, which is most successful for producing the Free Willy and X-Men film franchises. Donner also produced Tales from the Crypt and co-wrote several comic books for Superman publisher DC Comics. In 2000, Donner received the President's Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Richard Donner, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 24, 1930
- July 5, 2021 (aged 91)
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Director, producer and actor
- 57 on MovieCove · 101 credits in all
What are Richard Donner's films like?
Across their 44 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 6 · Wry 3 · Earnest 34
A split, not a type: Light 22 · Serious 14 · Dark 8
Grounded 16 · Stylized 18 · Heightened 10
Gentle 5 · Charged 24 · Intense 15
Steady 11 · Shifting 29 · Whiplash 4
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 15 · Funny 10
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 25 · Relentless 8
Casual 21 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 18 · Affecting 22 · Heavy 4
Resolved 40 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy23
- Bittersweet14
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Richard Donner's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 37 of their 57 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (17).
- The Goonies (1985) · actor, director, producer · free
- The Rifleman (1958) · director · free
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) · actor, director, producer · free
- Maverick (1994) · actor, director, producer · free
- Ladyhawke (1985) · director, producer · free
- Radio Flyer (1992) · director · free
- Inside Moves (1980) · actor, director · free
- Route 66 (1960) · director · free
- Conspiracy Theory (1997) · actor, director, producer · free
- The Loretta Young Show (1953) · director · free
- 16 Blocks (2006) · actor, director · free
- Delirious (1991) · producer · free
- +5 more
- The Rifleman (1958) · director · free
- Ladyhawke (1985) · director, producer · free
- Radio Flyer (1992) · director · free
- Inside Moves (1980) · actor, director · free
- Route 66 (1960) · director · free
- Conspiracy Theory (1997) · actor, director, producer · free
- The Loretta Young Show (1953) · director · free
- 16 Blocks (2006) · actor, director · free
- Kojak (1973) · director · free
- Lassie (1954) · actor · free
- Salt and Pepper (1968) · director · free
- Double Tap (1997) · producer · free
Subscription and free streaming for Richard Donner's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
101 credits, 57 with a MovieCove page; 33 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
X-Men Origins: Wolverine(2009)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
16 Blocks(2006)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Timeline(2003)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Ritual(2002)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Out Cold(2001)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
666: The Omen Revealed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
X-Men(2000)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Any Given Sunday(1999)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Made Men(1999)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Lethal Weapon 4(1998)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Double Tap(1997)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Conspiracy Theory(1997)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Free Willy 3: The Rescue(1997)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Perversions of Science (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Bordello of Blood(1996)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Film Music Masters: Jerry Goldsmith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Assassins(1995)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
W.E.I.R.D. World(1995)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
The Omen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
The Omen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Free Willy(1994)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all shows
Maverick(1994)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Free Willy(1993)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Lethal Weapon 3(1992)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Radio Flyer(1992)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Two-Fisted Tales(1992)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Delirious(1991)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Lethal Weapon 2(1989)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Tales from the Crypt(1989)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Scrooged(1988)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
The Lost Boys(1987)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Lethal Weapon(1987)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
The Goonies(1985)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Ladyhawke(1985)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
The Toy(1982)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
The Final Conflict(1981)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Inside Moves(1980)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Superman II(1980)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Superman(1978)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
The Omen(1976)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Bronk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
A Shadow in the Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Petrocelli (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Sons and Daughters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Lucas Tanner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Senior Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Kojak(1973)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Nightside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Streets of San Francisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Banyon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Ghost Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Sam Cade(1972)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Marshal of Madrid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Bearcats! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Cannon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Sarge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
The Interns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
London Affair(1970)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Salt and Pepper(1968)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Jericho (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Felony Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
It's About Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
The F.B.I. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Get Smart(1965)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
The Trials of O'Brien (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Wild Wild West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Gilligan's Island(1964)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
12 O'Clock High (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Mr. Novak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Fugitive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Lieutenant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Philbert (Three's a Crowd) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
The Eleventh Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Combat!(1962)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Sam Benedict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
X-15(1961)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Route 66(1960)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
The Tall Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Detectives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Twilight Zone(1959)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The Rifleman(1958)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Wanted: Dead or Alive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Perry Mason(1957)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Wagon Train(1957)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Have Gun, Will Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Lassie(1954)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
The Loretta Young Show(1953)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Lethal Weapon 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 101 titles, 100 of them dated from 1953 to 2013.
Film career
- 2001Screen debut· Out Cold
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Richard Donner's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 43; across their 44 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 61st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up21
- 50th to 74th16
- 25th to 49th9
- Below 25th11
Shape of the crowd
29 of their 57 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved8
- Crowd Pleaser29
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed16
Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 40 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Richard Donner's work okay for kids?
Across up to 26 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Richard Donner work with?
People who share at least 2 of Richard Donner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joel Silver shares the most, 14.
Writers
- Jeffrey BoamShared titles: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987), The Lost Boys (1987)See all 4 shared titles with Jeffrey Boam
- Tom MankiewiczShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Delirious (1991), Ladyhawke (1985), Superman (1978)See all 4 shared titles with Tom Mankiewicz
- Keith WalkerShared titles: Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Free Willy (1993)See all 3 shared titles with Keith Walker
- Shane BlackShared titles: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Shane Black
Actors
- Mel GibsonShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Conspiracy Theory (1997), Maverick (1994), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987), The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson (1987)See all 7 shared titles with Mel Gibson
- Steve KahanShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Conspiracy Theory (1997), Assassins (1995), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Inside Moves (1980)See all 6 shared titles with Steve Kahan
- Danny GloverShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987), The Ultimate Stuntman: A Tribute to Dar Robinson (1987)See all 5 shared titles with Danny Glover
- Darlene LoveShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987)See all 4 shared titles with Darlene Love
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Stuart BairdShared titles: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006), Maverick (1994), Radio Flyer (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987), Ladyhawke (1985), Superman (1978), The Omen (1976)See all 8 shared titles with Stuart Baird
- Michael KamenShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Two-Fisted Tales (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987)See all 5 shared titles with Michael Kamen
- László KovácsShared titles: No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Radio Flyer (1992), The Toy (1982), Inside Moves (1980)See all 5 shared titles with László Kovács
- Eric ClaptonShared titles: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987)See all 4 shared titles with Eric Clapton
Producers
- Joel SilverShared titles: Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot (2013), Ritual (2002), Made Men (1999), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Conspiracy Theory (1997), Double Tap (1997), Bordello of Blood (1996), Assassins (1995), Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995), W.E.I.R.D. World (1995), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Two-Fisted Tales (1992) and 2 moreSee newest 12 of 14 shared titles with Joel Silver
- Lauren Shuler DonnerShared titles: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), Timeline (2003), X-Men (2000), Any Given Sunday (1999), Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997), Assassins (1995), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Free Willy (1993), Radio Flyer (1992), Ladyhawke (1985)See all 10 shared titles with Lauren Shuler Donner
- Jim Van WyckShared titles: 16 Blocks (2006), Timeline (2003), Conspiracy Theory (1997), Assassins (1995), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Maverick (1994), Free Willy (1993), Radio Flyer (1992)See all 8 shared titles with Jim Van Wyck
- Jennie Lew TugendShared titles: Free Willy 3: The Rescue (1997), Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home (1995), Free Willy (1993), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Radio Flyer (1992), Two-Fisted Tales (1992), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Lethal Weapon (1987)See all 8 shared titles with Jennie Lew Tugend
Mixed roles
- James ChressanthisShared titles: Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond (2016), No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos (2008)See all 2 shared titles with James Chressanthis
