Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg, the Bronx-native made his feature film directorial debut with the little-known 1968 Sammy Davis Jr. crime comedy "Salt & Pepper," with his first big break coming in the form of 1976's "The Omen," starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.
But he is best known for helming the "Lethal Weapon" series starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, and the original "Superman" film featuring Christopher Reeve.
Donner was infamously cut from the Superman sequel after a litigious dispute with the films' producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, and replaced by Richard Lester mid-production. More than 25 years later, his re-edited version was released on DVD in 2006 as "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" with lost Man of Steel footage.
Prior to films, he spent his career in television, including shows such as "Route 66," "The Twilight Zone," and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," to name a few.
