Looking at the filmography of Richard Donner — the famed television and movie director who died yesterday at the age of 91 — is like glimpsing at the popular culture of the past 50 years. After cutting his teeth on television shows ranging from The Banana Splits and Gilligan’s Island to The Twilight Zone (where he helmed the legendary “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” segment starring William Shatner), the New York-born talent transitioned to cinema — and entertainment was never quite the same. Among his most iconic films: The Omen, Superman: The Movie, The Goonies, the Lethal Weapon film saga, Scrooged, Maverick and Conspiracy Theory.
While making Superman, Donner infamously had the art department create a sign in which the Man of Steel flew above the word “verisimilitude,” a fitting act for a director who brought such truth and authenticity to every project he undertook.
We encourage you to share your thoughts on Donner and the peerless body of work that he leaves behind in the comments below. He made us believe that a man can flew, and helped cinema truly soar in the process.