Hollywood became poorer with the death of legendary filmmaker and director Richard Donner who passed away at the age of 91 on Monday. He was not just a director of hits like Superman, The Goonies, and Lethal Weapon, he also was a producer, and was the only person who believed in Marvel Comics in the 1990s, when no one else did.

The New York-born director began his career with TV, directing commercials and episodes of the hit shows including The Man from UNCLE, Get Smart, The Twilight Zone and Kojak. His first major Hollywood flick was The Omen in 1976 which not just announced his arrival, but also gave veteran actor Gregory Peck’s career the push it required.

While this film belonged to the horror genre and dealt with the unsettling tale of the child antichrist, in 1978, Richard Donner ventured into the comic book territory, heralding an era that is still growing even after 43 years.

Superman: The Movie was not just a Superhero flick; it was in fact the first-ever film revolving around a Superhero, and made a star out of Christopher Reeve, gave Gene Hackman his iconic role, revived Marlon Brando’s and introduced the world to Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane.

Richard Donner didn’t stop here after being fired midway during the second Superman flick; he released Superman 2 – The Richard Donner Cut in 2006 and showed the world his vision, that was shared by Marlon Brando as well, who didn’t appear in the Richard Lester version.

He was also amongst the architect of some of the most iconic films of the 1980s and 1990s. First, there was The Goonies in 1985 that was kids’ favorite movie before Home Alone came along, followed by the buddy cop series Lethal Weapon in 1987 that paired Mel Gibson and Danny Glover together, for the first time.

Richard Donner was working on the fourth sequel of the movie before his death, and it seems it would be completed (if it goes ahead) with someone else at the helm. After all, the other three sequels were equally loved when they came out in 1989, 1992, and 1998.

Richard Donner carried on his good work in the 1990s with Maverick, and Conspiracy Theory featuring Mel Gibson, and in the 2000s with Timeline and 16 Blocks, one featuring Paul Walker and Gerard Butler and the other Bruce Willis.

His production company The Donners’ Company was behind hits like the X-Men and Free Willy franchises, and continues to helm the X-Men series.

Renowned film director Steven Spielberg, who was the producer of The Goonies, paid a tribute to Richard Donner calling him "so gifted across so many genres".

Director Edgar Wright also termed Donner as someone with a "big heart and effervescent charm” and that he knew how to capture that magic onscreen.

He was working on his comeback venture at the age of 91 before his death and now joins Marlon Brando, Christopher Reeve, James Garner, Margot Kidder, Paul Walker, and many other action star actors from his films up there, where they might be planning a new flick, right now.