Roger Donaldson Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Roger Donaldson ONZM
Donaldson in 2023
Born	Roger Lindsey Donaldson (1945-11-15) 15 November 1945 (age 79) Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Nationality	Australian New Zealand
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, producer
Relatives	Chris Donaldson (son) India Donaldson (daughter)

Roger Lindsey Donaldson ONZM was born on November 15, 1945. He is a talented Australian and New Zealand film director, writer, and producer.

His first movie, Sleeping Dogs (1977), was very important for New Zealand cinema. It was one of the first films from the country to become very popular and get good reviews. Since then, he has directed 17 feature films. He has worked in Hollywood, the United Kingdom, and his home country.

Some of Donaldson's most famous films include:

The historical movie The Bounty (1984)
The thriller No Way Out (1987)
The romantic comedy Cocktail (1988)
The drama Thirteen Days (2000) about the Cuban Missile Crisis
The science-fiction film Species (1995)
The disaster movie Dante's Peak (1997)
The true story The World's Fastest Indian (2005) about Burt Munro
The historical thriller The Bank Job (2008)

Roger Donaldson has worked with famous actors like Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan, Anthony Hopkins, and Michael Madsen more than once. He has won three New Zealand Film and Television Awards. He was also nominated for an AACTA Award and the Palme d’Or, a big award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2018, he received a special honor, becoming an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for his great work in film.

Early Life and Career Beginnings
Making His First Feature Films
Moving to Hollywood and Big Movies
Family and Recognition
Roger Donaldson's Filmography
- Movies He Directed
- Television Work
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Early Life and Career Beginnings

Roger Donaldson was born in Ballarat, a city in Victoria, Australia. He went to Ballarat High School there. In 1965, he moved to New Zealand. He started a small business taking photos and then began making advertisements.

Donaldson also directed documentaries. One adventure series he worked on featured Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander who was one of the first people to climb Mount Everest. These projects were his first steps into making movies and TV shows. He often worked with actor and director Ian Mune. They created several TV shows together, including Winners and Losers. This series was based on short stories by New Zealand authors.

Making His First Feature Films

In 1976, Roger Donaldson directed and produced his first full-length movie, Sleeping Dogs. The film starred Ian Mune and Sam Neill. It told the story of two men fighting for their lives in a New Zealand where the government had too much power.

After Sleeping Dogs, he made Smash Palace. This movie featured Bruno Lawrence as a man who takes his daughter away after his marriage breaks apart. These early films helped him gain recognition.

Moving to Hollywood and Big Movies

Roger Donaldson's big chance to work internationally came when producer Dino de Laurentiis asked him to direct a movie about the famous Mutiny on the Bounty. This happened after another famous director, David Lean, left the project.

The film was called The Bounty. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Captain William Bligh and Mel Gibson as the mutineer Fletcher Christian. For this movie, Donaldson was nominated for a Golden Palm award at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.

Donaldson went on to direct many popular and successful movies. His first big hit in America was the thriller No Way Out. It starred Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman. Another movie, Cocktail, starred Bryan Brown and Tom Cruise. Even though critics didn't love it, the movie did very well at the box office because of Tom Cruise's popularity.

The volcano disaster movie Dante's Peak helped Roger Donaldson's career. It starred Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton. He also directed Thirteen Days, a political thriller with Kevin Costner. This movie was based on a book about the Cuban Missile Crisis. He also made the science fiction movie Species. In 2003, he directed The Recruit, starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell.

In 2005, Donaldson wrote and directed The World's Fastest Indian. This film starred Anthony Hopkins and told the true story of Burt Munro. Munro was a New Zealander who set amazing motorcycle speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the 1950s.

Family and Recognition

Roger Donaldson has two children who are also involved in film and sports. His son, Chris Donaldson, is a sprinter. He has represented New Zealand in the 100m and 200m races at the Olympic Games. His daughter, India Donaldson, is also a filmmaker. Her first movie, Good One, was shown at the Sundance Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2018, Roger Donaldson was given a special honor by the Queen of New Zealand. He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his important contributions to film.

Roger Donaldson's Filmography

Movies He Directed

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer
1977	Sleeping Dogs	Yes	Yes	No
1980	Nutcase	Yes	No	No
1981	Smash Palace	Yes	Yes	Yes
1984	The Bounty	Yes	No	No
1985	Marie	Yes	No	No
1987	No Way Out	Yes	No	No
1988	Cocktail	Yes	No	No
1990	Cadillac Man	Yes	Yes	No
1992	White Sands	Yes	No	No
1994	The Getaway	Yes	No	No
1995	Species	Yes	No	No
1997	Dante's Peak	Yes	No	No
2000	Thirteen Days	Yes	No	No
2003	The Recruit	Yes	No	No
2005	The World's Fastest Indian	Yes	Yes	Yes
2008	The Bank Job	Yes	No	No
2011	Seeking Justice	Yes	No	No
2014	The November Man	Yes	No	No

Documentary Films

Year	Title	Director	Executive Producer
2004	The Making of "Sleeping Dogs"	No	Yes
2017	McLaren	Yes	No

Short Films

Lawyers (2010)

Television Work

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer	Notes
1971	Burt Munro: Offerings to the God of Speed	Yes	Yes	No	TV Short
1974	Derek	Yes	No	Yes
1975–1976	Winners & Losers	Yes	Yes	Yes
1999	Fearless	No	Executive	No

TV Movies

Survey (1972)
Jocko (1981)

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Roger Donaldson in 2023

Roger Donaldson facts for kids

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