Menahem Golan, Producer Of 80s Era Action Flicks, Dead At 85
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Movie-maker Menahem Golan has died, according to online reports.
He was 85.
The Hollywood Reporter said Golan died while strolling outside his home in the city of Jaffa, Israel, early Friday.
Golan, co-founder of the prolific The Cannon Group with cousin and partner Yoram Globus, was known for working with every action hero of the 80s and early 90s, most notably Charles Bronson, Sly Stallone, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren and Sean Connery.
Known most for B-level, critically hated fare, Goran's company pumped out a film a month in his heyday.
If he minded that the critics hated most of his movies, he never let on. Some of his best reviewed films were called "schlock" or worse. Several were nominated for "Raspberry Awards" as the worst picture of the year. Some of them even became cult classics, which also delighted Golan.
In a 2004 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Golan said of his audience: "I love to see people having fun and laughing."
Golan produced more than 200 movies and directed about 45.
Some of his most well- known titles include "Delta Force," "Bloodsport," "Cannonball Run," "Cobra," "Over the Top," "Superman IV," "Last American Virgin," "Bolero," "Grace Quigley," "King Solomon's Mines," "Barfly" and "New Year's Evil."