Israeli Director and Producer Menahem Golan Dies at 85

Israeli director and producer Menahem Golan has died at aged 85.

The action movie mogul away on Friday after collapsing in Tel Aviv.

Golan’s cousin and producing partner Yoram Globus, who ran the Cannon Films studio with him for a decade, tells The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m in complete and utter shock; I cannot come to grips with the news.

Menahem lived, breathed and ate cinema… We both managed to make our mark in Hollywood in our years working there and had the great fortune in life to make a living from our one and only hobby – not something that a lot of people get to do.”

The movie mogul began his career in his native Israel, making his directorial debut with 1963 film El Dorado and later winning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe award as a producer on 1964 comedy Sallah Shabati. He won another Oscar nod for 1977’s Operation Thunderbolt, which he directed.

He is best known for producing a number of high-profile action movies in the 1980s. He brought to the screen a number of Charles Bronson’s Death Wish sequels, Chuck Norris’ Missing in Action and The Delta Force, Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and Masters of the Universe.

He also directed Sylvester Stallone in 1987’s Over the Top.

Golan continued working over the years and he is featured in Israeli documentary The Go-Go Boys, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May.

Photo Credit: cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com

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