Menahem Golan Biography

Fast Facts

• Served in the Israeli war of independence as a pilot and bombardier
• Directed his first film, "El Dorado," in Israel in 1963 and produced his first film, a satire called "Sallah Shabati," the following year
• Worked in theater before getting his first film job as a production assistant on "The Young Racers" in 1963
• Produced more than 200 films during his career and directed more than 40
• Best known as the director and producer of several 1980s B-movies, including "The Delta Force" and "Over the Top․"
• Directed and co-wrote the Oscar-nominated "Operation Thunderbolt," a film about the 1976 Israeli raid on Entebbe, Uganda
• Frequently worked with action stars like Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, and Jean-Claude Van Damme
• Discovered Jean-Claude Van Damme after the actor approached him outside a restaurant in Beverly Hills, performed a karate kick above his head, and was given his first starring role in 1988's "Bloodsport․"
• Also wrote screenplays under the name Joseph Goldman, including "Crime and Punishment" and "The Versace Murder․"
• Once made a deal with Jean-Luc Godard, signed on a hotel bar napkin during the Cannes Film Festival, to direct a version of "King Lear," which became a 1987 sci-fi comedy starring Norman Mailer, Woody Allen, and Peter Sellars