Golan started as an apprentice at
Habima Theater in Tel Aviv. After completing his studies in theater direction, he staged plays in Israel. He gained experience as a filmmaker by working as an assistant to
Roger Corman. Golan is probably best known as a director for his film
Operation Thunderbolt (
Mivtsa Yonatan, 1977), about the
Israeli raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda. He also produced
Eskimo Limon (
Lemon Popsicle, 1978), a film that spawned many sequels and an American remake,
The Last American Virgin (1982). An adaptation of the
Isaac Bashevis Singer novel
The Magician of Lublin (1979) was followed by the musical
The Apple (1980). An unusual moral fable with a rock-disco soundtrack,
The Apple routinely appears on lists of all-time-worst movies, earning it
cult film status. Golan's production company
The Cannon Group produced a long line of films during the 1980s and early 1990s, including
Delta Force,
Runaway Train, and some of the
Death Wish sequels. In 1986, Cannon was taken over by
Pathe Communications. Golan produced several
comic book-style movies in the last half of the 1980s, most notably
Masters of the Universe, based on the
Mattel toy line of the same name and inspired by the comics of
Jack Kirby. In 1987, Cannon gained infamy after its UK-based production of
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace performed poorly at the box office, received mixed to negative reviews from critics and provoked a negative backlash from fans. Golan resigned from Cannon in 1989, and by 1993 the company had folded. After Cannon's collapse, Golan became head of
21st Century Film Corporation and produced several low to medium-budget films. Golan planned to shoot
Spider-Man: The Movie in 1986 at both
Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom and on location in
Tel Aviv, Israel.
Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in
Masters of the Universe was envisioned for the role of the
Green Goblin, and Spider-Man co-creator
Stan Lee was approached to make a cameo appearance in the film as
J. Jonah Jameson. Golan struggled for years to produce the film and finally failed when 21st Century Film Corporation filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors in 1996 (along with
Carolco Pictures, another company that had agreed to help finance the film).
Sony Pictures eventually purchased the rights to the
Marvel Comics character and released
a Spider-Man film in 2002, directed by
Sam Raimi. That year, Golan released
his adaptation of
Crime and Punishment. == Personal life ==