R.J. Kizer, the veteran Hollywood director, sound editor, and ADR specialist who worked on films including Deadpool and The Dark Knight, has died at the age of 73. His wife, Joanne D'Antonio, announced the news on Facebook, revealing he had been battling glioblastoma, an aggressive and rapidly spreading brain tumour.
In a post accompanied by a photograph of him at the Deadpool premiere, D'Antonio wrote: "I am deeply sad to announce that my beloved husband and best friend for 47 years, Bob (RJ) Kizer, passed away from a glioblastoma on August 12, 2026, in Los Angeles, California." She added: "Our son Christopher and I were with him... Bob had encyclopedic knowledge and a great sense of humor. He was always the first in the audience to catch subtle humor and laugh. Steven Spielberg's editor Michael Kahn often quipped, 'Kizer is wiser.'"
A Career Spanning Blockbusters
Kizer's résumé includes work on the Russell Crowe blockbuster Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, as well as three Christopher Nolan films: Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Interstellar (2014).
His other credits include Arachnophobia (1990), Rookie of the Year (1993), The Lion King (1994), Steven Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can (2002), War of the Worlds (2005), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and Bad Boys for Life (2020).
Awards and Later Work
As a director, Kizer oversaw the American sequences and English-language dubbing portions of Godzilla 1985. He earned 10 Golden Reel Award nominations from the Motion Picture Sound Editors and won for War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), his third instalment in the series following Planet of the Apes (2001) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011).
