R.J. Kizer, the iconic director, sound editor and ADR specialist whose skills brought movies such as Deadpool and The Dark Knight to life, died on Wednesday August 12, at the age of 73. His wife Joanne D’Antonio confirmed the news in a Facebook post and revealed he had been battling glioblastoma, which is a fast growing, aggressive grade 4 cancerous brain tumour that starts in star-shaped support cells in the brain called astrocytes.
Wife's heartfelt tribute
Alongside a picture of the legend at the Deadpool premiere she penned: "I am deeply sad to announce that my beloved husband and best friend for 47 years, Bob (RJ) Kizer, passed away of glioblastoma on August 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. 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 stellar Hollywood career
R.J. boasted one of the most impressive CV's in Hollywood having worked on the Russell Crowe epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. He also worked on three Christopher Nolan films - Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Interstellar (2014). Other notable work included 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).
Directing and award recognition
As a director he attained cult status in 1985 when he helmed the American scenes and English-language dubbing sequences added to Godzilla 1985, which was the North American re-edit of the 1984 Japanese film The Return of Godzilla. Throughout his career he received 10 Golden Reel Award nominations from the Motion Picture Sound Editors, winning for the ADR-heavy War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), his third film in the franchise after Planet of the Apes (2001) and Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011).
