Donald C.
Rogers, an American sound engineer known for his work on Rocky, Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Shawshank Redemption, died on January 4, 2026, at age 94. Rogers, also known as “The Godfather of Modern Picture Sound,” was best known for his sound directing work on the Rocky films, including Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky V, as well as Little Shop of Horrors, Dune and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
At the 68th Academy Awards, he received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Donald Clark Rogers (May 4, 1931 – January 4, 2026), also known as The Godfather of Modern Picture Sound, was an American sound engineer. He was best known for his sound directing work in the films Rocky (and its sequels Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky V), Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Little Shop of Horrors, Dune, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Shawshank Redemption.