Robert Downey Sr. was a filmmaker and actor best known for his 1969 film “Putney Swope.” He was also the father of Robert Downey Jr.
- Died: July 7, 2021 (Who else died on July 7?)
- Details of death: Died in his sleep at his home in New York City at the age of 85.
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Filmmaker and actor
“Putney Swope” was one of Downey’s earlier films as a writer and director, though he had already begun gaining an underground following with his low-budget films when it was released in 1969. A satire of the advertising world, “Putney Swope” was included in the Library of Congress National Film Registry, and it was influential on other filmmakers including Jim Jarmusch. Downey directed more than a dozen other films, including some in which his son acted, such as “Greaser’s Palace” (1972), “Up the Academy” (1980), and “Too Much Sun” (1990). Downey was also an actor, with appearances in movies including “To Live and Die in L.A.” (1985), “Boogie Nights” (1997), “Magnolia” (1998), and “Tower Heist” (2011) as well as on TV in “The Twilight Zone” and “Matlock.” He was a U.S. Army veteran.
Downey on how he got into filmmaking
“I wrote a few plays. They were done Off-off-off-off Broadway. I was working as a waiter at the Village Gate in Greenwich Village and the other waiter said, ‘I have a camera. Do you have anything written that we can make into a movie?’ We went with his camera, my script, rounded up some people, and made a film. [I] couldn’t believe it. We actually had fun.” —from a 2014 interview for Interview magazine
Tributes to Robert Downey Sr.
Full obituary: Time
