Robert Downey, Sr.

Robert Downey Sr.
Downey during the 1960s Downey during the 1960s
Born	Robert John Elias Jr. (1936-06-24)June 24, 1936 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 7, 2021(2021-07-07) (aged 85) New York City, U.S
Occupation	Actor, director, producer, writer, cinematographer
Years active	1953–2013
Spouse(s)	Elsie Ann Ford (m. 1962; div. 1975) Laura Ernst (m. 1991; died 1994) Rosemary Rogers (m. 1998–2021)
Children	2; including Robert Jr.
Relatives	Jim Downey (half-brother)

Robert John Downey (né Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for having written and directed the 1969 underground film Putney Swope, a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world. According to film scholar Wheeler Winston Dixon, Downey Sr.'s films during the 1960s were "strictly take-no-prisoners affairs, with minimal budgets and outrageous satire, effectively pushing forward the countercultural agenda of the day."

Early life

Robert John Elias Jr. was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, the son of Elizabeth (née McLauchlen), a model, and Robert John Elias, who worked in management of motels and restaurants. His paternal grandparents were Lithuanian Jews, while his mother was of half Hungarian Jewish and half Irish ancestry. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York. He changed his surname to Downey (after his stepfather, James Downey) when he wanted to enlist in the United States Army while being underage. Downey later said he wrote an unpublished novel during his time in the army, though he spent much of his military career "in the stockade".

Career

Downey initially made his mark creating basement budget, independent films aligning with the Absurdist movement, coming of age in counterculture anti-establishment 1960s America. His work in the late 1960s and 1970s was quintessential anti-establishment, reflecting the nonconformity popularized by larger counterculture movements and given impetus by new freedoms in films, such as the breakdown of codes on censorship. In keeping with the underground tradition, his 1970s films were independently made on shoestring budgets and were relatively obscure in the Absurdist movement, finding culture notoriety.

In 1961, work with film editor Fred von Bernewitz, Downey began writing and directing low-budget 16mm films that gained an underground following, beginning with Ball's Bluff (1961), a fantasy short about a Civil War soldier who awakens in Central Park in 1961. He moved into big-budget filmmaking with the surrealistic Greaser's Palace (1972). His last film was Rittenhouse Square (2005), a documentary capturing life in a Philadelphia park.

Downey's films were often family affairs. His first wife, Elsie, appears in four of his movies (Chafed Elbows, Pound, Greaser's Palace, Moment to Moment), as well as co-writing one (Moment to Moment). Daughter Allyson and son Robert Downey Jr. each made their film debuts in the 1970 absurdist comedy Pound at the ages of 7 and 5, respectively; Allyson would appear in one more film by her father, Up the Academy. Robert Jr.'s lengthy acting résumé includes appearances in eight films directed by his father (Pound, Greaser's Palace, Moment to Moment, Up the Academy, America, Rented Lips, Too Much Sun, Hugo Pool), as well as two acting appearances in movies where his father was also an actor (Johnny Be Good, Hail Caesar).

Personal life

Downey was married three times. His first marriage was to actress Elsie Ann Downey (née Ford; 1934–2014), with whom he had two children: actress-writer Allyson Downey (born 1963) and actor Robert Downey Jr. (born 1965). The marriage ended in divorce in 1975. His second marriage, to actress-writer Laura Ernst, lasted until her death on January 27, 1994, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In 1998 he married his third wife, Rosemary Rogers, humorist and co-author of Saints Preserve Us! and other books. They lived in New York City.

Downey died at his home in Manhattan on July 7, 2021, at age 85, after having Parkinson's disease for over five years. The film Licorice Pizza is dedicated to his memory.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Credit	Notes
1953	The American Road	Unknown	Cinematographer	Short film
1961	Balls Bluff	Civil War Union Soldier	Director, writer, and producer	Short film
1964	A Touch of Greatness	Unknown	Director, producer, and cinematographer	Documentary
1964	Babo 73	Unknown	Director, writer, and producer
1965	Sweet Smell of Sex	Unknown	Director, writer, and cinematographer
1966	Chafed Elbows	Unknown	Director, writer, and producer
1968	No More Excuses	Private Stewart Thompson	Director, writer, and producer
1969	Putney Swope	Unknown	Director and writer	Voice, uncredited
1969	Naughty Nurse	Desk Clerk		Short film
1970	Pound	Unknown	Director and writer
1971	You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat	Head of Ad Agency
1971	Is There Sex After Death?	Himself		Mockumentary and mondo film
1971	Cold Turkey	Unknown	Second unit director
1972	Greaser's Palace	Unknown	Director and writer
1973	Sticks and Bones	Unknown	Director and writer	Television film
1975	Moment to Moment	Unknown	Director and writer	Retitled Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight
1980	Up the Academy	Unknown	Director
1980	The Gong Show Movie	Unknown	Co-writer
1985	To Live and Die in L.A.	Senior Secret Service Agent Thomas Bateman
1985–1986	The Twilight Zone	Mr. Miller	Director	Directed 3 episodes acted in segment: "Wordplay"
1986	America	Unknown	Director and co-writer
1986	Matlock	Judge Warren Anderson		Episode: "Judge Warren Anderson"
1988	Rented Lips	Unknown	Director
1988	Moving Target	Weinberg		Television film
1988	Johnny Be Good	NCAA Investigator Floyd Gondoli
1988–1989	1st & Ten	Mike McDonald / Reporter #4 / Reporter / Sports Writer		4 episodes
1991	Too Much Sun	Unknown	Director and co-writer
1993	Tales of the City	Edgar's Doctor		Miniseries; 1 episode
1994	Hail Caesar	Butler
1996	Sunchaser	Telephone Voices
1997	Hugo Pool	Unknown	Director and co-writer
1997	Boogie Nights	Burt
1999	Magnolia	WDKK Show Director
2000	The Family Man	Man In House
2004	From Other Worlds	Baker
2005	Rittenhouse Square	Unknown	Director	Documentary
2011	Tower Heist	Judge Ramos

External links

• Robert Downey, Sr. at the Internet Movie Database

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