Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Sr. | |
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Downey in April 2016 | |
| Born | Robert John Elias Jr. June 24, 1936 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 7, 2021 (aged 85) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1953–2011 |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2, including Robert Jr. |
Robert John Downey Sr. (né Elias Jr.; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground film Putney Swope (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world. According to film scholar Wheeler Winston Dixon, Downey'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." He was the father of American actor Robert Downey Jr.