Robert John Downey Sr. (; June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. He was known for writing and directing the underground films Putney Swope (1969), a satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world, and Greaser's Palace (1972), a surrealist Western. 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 actor Robert Downey Jr..
Early life
Robert John Elias Jr. was born in the Manhattan borough of New York City, on June 24, 1936. He was the son of Elizabeth "Betty" McLauchlen, a model and magazine editor, and Robert John Elias Sr., who worked in management of motels and restaurants. while his mother was of half Hungarian Jewish<!-- Possible inaccuracy: Gates's book shows the lineage of Robert Downey Jr. It appears his mother's mother's maiden name was Eleanor (Ella) Ormay. Using ship's manifests, he traces her back to Hundary, and finds ancestral graves with Hebrew lettering. But that appears to have no connection to Robert Downey, Sr.'s lineage, so Sr., the subject of this article, may have no Jewish ancestry on his mother's side, which would make this text incorrect. Bears further examination. Looking through the other sources, so far haven't found anything supporting the maternal Jewish claim. In addition to the Gates source in the article, see further excerpts at https://www.google.com/books/edition/Finding_Your_Roots/IDVcBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Eleanor%22&pg=PA146&printsec=frontcover --> and half Irish ancestry. He grew up in Rockville Centre, New York. He changed his surname to Downey after his stepfather, when he wanted to enlist in the United States Army while being underage.
In 1961, working 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 appears in four of his films (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). and a film set to be executive produced by Paul Thomas Anderson in the 2000s, Forest Hills Bob.
Personal life and death
Downey was married three times. His first marriage was to actress Elsie Ann Ford (1934–2014) in 1962, with whom he had two children: actress-writer Allyson (b. 1963) and actor Robert Jr. (b. 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 (ALS). Downey died of complications from Parkinson's disease in his sleep at his home in Manhattan, on July 7, 2021, thirteen days after his 85th birthday.
Legacy
The Criterion Collection released five of his films (the National Film Registry inductee Putney Swope, Babo 73, Chafed Elbows, No More Excuses and Taos Tonight) as part of the Eclipse Series. A 2022 documentary film simply called "Sr." was made by Chris Smith of American Movie fame and was produced by his son. It won the National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Filmography
Film
Filmmaking credits
{| class="wikitable"
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! Year
! Title
! Director
! Writer
! Producer
! Notes
!
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| 1953
| data-sort-value="American Road, The" | The American Road
|
|
|
| Short film; cinematographer
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| 1961
| Balls Bluff
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| Short film; also actor
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|-
| 1964
| A Touch of Greatness
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|
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| Documentary film; also cinematographer
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|-
| 1964
| Babo 73
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1965
| Sweet Smell of Sex
|
|
|
| Also cinematographer
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|-
| rowspan="2"|1980
| Up the Academy
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1971
| You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat
| Head of Ad Agency
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|-
| 1994
| Hail Caesar
| Butler
|
|
|-
| 1996
| The Sunchaser
| Telephone Voices
|
|
|}
Television
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
!
|-
| 1985–1986
| The Twilight Zone
| Mr. Miller
| also directed 3 episodes<br />acted in segment: "Wordplay"
| <br/>
|-
| 1987
| Matlock
| Judge Warren Anderson
| Season 2, Episode 3: “The Annihilator”
| <br/>
|-
| 1993
| Tales of the City
| Edgar's Doctor
| Miniseries; 1 episode
|