Robert Downey Sr.

Robert Downey Sr.
Robert Downey Sr.
	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	Director; writer; actor;
Years active	1953–2011
Spouses	Elsie Ann Ford (m. 1962; div. 1975); Laura Ernst (m. 1991; died 1994); Rosemary Rogers (m. 1998);
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 his 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."^[2] He was the father of American actor Robert Downey Jr.

^ Finn, Natalie (September 26, 2014). "Robert Downey Jr.'s Mother Dies: Read His Moving, Candid Tribute to Elsie Ann Downey". E!. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
^ Wheeler Winston Dixon, Rutgers University Press, July 11, 2007, Film Talk: Directors at Work, Retrieved November 10, 2014 (see page xi Introduction paragraph 3), ISBN 978-0-8135-4077-1

[1] Finn, Natalie (September 26, 2014). "Robert Downey Jr.'s Mother Dies: Read His Moving, Candid Tribute to Elsie Ann Downey". E!. Retrieved April 16, 2015.

[2] Wheeler Winston Dixon, Rutgers University Press, July 11, 2007, Film Talk: Directors at Work, Retrieved November 10, 2014 (see page xi Introduction paragraph 3), ISBN 978-0-8135-4077-1

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Robert Downey Sr.
Downey in April 2016
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.
Occupations	Director writer actor
Years active	1953–2011
Spouses	Elsie Ann Ford (m. 1962; div. 1975) ^[1] Laura Ernst (m. 1991; died 1994) Rosemary Rogers (m. 1998)
Children	2, including Robert Jr.