Robert Downey Sr., Filmmaker And Father Of Robert Downey Jr., Has Died

Jul 08, 2021 by apost team

Robert Downey Sr., the American director known for the critically acclaimed film “Putney Swope,” died on Wednesday, July 7, at the age of 85. According to his wife, Rosemary Rogers, the cause of death was Parkinson’s disease.

Although Downey Sr. is perhaps less well-known than his son, the actor Robert Downey Jr., among film critics he made a name for himself as a provocative director with a knack for humor. However, his films were never major financial successes, nor did he ever break into the mainstream.

“Putney Swope,” the director’s most popular film, is a satire about a Black man who is accidentally elected as the head of a Madison Avenue ad agency in the 1960s. When the film came out in ‘69, Jane Fonda declared it a masterpiece — and yet, Downey Sr.’s work has since faded into obscurity.

Robert John Elias Jr. was born on June 24, 1936, in Manhattan, the son of a model and restaurant manager. As a teenager, he adopted the name “Downey” after his stepfather, Jim Downey, an ad man. After a stint in the U.S. Army, where he spent much of his time writing, Downey Sr. tried his hand at being a playwright until he encountered William Waering, with whom he made his first film, “Babo 73.”

Downey Sr.’s most recent directing credit is from “Rittenhouse Square,” a 2005 documentary about a small Philadelphia park, which focused on the people from the neighborhood — musicians, friends and lovers — who made the spot their home. The director also cast his son, Downey Jr., in several of his own films, including “Pound” in 1970 and “Too Much Sun” in 1990.

“RIP Bob D. Sr. 1936-2021…Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson’s ..he was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout..According to my stepmoms calculations, they were happily married for just over 2000 years,” Downey Jr. wrote on Instagram, announcing his father’s passing on Wednesday.

“Rosemary Rogers-Downey, you are a saint, and our thoughts and prayers are with you,” he continued, referring to his stepmother.

If there’s a movie Downey Sr. will be remembered for, it’s “Putney Swope.” While the film received its fair share of negative reviews — The New York Daily News called it "vicious and vile” — a notable number of film critics, prominent directors and film aficionados have sung its praises. In a rave review for The New York Times, Vincent Camby wrote, “To be as precise as is possible about such a movie, it is funny, sophomoric, brilliant, obscene, disjointed, marvelous, unintelligible and relevant.”

And according to The Guardian, Paul Thomas Anderson, Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, the Coen brothers and Chris Rock are also fans of the 1969 comedy.

The director’s first movie, “Babo 73,” follows actor Taylor Mead as he plays the President of the United States in a low-budget ($3,000) film that has earned its place as a notable piece of New York underground art.

“We just basically went down to the White House and started shooting, with no press passes, permits, anything like that,” Downey Sr. said in an interview in “Film Voices: Interviews From Post Script,” according to The New York Times.

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“Kennedy was in Europe, so nobody was too tight with the security, so we were outside the White House mainly, ran around; we actually threw Taylor in with some real generals,” he added.

Downey Sr. solidified his legacy as an underground filmmaker when The Criterion Collection, an American distribution company that focuses on classic cinema, issued a box set of the filmmaker’s movies.

“Rarely do landmark works of cinema seem so … wrong. Robert Downey Sr. emerged as one of the most irreverent filmmakers of the New York underground of the sixties, taking no prisoners in his rough-and-tumble treatises on politics, race, and consumer culture,” the box set’s description reads.

Downey Jr., who is known for his role in Marvel’s “Iron Man,” also had praise for his father’s filmmaking. 

In 2014, he described his father’s work as unique, telling interviewers, “(My dad is) not just trying to fit the storytelling on the screen, (he’s) trying to do something a little bit different.”

“Dad definitely always had a vision for what he was doing, but he was always seeking those weird little forays into other things, which ended up being what people remember from the movie,” Downey Jr. added.

Downey Sr. is survived by six grandchildren; his son, Downey Jr.; his wife, Rosemary Rogers-Downey; his daughter Allyson Downey; his brother, Jim Downey; and his sister, Nancy Connor.

Friends, celebrities and fans of the director commented on Downey Jr.’s post, giving their condolences and wishing the family well.

“So sorry, brother. A legend,” actor Clark Gregg commented on co-star Downey Jr.’s post.

Rest in peace, Robert Downey Sr. Have you seen any of his movies? If so, which one is your favorite? Let us know — and be sure to pass this news on.