Photo: Wdixon / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Robert Downey Sr. is too often filed away as merely the father of a famous son, which does him a disservice. The Manhattan-born filmmaker behind Putney Swope and Greaser's Palace was a genuine American maverick, skewering advertising and the Western with a surrealist nerve few studios would touch. A Guggenheim Fellowship confirms he was no mere provocateur. What I admire most is the lineage: the same refusal to color inside the lines clearly passed to his son. He died in 2021, but that underground, anything-goes spirit feels like the more interesting inheritance he left behind.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert Downey Sr.
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・ダウニー・シニア
- Reading
- ろばーと・だうにー・しにあ
- Born
- June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rat
- Origin
- Manhattan, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / television actor / film actor / film editor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Guggenheim Fellowship
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Robert Downey Sr. born?
June 24, 1936 – July 7, 2021.
Where is Robert Downey Sr. from?
Robert Downey Sr. is from Manhattan, New York, United States.
What does Robert Downey Sr. do?
Robert Downey Sr. works as film director, screenwriter, television actor, film actor, film editor.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.