1936 – 2021

Robert Downey Sr.

American filmmaker and actor (1936–2021)

manufacturerfilm actortelevision actorfilm editordirector

Born

1936-06-24, Manhattan

Died

2021-07-07

Birthplace state

New York

Biography

Robert John Downey Sr. 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..

Occupation

Robert Downey Sr. is recorded as a manufacturer, a film actor, a television actor, a film editor, a director, a film director, a cinematographer, a actor and a screenwriter, born in New York (1936–2021).

Connections to New York

Robert Downey Sr. was born in Manhattan, New York in 1936. Explore other notable figures from New York, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

Other notable figures from New York›New Yorkhistory ›Historic sites in New York›

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Geology

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LiDAR Terrain

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Conflict & War

The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.

The Civil War

The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.

The Soldiers

The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.

Native Heritage

The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.

Settlement

Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.

The Community

How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.

Rivers & Rail

The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.

Notable People

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Historical Maps

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Finds & Access

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Literature

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Spotlight

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Points of Interest

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More notable figures from New York

Other historical figures born in New York, ranked by historical prominence.

Donald Trump

American businessman and politician (born 1946), President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

president of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1882–1945)

Theodore Roosevelt

26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909 (1858–1919)

Stanley Kubrick

American filmmaker (1928–1999)

Walt Whitman

American poet, essayist and journalist (1819–1892)

Eleanor Roosevelt

American diplomat and activist, First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1884–1962)

Martin Van Buren

president of the United States from 1837 to 1841

Frequently asked about Robert Downey Sr.

Who was Robert Downey Sr.?

Robert Downey Sr. was American filmmaker and actor (1936–2021), born in New York (1936 – 2021).

When and where was Robert Downey Sr. born?

Robert Downey Sr. was born on 1936-06-24 in Manhattan.

When did Robert Downey Sr. die?

Robert died on 2021-07-07.

What was Robert Downey Sr. known for?

Robert Downey Sr. is recorded as a manufacturer, a film actor, a television actor, a film editor, a director, a film director, a cinematographer, a actor and a screenwriter.

Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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