| Robert Downey, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert John Elias June 24, 1935 United States |
| Occupation | Director, actor, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Spouse | Elsie Ford (div. 1975) Laura Ernst (1991–1994) Rosemary Rogers (1998–present) |
| Children | Allyson Downey Robert Downey, Jr. |
Robert John Downey, Sr. (born Robert John Elias; June 24, 1935) is an American actor, writer, and film director, and the father of actor Robert Downey, Jr. He is best known as an underground filmmaker, serving as director and/or writer of such cult classics as Putney Swope, a biting satire on the New York Madison Avenue advertising world.
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Downey's father, Robert Elias, was the son of Russian Jewish parents, and his mother, cover girl Betty McLoughlin, was of Irish Catholic descent.[1][2][3][4][5] He was born Robert Elias, but changed his last name to "Downey" (after his stepfather, James Downey) when he was a minor and wanted to enlist in the Army.[6][7]
Downey, Sr. has been married three times. His first marriage was to actress Elsie Downey (née Ford), with whom he had two children: actress/writer Allyson Downey and actor Robert Downey, Jr. The marriage ended in divorce in 1975. Downey, Sr.'s second marriage, to actress-writer Laura Ernst, ended with her 1994 death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He currently lives in New York City with his third wife, Rosemary Rogers, whom he married in 1998.
Downey has admitted that he and his first wife gave their children drugs at a prepubescent age, which may have figured in both children's narcotic abuse.[8]
By the age of 22, Downey had served in the Army, played semi-pro baseball, become a Golden Gloves boxing champion, and an Off-Off-Broadway playwright. In 1961, working with the film editor Fred von Bernewitz, he began writing and directing low-budget 16mm films which 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).[9] His most recent film was Rittenhouse Square (2005), a documentary capturing life in a Philadelphia park.
Downey, Sr.'s movies were often family affairs. His first wife, Elsie, appears in four of his movies (Chafed Elbows, Pound, Greaser's Palace, Moment to Moment) as well as co-writing one (Moment to Moment).[10] Daughter Allyson and son Robert, 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.[11] Robert Downey, Jr.'s lengthy acting resume 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).[12]
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