Robert Downey, Sr.
Robert Downey Sr. (1936–2021) was an American director, screenwriter, and actor, an underground filmmaker whose absurdist, transgressive comedies were a key part of the late-1960s American counterculture. Largely self-taught, he made independent shorts and features on minimal budgets before breaking through with the satirical Putney Swope, which lampooned American advertising and racial politics. His later career mixed studio assignments and independent work. His acclaimed films include Chafed Elbows, No More Excuses, Putney Swope, Pound, Greaser's Palace, and Up the Academy.