Robert Downey Sr., filmmaker and provocateur, is dead at 85
Putney Swope, a 1969 comedy about a Black man who is accidentally elected chairman of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, was perhaps Downeys best-known film.
by Neil Genzlinger
(NYT NEWS SERVICE)
.- Robert Downey Sr., who made provocative movies like Putney Swope that avoided mainstream success but were often critical favorites and were always attention getting, died Wednesday at his home in New York. He was 85.
The cause was Parkinsons disease, his wife, Rosemary Rogers, said.
Putney Swope, a 1969 comedy about a Black man who is accidentally elected chairman of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, was perhaps Downeys best-known film.
The cause was Parkinson’s disease, his wife, Rosemary Rogers, said.
His son, actor Robert Downey Jr, paid tribute on Instagram: 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. Rosemary Rogers-Downey, you are a saint, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.
‘Putney Swope,’ a 1969 comedy about a Black man who is accidentally elected chairman of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, was perhaps Downey’s best-known film.