He started his career with underground films. He was also successful as an actor. Now Robert Downey Jr.'s father has died at the age of 85.
Los Angeles / New York – “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. (56) mourns the loss of his father, Robert Downey Sr., who died at the age of 85. “Last night, Dad died peacefully in his sleep after years of Parkinson's disease suffered, ”wrote the Hollywood star on Instagram.
He praised his father as a "true, rebellious filmmaker" who remained exceptionally optimistic until the end. He also remembered his stepmother, Rosemary Rogers-Downey, to whom his father had been married since 1998.
Born in New York in 1936, Robert Downey Sr. became known in the 1960s as a director of underground films, including the satire "Putney Swope". As an actor he has appeared in films such as "Living and Dying in LA", "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia". From his first marriage to actress Elsie Downey (1934-2014) he had two children, Robert and Allyson Downey. dpa
