Robert Towne

Writer

Robert Towne (born Robert Bertram Schwartz; November 23, 1934 - July 1, 2024) was an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. He was part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown (1974), which is widely considered one of the greatest screenplays ever written. He later said it was inspired by a chapter in Carey McWilliams's Southern California Country: An Island on the Land (1946) and a West magazine article on Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles. Towne also wrote the sequel, The Two Jakes (1990); the Hal Ashby comedy-dramas The Last Detail (1973) and Shampoo (1975); and the first two Mission: Impossible films. Towne directed the sports dramas Personal Best (1982) and Without Limits (1998), the crime thriller Tequila Sunrise (1988), and the romantic crime drama Ask the Dust (2006).

Born: November 23, 1934 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Died: July 1, 2024 (Age 89)

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Robert Towne Movies & TV Credits

Title	Rating	Job	Role(s)	Year
Creature from the Haunted Sea Movie Available on 14 streaming services.	3.7	Actor	Sparks Moran / Agent XK150 / Narrator	1961
Drive, He Said Movie Available on 12 streaming services.	5.5	Actor	Richard	1971
Last Woman on Earth Movie Available on 7 streaming services.	4.6	Actor	Martin Joyce	1960
The Pick-up Artist Movie	5.3	Actor	Stan	1987
The Zodiac Killer Movie	4.2	Actor	Man in Bar #3	1971
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael Movie Available on 20 streaming services.	6.7	Actor	Self	2019
A Sad Flower in the Sand Movie	8	Actor	Self	2001
Salinger Movie Available on 5 streaming services.	6.5	Actor	Self - Screenwriter	2013
A Decade Under the Influence Movie	7.7	Actor	Self	2003
Billy Wilder: The Human Comedy Movie	7.1	Actor	Self	1998
Rescued from the Closet Movie	6.3	Actor	Self	2001
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story Movie	7.5	Actor	Self	2008
Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde' Movie	7	Actor	Self	2008
Suspect Zero Movie	5.6	Actor	Professor Dates (uncredited)	2004
Shampoo Movie	6.2	Actor	Party Guest (uncredited)	1975
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made Movie Available on 3 streaming services.	4.9	Actor	Agent XK150 (archive footage)	2004
Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That Movie	7	Actor	Self	2005
Cadillac Desert Limited Series	8.8	Actor	Self - Screenwriter, 'Chinatown'	1997
The Story of Film: An Odyssey Limited Series	8.2	Actor	Self 2 Episodes	2011-2011
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: America's Greatest Movies Movie	7.3	Actor	Self 1 Episode	1998
8 Million Ways to Die Movie Available on 5 streaming services.	5.8	Writing	Writer, Additional Writing	1986
Ask the Dust Movie Available on 1 streaming services.	5.5	Directing	Screenplay, Director	2006
Bonnie and Clyde Movie Available on 1 streaming services.	7.8	Crew	Additional Writing	1967
Chinatown Movie Available on 3 streaming services.	8.2	Writing	Screenplay, Writer	1974
Cisco Pike Movie Available on 3 streaming services.	6.3	Crew	Additional Writing	1972
Days of Thunder Movie Available on 4 streaming services.	6.3	Writing	Screenplay, Story	1990
Deal of the Century Movie Available on 1 streaming services.	4.8	Crew	Additional Writing	1983
Drive, He Said Movie Available on 12 streaming services.	5.5	Crew	Additional Writing	1971
Frantic Movie	6.7	Crew	Additional Writing	1988
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Movie Available on 2 streaming services.	6.5	Writing	Writer	1984
Heaven Can Wait Movie Available on 1 streaming services.	6.8	Crew	Additional Writing	1978
Last Woman on Earth Movie Available on 7 streaming services.	4.6	Writing	Screenplay	1960
Love Affair Movie Available on 14 streaming services.	5.8	Writing	Screenplay	1994
McCabe & Mrs. Miller Movie Available on 2 streaming services.	7.5	Crew	Additional Writing	1971
Mission: Impossible Movie Available on 3 streaming services.	7.3	Writing	Screenplay	1996
Mission: Impossible II Movie Available on 3 streaming services.	5.9	Writing	Screenplay	2000
Personal Best Movie	6.4	Directing	Director, Producer, Writer	1982
Shampoo Movie	6.2	Writing	Writer	1975
Tequila Sunrise Movie	5.8	Directing	Director, Screenplay	1988
The Bedroom Window Movie Available on 4 streaming services.	6.2	Production	Executive Producer	1987
The Firm Movie Available on 7 streaming services.	6.8	Writing	Screenplay	1993
The Last Detail Movie Available on 1 streaming services.	7.6	Writing	Screenplay	1973
The New Centurions Movie	6.9	Crew	Additional Writing	1972
The Parallax View Movie Available on 3 streaming services.	7.2	Crew	Additional Writing	1974
The Tomb of Ligeia Movie Available on 1 streaming services.	6.3	Writing	Screenplay	1964
The Two Jakes Movie Available on 2 streaming services.	5.9	Writing	Characters, Writer	1990
The Yakuza Movie	7.1	Writing	Screenplay	1974
Tough Guys Don't Dance Movie Available on 4 streaming services.	4.7	Crew	Additional Writing	1987
Villa Rides Movie Available on 9 streaming services.	6.5	Writing	Screenplay	1968
Without Limits Movie Available on 2 streaming services.	7.4	Directing	Director, Writer	1998
Battle of Britain Movie		Writing	Screenplay
The Outer Limits TV Show Available on 6 streaming services.	8	Writing	Writer 1 Episode	1963-1965
The Lloyd Bridges Show TV Show	6.9	Writing	Writer 1 Episode	1962-1963
Welcome to the Basement TV Show	6.9	Writing	Screenplay 1 Episode	2012
Title	Rating	Job	Role(s)	Year

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Robert Towne

Writer

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