Robert Towne
4.0Writing

Robert Towne

Nov 23, 1934 - San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

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).

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Credits

Cast

Media
Movie1961Creature from the Haunted SeaSparks Moran / Agent XK150 / Narrator
Movie1960Last Woman on EarthMartin Joyce
Movie1971Drive, He SaidRichard
Movie2008Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde'Self
Movie2005Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do ThatSelf
Movie1975ShampooParty Guest (uncredited)
Movie2004Suspect ZeroProfessor Dates (uncredited)
Movie2019What She Said: The Art of Pauline KaelSelf
Movie1987The Pick-up ArtistStan
Movie1997Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of NatureSelf - Screenwriter, 'Chinatown'
Movie2004The 50 Worst Movies Ever MadeAgent XK150 (archive footage)
Movie1971The Zodiac KillerMan in Bar #3
Movie1998Billy Wilder: The Human ComedySelf
Movie2001A Sad Flower in the SandSelf
Movie2013SalingerSelf - Screenwriter
Movie2001Rescued from the ClosetSelf
Movie2008You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. StorySelf
Movie2003A Decade Under the InfluenceSelf
Movie2002Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in FilmSelf (uncredited)
TV Show2011The Story of Film: An OdysseySelf2

Crew

Media
Movie1988Tequila SunriseScreenplayWriting
Movie1988Tequila SunriseDirectorDirecting
Movie2006Ask the DustDirectorDirecting
Movie2006Ask the DustScreenplayWriting
Movie2000Mission: Impossible IIScreenplayWriting
Movie1996Mission: ImpossibleScreenplayWriting
Movie1990Days of ThunderScreenplayWriting
Movie1984Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesWriterWriting
Movie1998Without LimitsWriterWriting
Movie1998Without LimitsDirectorDirecting
Movie1975ShampooWriterWriting
Movie1990The Two JakesWriterWriting
Movie1982Personal BestDirectorDirecting
Movie1974The YakuzaScreenplayWriting
Movie1964The Tomb of LigeiaScreenplayWriting
Movie1993The FirmScreenplayWriting
Movie1973The Last DetailScreenplayWriting
Movie1994Love AffairScreenplayWriting
Movie1968Villa RidesScreenplayWriting
Movie1960Last Woman on EarthScreenplayWriting
Movie1982Personal BestProducerProduction
Movie1990The Two JakesCharactersWriting
Movie1972The New CenturionsAdditional WritingCrew
Movie19868 Million Ways to DieAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1987Tough Guys Don't DanceAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1988FranticAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1971McCabe & Mrs. MillerAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1971Cisco PikeAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1983Deal of the CenturyAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1967Bonnie and ClydeAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1978Heaven Can WaitAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1974The Parallax ViewAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1971Drive, He SaidAdditional WritingCrew
Movie1982Personal BestWriterWriting
Movie19868 Million Ways to DieWriterWriting
Movie1990Days of ThunderStoryWriting
Movie1987The Bedroom WindowExecutive ProducerProduction
MovieN/ABattle of BritainScreenplayWriting
Movie1974ChinatownWriterWriting
TV Show1962The Lloyd Bridges ShowWriterWriting
TV Show1963The Outer LimitsWriterWriting
TV Show2012Welcome to the BasementScreenplayWriting