Robert Towne
Writing
Biography
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).
Personal Info
Occupation Writing
Place of Birth San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birthday 1934-11-23
Featured Crew Taste
Filmography by Year
Filmography by Genre
Drama
21
Crime
11
Thriller
10
Comedy
6
Romance
6
Adventure
5
Mystery
5
Action
5
Horror
2
Western
2
Science Fiction
1
Family
1
Fantasy
1