About
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)....
Known for
Mad MenSeries • 2007
The GodfatherMovie • 1972
The Outer LimitsSeries • 1963
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Series • 1964
FranticMovie • 1988
Mission: ImpossibleMovie • 1996
Mission: Impossible IIMovie • 2000
Days of ThunderMovie • 1990
ChinatownMovie • 1974
The FirmMovie • 1993
The Lloyd Bridges ShowSeries • 1962
Welcome to the BasementSeries • 2012
Bonnie and ClydeMovie • 1967
Little Nemo: Adventures in SlumberlandMovie • 1989
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesMovie • 1984
Tequila SunriseMovie • 1988
8 Million Ways to DieMovie • 1986
ShampooMovie • 1975
McCabe & Mrs. MillerMovie • 1971
The YakuzaMovie • 1974
The Parallax ViewMovie • 1974
Ask the DustMovie • 2006
The Two JakesMovie • 1990
The Pick-up ArtistMovie • 1987