Home
Movies
TV Shows
Photos
Now Streaming
Movies Streaming Now
TV Shows Streaming Now
In Theaters
Coming Soon
Sign In

Home
Movies
TV Shows
Photos
More
Now Streaming Movies Streaming Now TV Shows Streaming Now In Theaters Coming Soon Celebrities
Sign In

Home
People
Robert Towne

Robert Towne

Actor, Writer, Producer

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

Died July 1, 2024

Movies & Shows

Discover Robert Towne content online

Loading streaming options...

Finding the best places to watch

No streaming options available

Check back later for new content

No matches found for your search

Try different keywords

Content availability varies by region and time. Links open in new window.

Share with a friend

Quick Copy Link

Share on Social Media

Popular

Professional

More Options

Photos Videos Awards

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).

Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Towne, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Less

More

9 wins and 7 nominations

Robert Towne Photos

Robert Towne Videos

Joe Dante on CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA

Trailer - Creature From The Haunted Sea (1961)

Last Woman on Earth Trailer (1960)

Filmography

Actor

41

Type

Year

Hal Documentary2018Self

Hollywood Insider Poster

Hollywood Insider TV Series2018Self

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael Poster

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael Documentary2018Self

A Classy Broad Poster

A Classy Broad Documentary2016Self

Salinger Poster

Salinger Documentary2013Self

The Story of Film: An Odyssey Poster

The Story of Film: An Odyssey Mini-Series2011Self - Interviewee

Robert Towne Documentary2009Self

Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde' Poster

Revolution! The Making of 'Bonnie and Clyde' Documentary2008Self

Chinatown: Filming Poster

Chinatown: Filming Documentary2007Self

Chinatown: The Beginning and the End Poster

Chinatown: The Beginning and the End Documentary2007Self

Chinatown: The Legacy Poster

Chinatown: The Legacy Documentary2007Self

50 Films to See Before You Die Documentary2006Self

Mission: Remarkable - 40 Years of Creating the Impossible Poster

Mission: Remarkable - 40 Years of Creating the Impossible Documentary2006Self

Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That Poster

Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That Documentary2005Interviewee

Budd Boetticher: An American Original Poster

Budd Boetticher: An American Original Documentary2005Self

The Outsider Poster

The Outsider Documentary2005Self

Suspect Zero Poster

Suspect Zero Feature Film2004Professor Dates

The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made Poster

The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made Documentary2004

A Decade Under the Influence Poster

A Decade Under the Influence Documentary2003Self

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains Poster

AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains Documentary2003Self

Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film Documentary2002Self

The Kid Stays in the Picture Poster

The Kid Stays in the Picture Documentary2002Self

A Sad Flower in the Sand Poster

A Sad Flower in the Sand Documentary2001Self

Rescued from the Closet Poster

Rescued from the Closet Documentary2001Self

Behind the Mission: The Making of 'M:I-2' Documentary2000Self

Playing the Field: Sports and Sex in America Documentary2000Self - Film Director

Chinatown Revisited with Roman Polanski, Robert Evans and Robert Towne Documentary1999Self

The Century: America's Time Poster

The Century: America's Time Mini-Series1999Self - Screenwriter

Cadillac Desert Poster

Cadillac Desert Mini-Series1997Self

CBS This Morning Poster

CBS This Morning TV Series1987Self

The Pick-up Artist Poster

The Pick-up Artist Feature Film1987Stan

American Masters Poster

American Masters TV Series1985Self

Screenwriters: Word Into Image TV Series1982Self

47th Annual Academy Awards Poster

47th Annual Academy Awards TV Special1975Self - Winner

Shampoo Feature Film1975Party Guest

The 32nd Annual Golden Globe Awards TV Special1975Self

AFI Life Achievement Award Poster

AFI Life Achievement Award TV Series1973Self

Drive, He Said Poster

Drive, He Said Feature Film1971Richard

The Zodiac Killer Poster

The Zodiac Killer Feature Film1971Man in Bar #3

Creature from the Haunted Sea Poster

Creature from the Haunted Sea Feature Film1961Sparks Moran

Last Woman on Earth Poster

Last Woman on Earth Feature Film1960Martin Joyce

Writer

37

Type

Year

Welcome to the Basement Poster

Welcome to the Basement TV Series2012

Ask the Dust Poster

Ask the Dust Feature Film2006

Mission: Impossible II Poster

Mission: Impossible II Feature Film2000

Without Limits Poster

Without Limits Feature Film1998

Mission: Impossible Poster

Mission: Impossible Feature Film1996

Love Affair Poster

Love Affair Feature Film1994

The Firm Poster

The Firm Feature Film1993

Days of Thunder Poster

Days of Thunder Feature Film1990

The Two Jakes Poster

The Two Jakes Feature Film1990

Frantic Feature Film1988

Tequila Sunrise Poster

Tequila Sunrise Feature Film1988

Tough Guys Don't Dance Poster

Tough Guys Don't Dance Feature Film1987

8 Million Ways to Die Poster

8 Million Ways to Die Feature Film1986

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Poster

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Feature Film1984

Deal of the Century Poster

Deal of the Century Feature Film1983

Personal Best Poster

Personal Best Feature Film1982

Heaven Can Wait Poster

Heaven Can Wait Feature Film1978

Orca Feature Film1977

The Missouri Breaks Poster

The Missouri Breaks Feature Film1976

Shampoo Feature Film1975

Chinatown Poster

Chinatown Feature Film1974

The Parallax View Poster

The Parallax View Feature Film1974

The Yakuza Poster

The Yakuza Feature Film1974

The Last Detail Poster

The Last Detail Feature Film1973

The New Centurions Poster

The New Centurions Feature Film1972

Cisco Pike Poster

Cisco Pike Feature Film1971

Drive, He Said Poster

Drive, He Said Feature Film1971

McCabe & Mrs. Miller Poster

McCabe & Mrs. Miller Feature Film1971

Villa Rides Poster

Villa Rides Feature Film1968

Bonnie and Clyde Poster

Bonnie and Clyde Feature Film1967

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Poster

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV Series1964

The Tomb of Ligeia Poster

The Tomb of Ligeia Feature Film1964

Breaking Point Poster

Breaking Point TV Series1963

The Outer Limits Poster

The Outer Limits TV Series1963

The Lloyd Bridges Show Poster

The Lloyd Bridges Show TV Series1962

Last Woman on Earth Poster

Last Woman on Earth Feature Film1960

Chinatown TV Movie

Producer

4

Type

Year

Mad Men TV Series2007

The Bedroom Window Poster

The Bedroom Window Feature Film1987

Personal Best Poster

Personal Best Feature Film1982

Chinatown TV Movie

Thanks

11

Type

Year

The Oscars Poster

The Oscars TV Special2025

Fort McCoy Poster

Fort McCoy Feature Film2011

Chinatown: Filming Poster

Chinatown: Filming Documentary2007

Chinatown: The Beginning and the End Poster

Chinatown: The Beginning and the End Documentary2007

Chinatown: The Legacy Poster

Chinatown: The Legacy Documentary2007

Wonderland Poster

Wonderland Feature Film2003

Reel Radicals: The Sixties Revolution in Film Documentary2002

Independent Lens Poster

Independent Lens TV Series1999

The Celluloid Closet Poster

The Celluloid Closet Documentary1995

Tough Guys Don't Dance Poster

Tough Guys Don't Dance Feature Film1987

The Escape Artist Poster

The Escape Artist Feature Film1982

Director

4

Ask the Dust Poster

Ask the Dust Feature Film2006

Without Limits Poster

Without Limits Feature Film1998

Tequila Sunrise Poster

Tequila Sunrise Feature Film1988

Personal Best Poster

Personal Best Feature Film1982

Other Crew

4

Armageddon Poster

Armageddon Feature Film1998

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Poster

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland Feature Film1989

The Godfather Poster

The Godfather Feature Film1972

Bonnie and Clyde Poster

Bonnie and Clyde Feature Film1967

2nd Unit / Asst Director

1

The Young Racers Poster

The Young Racers Feature Film1963

Script and Continuity Department

1

Crimson Tide Poster

Crimson Tide Feature Film1995

Featured Celebrity Photos

Jennifer Garner Shines on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in NYC

Erin Doherty Shines at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles

Katherine LaNasa Shines at The Hollywood Reporter Nominees Night in LA

Lisa-Marie Koroll Shines at Armani Beauty Dinner in Berlin

Elsa Hosk Shines at Khaite's NYFW Fashion Show in New York

Ellie Blue Shines at "The Bluff" World Premiere in Los Angeles

Dakota Johnson Shines at Calvin Klein's NYFW Fashion Show in New York

Florence Pugh Shines at "Dracula" West End Premiere in London

Sarah Michelle Gellar Shines at Netflix's Star Search Live Finale Red Carpet in Studio City

Emma Laird Shines at the Mint Premiere During Berlinale Film Festival

Kate Hudson Shines at Arlington Artist Award Tribute in Santa Barbara Film Festival

Dakota Johnson Spotted Post-Workout in Los Angeles

Catharine Daddario Shines at LA Today's Golden Globes Red Carpet Gala

Charli XCX Shines at 'The Moment' Premiere During 76th Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin

Aubrey Plaza Rocks the Runway at 7 For All Mankind's New York Fashion Week Show

Helen Skelton Shines at the 2026 TV Choice Awards in London

Larsen Thompson Graces the Runway at LaQuan Smith Fashion Show in New York

Margaret Qualley Shines at "How To Make A Killing" Los Angeles Screening

AnnaSophia Robb Shines at Birkenstock and Danielle Frankel Hirsch Event in New York

Narinder Kaur Shines at 2026 TV Choice Awards in London

Isa Briones Shines at Gold House Lunar New Year Celebration in New York

Kelsey Merritt Shines at Ralph Lauren's NYFW Fashion Show in New York

Dove Cameron Shines at Amazon Studios' '56 Days' Los Angeles Premiere

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Strikes a Pose at Sydney's Iconic Opera House

Ella Hunt Shines at Proenza Schouler's NYFW Show in New York

Emilia Mernes Shines at Coach Fall 2026 Show During New York Fashion Week

Jules LeBlanc Shines at LoveShackFancy FW26 Presentation at NYFW

Storm Reid Shines at Coach Fall 2026 Show During New York Fashion Week

Caylee Cowan Shines at L'AGENCE FW26 Presentation During NYFW

Isabel DeRoy-Olson Shines at AMC's 'Dark Winds' Season 4 Premiere in Los Angeles

Oops!

Sign up for free

Company

About Us
Contact Us
Send feedback

Contribute

Add Movie
Add TV Show

Legal

Terms
Privacy

© 2025 Gawby.com

Send feedback to Gawby.com

Describe your issue or suggestion