Filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. has died at 85

• Downey Sr. was a pioneer of the underground film scene in New York City in the 1960s.
• His satire, "Putney Swope," was a landmark work.
• He would go on to direct and act across from his son Robert Downey Jr. several times.
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Filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., the father of Robert Downey Jr., has died in his sleep on Wednesday morning, his wife told the New York Daily News. Downey Sr. was 85.

Downey was a pioneer of the experimental filmmaking scene in New York City during the 1960s.

His film "Putney Swope," about a Black advertising executive who is accidentally put in charge of a big firm and proceeds to upend the business, was a landmark work of the time and would make Downey a star on the scene.

Downey was born in Manhattan in 1936. His father, Robert Elias Sr., worked in the restaurant and motel business. His mother, Elizabeth, was a model. Robert was born Robert Elias Jr. but changes his name to Downey, his stepfather's surname, when he enlisted in the Army.

Diving head first into the art scene in New York City in the 1960s, Downey thrived in telling stories fueled by the counterculture movement. He found attention right away with his 1961 short film "Ball's Bluff," about a Civil War soldier who awakes in Central Park in 1961.

Following the success of "Putney Swope," he continued to to make movies through the 1970s and 1980s as well as acting. He appeared in everything from "The Twilight Zone" and "Matlock," to William Friedkin's neo-noir "To Live and Die in L.A." and two Paul Thomas Anderson movies ("Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia").

Downey also got his son, Robert, into the business at a young age.

5-year-old Robert Downey Jr. made his screen debut in his father's 1970 movie "Pound" alongside his sister, Allyson, who was 7 at the time. Robert would go on to star in several more of this father's movie before going on to become a global star.

Father and son also starred in movies not directed by Downey Sr., including 1988's "Johnny Be Good" and 1994's "Hail Caesar."

Downey Sr. had been battling Parkinson's disease for more than five years, according to The Daily News.

His final work as a director was the 2005 documentary "Rittenhouse Square," which celebrates the popular Philadelphia park.

Downey is survived my his wife, best-selling author Rosemary Rogers, and two children, Allyson Downey and Robert Downey, Jr.