What Was Robert Towne's Net Worth?
Robert Towne was an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death. Robert Towne was born in Los Angeles, California, in November 1934. He died on July 1, 2024, at the age of 89.
Towne was best known for writing the successful Roman Polanski film "Chinatown" which won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1975. "Chinatown" has been referred to as one of the best screenplays ever written, and Robert is regarded as a master of dialogue and one of the best film writers of all time.
Beyond his Oscar-winning screenplay for "Chinatown," Towne had a diverse and influential career in Hollywood. He contributed uncredited rewrites to films like "The Godfather" and "Bonnie and Clyde." He wrote critically acclaimed scripts for "The Last Detail" and "Shampoo," and he penned blockbusters such as "Mission: Impossible" and "Days of Thunder." As a director, he helmed films including "Personal Best" and "Tequila Sunrise." Robert was also a consulting producer on the TV series "Mad Men."
Real Estate
In 1982, Robert spent $2.5 million to buy a large and impressive mansion in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. In 2011, he listed the home for $14 million. In July 2015, he accepted $9.65 million. In 2021, this same home sold for $22 million.
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Early Years
Robert Towne was born Robert Bertram Schwartz on November 23, 1934, in Los Angeles, California. He was the son of Lou Schwartz—a property developer and clothing store owner—and his wife Helen, both of Jewish descent. Towne attended Chadwick School in Los Angeles County and later studied philosophy and literature at Pomona College, a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California.
Robert enlisted in the United States Army and then worked as a tuna fisherman before looking for work in the writing and acting industries.
Writing for Film
After taking an acting class alongside American film director, producer, and actor Roger Corman, Towne wrote the screenplay for the 1960 science fiction film "Last Woman on Earth," which Corman produced and directed. Robert was given the role of Martin Joyce in the film. In 1961, Towne starred in another film produced by Corman – the horror comedy "Creature from the Haunted Sea," and in 1965, he wrote the screenplay for the British horror film "The Tomb of Ligeia" which was directed by Corman.
In 1967, Towne wrote a screenplay for the Corman-financed western "A Time For Killing," which caught the attention of American actor and film-maker Warren Beatty, who hired him to work as a consultant on the script for the biographical crime film "Bonnie and Clyde." In 1975, Towne and Beatty co-wrote the screenplay for the comedy film "Shampoo," and Robert appeared in the film as a party guest.
Several films for which Towne wrote or co-wrote the screenplays do not credit him—occasionally, he was unhappy with the way a film turned out and did not want his name attached to it, such as the 1972 action crime film "The New Centurions."
In 1990, Robert wrote the screenplay for the sports action drama "Days of Thunder," starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and went on to write screenplays for additional Cruise vehicles such as "The Firm" in 1993, "Mission Impossible" in 1996, and "Mission Impossible: II" in 2000.
"Chinatown"
The 1974 film "Chinatown," written by Towne and directed by Polish film director Roman Polanski, was inspired by the ongoing disputes between farmers and ranchers in California's Owens Valley and the city of Los Angeles regarding water rights. The film starred Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes and Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Cross-Mulwray and was distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won Golden Globe Awards for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. In 1991, the Library of Congress arranged for the film to be preserved in the National Film Registry, a collection of films considered to be culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Writing for Television
In 1963 and 1964, Towne wrote the scripts for two episodes of the American anthology drama television series "The Lloyd Bridges Show." He went on to write for numerous other television shows, such as the medical drama series "Breaking Point" and the spy fiction television series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."
Acting
After appearing in the two films produced by Roger Corman, Towne won a role in the 1971 slasher film "The Zodiac Killer." Additional films in which he appeared include the 1987 romantic comedy-drama "The Pick-up Artist," starring Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr., and the 2004 psychological thriller "Suspect Zero."
Directing
Towne wrote, produced, and directed the 1982 drama film "Personal Best," starring Mariel Hemingway, which concerned the lesbian relationship between two track and field teammates. The film was a financial failure despite film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel ranking it among the ten best films of the year. During filming, Robert filed a lawsuit against film and record producer David Lawrence Geffen and others, asking for $110 million. Adding to the chaos, production on the film was halted when members of the Screen Actors Guild went on strike. Although the film went on to become a box office flop, the American Film Institute ranked it as one of America's top ten sports films, and in 2024, "The Observer" newspaper in Britain ranked it as one of the 20 best sports movies of all time.
In 1988, Towne directed the romantic crime drama "Tequila Sunrise," starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Mel Gibson, and Kurt Russell.
Accolades
Towne won a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for the film "Chinatown" in 1975. The film also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture and an Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture. That same year, Robert won British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for Best Screenplay for both "The Last Detail" and "Chinatown."
In 1997, the Writers Guild of America honored Towne with a Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. At the 2015 Nantucket Film Festival, he was presented with a Screenwriters Tribute Award.
In the book "Fifty Filmmakers: Conversations with Directors from Roger Avary to Steven Zaillian," journalist Andrew Rausch referred to Towne as perhaps the most talented film writer in history.
In 2006, artist Sarah Morris released the film "Robert Towne," which centered on his life and work. That same year, the Public Art Fund commissioned Morris to paint an installation titled "Robert Towne" in the lobby of the Lever House office building on Park Avenue in Manhattan.
Nominations
Robert was nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for the 1973 American comedy-drama film "The Last Detail." In 1976, he was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for "Shampoo." In 1985, he received another nomination for a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award, this time for the film "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan."
Addiction
In his book "The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood," author Sam Wasson discusses the prevalence of cocaine in the entertainment industry during the 1970s. He details not only "Chinatown" star Jack Nicholson being fully involved in the drug culture of the time, but Towne becoming such a cocaine fiend that the addiction cost him a good deal of his income and destroyed his marriage.
Personal Life
Robert was married to American actress Julie Anne Payne from 1977 to 1982. The marriage ended in divorce, and a custody battle over their daughter Katharine ensued. Katharine Towne eventually became an actress. She met actor Charlie Hunnam at an audition for "Dawson's Creek" in 1999. They married in Las Vegas three weeks after meeting. They divorced in 2002.
In 1984, Robert married Luisa Gaule, and they had a daughter named Chiara.
Robert Towne died on July 1, 2024, at his home in Los Angeles, California.
