Filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. has passed away. The underground director gained recognition for his countercultural films of the 1960s and 1970s, including Putney Swope and Greaser's Palace. The father of Robert Downey Jr. and Allyson Downey, Downey Sr. gave his children their first onscreen roles in his film Pound when they were five and seven, respectively. Downey Sr. recently celebrated his 85th birthday.

Born Robert Elias Jr., Downey Sr. took his stepfather's name when he wanted to join the military at age 15. Moving into the underground filmmaking movement in New York City, Downey Sr. cleared his throat to the world in 1969 with the dark comedy Putney Swope, a film now recognized as decades ahead of its time with its scathing attacks on late-stage capitalism, white supremacy, and racial portrayals in Hollywood. Babo 73, Chafed Elbows, and No More Excuses are just a few of his acclaimed films added to The Criterion Collection. Famously, Downey Sr. was one of the chief influences for director Paul Thomas Anderson, who had cast Downey Sr. in Magnolia and Boogie Nights.

Related: All Paul Thomas Anderson Movies Ranked

Robert Downey Sr. died in his sleep in his New York home Wednesday morning, as reported by New York Daily News. He had been battling Parkinson's disease for five years. The news was delivered by his wife, author Rosemary Rogers. Downey Sr.'s last film is 2005's Rittenhouse Square, a documentary about the public park in Philadelphia.

Downey Sr. was notoriously private, decrying Hollywood as a "horrible place" and avoiding publicity whenever possible to protect his children, given they had a complex relationship. Downey Jr. began smoking marijuana with his father when he was six years old, a decision Downey Sr. later regretted. After Downey Sr. successfully quit cocaine in 1981, he helped his son do the same two decades later, saying, "If it made such an impression on you, then why can’t you do the same thing?" Today, Downey Jr. has been triumphantly sober since 2003, diverging from his father's underground aesthetics into leading the highest-grossing franchise of all time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Robert Downey Sr.'s legacy may not be obvious but has been vital to the shifting scopes and aims of movies. Between The Criterion Collection, the Library of Congress, and the idolatry of some of the biggest names in filmmaking, Downey Sr. not only left his fingerprints on his film stock but those of many countercultural films after him. As Robert Downey Sr. showed, fighting an uphill battle against a system may not be popular or lucrative but will leave you with a full and rewarding legacy.

More: 10 Trippiest Psychadelic Movies Of The 60s, Ranked

Source: New York Daily News