Robert Smithson was born on January 2, 1938 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer and director, known for Breaking Ground: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill, 1971-2011 (2011), Spiral Jetty (1970) and Mono Lake (2004). He was previously married to Nancy Holt. He died on July 20, 1973 in near Amarillo, Texas, USA.