Robert Downey Jr.

Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14.3 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. Downey was the highest-paid actor in the world annually from 2013 to 2015. Known for his versatility across roles, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Daytime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards.

At age five, Downey made his acting debut in his father Robert Downey Sr.'s film Pound (1970). He rose to prominence by working with the Brat Pack for the teen films Weird Science (1985) and Less than Zero (1987). His portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in the biopic Chaplin (1992) earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and an Academy Award nomination. After spending less than a year at a treatment facility on drug charges, Downey joined the television series Ally McBeal in 2000, earning a Golden Globe for his performance. Dismissed from the show in 2001 following further drug-related arrests, he entered a court-ordered rehabilitation program and has remained sober since 2003.

After Mel Gibson paid his insurance bond, Downey made his film comeback with The Singing Detective (2003). He gained global recognition for starring as Iron Man in ten Marvel Cinematic Universe films, from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019). Downey starred as the titular detective in Sherlock Holmes (2009), which earned him a Golden Globe. His portrayal of bureaucrat Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (2023) won him the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2024, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for the miniseries The Sympathizer and made his Broadway debut in the title role of Ayad Akhtar's McNeal.

Time named Downey one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008 and Forbes featured him on the Celebrity 100 in 2013 and 2014. He has pursued music, releasing the jazz-pop album The Futurist (2004), which charted on the US Billboard 200. Divorced from singer Deborah Falconer, Downey has been married to film producer Susan Levin since 2005; they co-founded the production company Team Downey. Downey has three children: one with Falconer and two with Levin. In 2025, he was named one of the greatest film actors of the 21st century by The Independent.

Early life and acting background

Robert John Downey Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York City, on April 4, 1965. His father, Robert Downey Sr. (né Elias), was a filmmaker with Lithuanian Jewish and Irish ancestry. His mother, Elsie Ann (née Ford), was an actress who appeared in Downey Sr.'s films and had Scottish, German, and Swiss ancestry. Downey's sister, Allyson, is two years older than him.

Due to his father's film projects, Downey moved frequently during his childhood, living in places such as Woodstock, New York; London, England; New Mexico; California; Connecticut; and Greenwich Village in New York City. From a young age, Downey was exposed to drugs: his father struggled with addiction, and his mother battled alcoholism. His father introduced him to marijuana at either age six or eight; Downey Sr. later expressed regret for doing so. Downey mentioned that using drugs with his father created an emotional connection between them, explaining that, "When my dad and I used drugs together, it was his way of showing love for me in the only manner he knew." During his childhood, he appeared in small roles in his father's films. He made his acting debut at the age of five, portraying a sick puppy in the absurdist comedy film Pound (1970), and at seven, he appeared in the Western film Greaser's Palace (1972). At ages eleven and twelve, he attended Stagedoor Manor, a summer acting camp in upstate New York.

In school, Downey was a hyperactive child who "tried to be cool", often teased by the older boys but popular with the girls. His parents divorced when he was twelve; afterward, he lived with his mother in a fifth-floor apartment in New York City, while his sister stayed with their father, who later took her to a boarding school. He attended Lincoln Junior High School for eighth grade and then Santa Monica High School for ninth and tenth grades, but dropped out in 1982. At age 17, Downey relocated to his home town to pursue acting full-time, working several jobs such as clearing tables at a Central Falls restaurant, working in a shoe store, and performing as "living art" at the nightclub Area to support himself during auditions. During this period, he also appeared in local theater and off-Broadway productions.

Career

1983–1995: Early work and critical acclaim

Downey made his stage debut in 1983 with a three-week run in Alms for the Middle Class at the Geva Theatre Center. He then appeared in the short-lived off-Broadway musical American Passion at the Joyce Theater, produced by Norman Lear. Downey's first credited film role was in Baby It's You (1983), though most of his scenes were cut. In his early film roles, he frequently portrayed misfit characters, and his portrayals of punk-like figures in several 1980s coming-of-age films led to his occasional association with the Brat Pack. In the drama film Firstborn (1984), he played a supporting role as the teenage friend of the protagonist. Downey then traveled to Los Angeles to film Tuff Turf (1985), in which he played James Spader's sidekick and a punk drummer. Later that year, his role as a bully in John Hughes's Weird Science (1985) marked his breakthrough. Downey starred as a radical socialist in the Alan Metter comedy film Back to School (1987).

In 1985, Downey joined the new, younger cast of Saturday Night Live, securing the audition with help from his Weird Science co-star and friend Anthony Michael Hall. After a season of poor ratings and criticism of the cast's comedic ability, he and most of the new members were dismissed. Downey's first leading role came in The Pick-up Artist (1987), which faced criticism for being "sexually irresponsible" because of its portrayal of promiscuous sex during a period of heightened AIDS awareness. He earned critical acclaim for his role as a drug-addicted rich boy whose life rapidly spirals out of control in the drama film Less than Zero (1987), the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's 1985 novel. Critic Roger Ebert called his performance "so real, so subtle and so observant that it's scary", and Janet Maslin, in The New York Times, deemed it "desperately moving". Downey said that the role felt like "the ghost of Christmas Future" for him, as his drug habit led him to become an "exaggeration of the character" in real life.

Shortly after completing Less than Zero, Downey entered rehab for the first time, beginning a decade-long cycle of interventions and treatment stints that culminated in his 1996 arrest. He starred alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Winona Ryder in the teen drama film 1969 (1988). The film saw mixed reception, though his performance garnered good reviews from writers at Variety and Deseret News. Downey went on to star in the films Chances Are (1989) with Cybill Shepherd and Ryan O'Neal, Air America (1990) with Mel Gibson, and Soapdish (1991) with Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Cathy Moriarty, and Whoopi Goldberg; each saw varying critical success. Downey trained extensively to prepare for his portrayal of comic actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin in the biopic Chaplin (1992), learning to play the violin and tennis left-handed, and working with a coach to replicate Chaplin's accent and mannerisms. Although the film was a box-office bomb, Downey's performance received critical acclaim. It earned him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor, as well as Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.

In 1993, Downey starred in Heart and Souls, playing a man possessed by multiple characters—a performance that critic Peter Travers praised as revealing his "explosive talent for physical comedy". In Only You (1994), co-starring Marisa Tomei and Billy Zane, Downey played Peter Wright, a professional dancer who poses as the soulmate for Tomei's character Faith. Norman Jewison, the film's director, cast Downey because he reminded him of Tony Curtis: "charming with great comedic timing". In preparation for his role of reporter Wayne Gale in Natural Born Killers (1994), Downey shadowed Australian television shock journalist Steve Dunleavy, which helped him develop an Australian accent. The film proved successful at the box office, grossing $110 million on a $34 million budget. Throughout 1995, he took on a string of diverse roles, appearing in the period drama Restoration, the Shakespearean adaptation Richard III, and the family ensemble Home for the Holidays.