Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.

Basic & Personal Information

• Full Name: Robert John Downey Jr.
• Born: April 4, 1965
• Place of Birth: New York, New York, U.S.
• Family: Son of actor and filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. and actress Elsie Ford Downey.
• Marital Status:
  • Married to actress Deborah Falconer from 1992 to 2004.
  • Married to film producer Susan Levin since 2005.
• Children:
  • Indio Falconer Downey (with Deborah Falconer)
  • Exton Elias Downey (with Susan Levin)
  • Avri Roel Downey (with Susan Levin)
• Notable Life Event: Robert Downey Jr. has been open about his struggles with substance abuse throughout his career. He has been sober since 2003 and attributes his recovery to his wife, Susan, and a court-ordered drug treatment program.

Acting Career & Major Works

Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood's most versatile and acclaimed actors. He began his career as a child actor and has since achieved global stardom. His career can be broadly categorized into several phases:

Early Career & Critical Acclaim (1980s-1990s)

• Notable Films:
  • Weird Science (1985)
  • Less Than Zero (1987) - A breakout role where he received critical praise for his performance as a drug addict.
  • Chaplin (1992) - His portrayal of Charlie Chaplin earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a BAFTA Award.
  • Natural Born Killers (1994)
  • U.S. Marshals (1998)
  • Wonder Boys (2000)

The Comeback & Resurgence (Early to Mid-2000s)

After overcoming his personal struggles, Downey Jr. made a powerful return to the industry.

• Notable Films:
  • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
  • Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
  • Zodiac (2007)
  • Tropic Thunder (2008) - Earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as an Australian actor portraying a Black character.

Global Stardom & The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-2019)

This period solidified his status as one of the highest-paid and most influential actors in the world.

• The Iron Man Franchise: His iconic portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and became his most famous role.
  • Iron Man (2008)
  • Iron Man 2 (2010)
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)
• The Avengers Saga: He reprised his role as Iron Man in all four Avengers films, leading the team of superheroes.
  • The Avengers (2012)
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Other Major Roles:
  • Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) - His performance as the eccentric detective earned him a Golden Globe Award.
  • The Judge (2014)

Recent Work (2020-Present)

• Oppenheimer (2023) - His critically acclaimed performance as Lewis Strauss earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.
• The Sympathizer (2024) - A television miniseries based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, where he played multiple supporting roles.