Robert Downey Jr.

Did You Know?

• Downey started dating actress Sarah Jessica Parker in 1984 after meeting her on the set of Firstborn; their relationship ended in 1991 largely due to his drug addiction.
• He married singer and actress Deborah Falconer on May 29, 1992, after a six-week courtship; they had one son before divorcing in 2004.
• Downey met producer Susan Levin in 2003 while filming Gothika; they married on August 27, 2005, in a Jewish ceremony in Amagansett, New York.

Early life and acting background

Robert John Downey Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York City, on April 4, 1965. He has an older sister, Allyson. Due to his father's film projects, Downey moved frequently, living in Woodstock, New York; London, England; New Mexico; California; Connecticut; and Greenwich Village. From a young age, he was exposed to drugs: his father struggled with addiction, his mother battled alcoholism, and his father introduced him to marijuana at either age six or eight.

Downey later said that using drugs with his father created an emotional connection. He made his acting debut at age five, portraying a sick puppy in Pound (1970), and appeared in Greaser's Palace (1972) at age seven. At ages eleven and twelve, he attended Stagedoor Manor, a summer acting camp. His parents divorced when he was twelve; he lived with his mother in New York City while his sister stayed with their father.

He attended Lincoln Junior High School and Santa Monica High School but dropped out in 1982. At age 17, he relocated to pursue acting full-time, working jobs such as clearing tables at a restaurant, working in a shoe store, and performing as living art at the nightclub Area.

Career

Downey made his stage debut in 1983 with a three-week run in Alms for the Middle Class at the Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York. His first credited film role was in Baby It's You (1983), though most of his scenes were cut. He frequently portrayed misfit characters in early roles, and his performances in 1980s coming-of-age films led to occasional association with the Brat Pack. His breakthrough came with a role as a bully in John Hughes's Weird Science (1985).

He joined the new cast of Saturday Night Live in 1985 but was dismissed after a season. His first leading role was in The Pick-up Artist (1987). He earned critical acclaim for his role as a drug-addicted rich boy in Less than Zero (1987); Roger Ebert called his performance 'so real, so subtle and so observant that it's scary.' Downey said 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.

Other ventures

Downey has ventured into music, singing on several film soundtracks including Chaplin, Too Much Sun, Two Girls and a Guy, Friends and Lovers, and The Singing Detective. On November 23, 2004, he released his only studio album, The Futurist, a jazz-pop record that debuted at number 121 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 16,000 copies in its first week. While promoting Tropic Thunder, Downey and co-stars Ben Stiller and Jack Black were back-up singers for Gladys Knight on the season 7 finale of American Idol in 2008.

He has repeatedly collaborated with musician Sting, including a 2001 duet of 'Every Breath You Take' on Ally McBeal and a live performance of 'Driven to Tears' at Sting's 60th birthday concert in 2011. In a 2008 interview, Downey said his time in prison shifted his political perspective, but in 2015 he denied that statement reflected longstanding beliefs, saying he does not identify as Republican, liberal, or Democrat. He has expressed support for the Democratic Party, donating to Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, appearing in a video against Donald Trump in 2016, and joining a virtual fundraiser for Joe Biden in 2020. In 2024, he and his Avengers castmates endorsed Kamala Harris in her presidential bid.

Artistry and public image

Downey is known for his versatility across drama, comedy, and action films, often playing intelligent, charismatic, complicated, and flawed characters. Roger Ebert observed that his most common screen personas are 'irreverent, quirky, self-deprecating, wise-cracking.' Critics have noted his ability to fully embody a role, making the character seem real. Early in his career, Rolling Stone described his acting style as 'not brooding or intolerably self-absorbed' but in 'a semiconstant state of amusement.'

Downey has described himself as an 'incredibly gifted faker' who knows 'very little about acting.' His preparation has included intensive rehearsal and character immersion, such as spending months training to mimic Chaplin's movements for Chaplin (1992) and remaining in character off-set for Tropic Thunder (2008). In 2010, Walter Kirn wrote in Rolling Stone that Downey 'refuses to follow any kind of script, never quite coming into focus, always in thrall to another idea,' calling it the 'essence of [his] mind and spirit, and, arguably, of his genius as an actor.'

Downey has described his approach as intuitive and improvisational, stating that 'the goal is to make a well-written scene seem like it's improvised.' His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14.3 billion worldwide, making him the fourth-highest-grossing actor of all time according to The Numbers.