Robert Downey Jr.
Born: 1965-04-04 in New York City, New York, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
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 the age of 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. He 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Downey Jr., licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
2027
- Avengers: Secret Wars as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom
2026
- Avengers: Doomsday as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom
2025
- The Fantastic 4: First Steps as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom (uncredited)
- Play Dirty ... (Executive Producer)
- SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night as Self
2024
- The Sympathizer as Claude / Professor Hammer / Ned Godwin / Niko Damianos / Priest
- Robert Downey Jr.: High Altitude as Self
2023
- Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss
- Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- Inside Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as Self - Lewis Strauss
- Downey's Dream Cars as Self - Host
2022
- "Sr." as Self
- 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self - Presenter
2021
- Sweet Tooth ... (Executive Producer)
- Marvel Studios Legends as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Marvel Studios Assembled as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage)
2020
- Perry Mason ... (Executive Producer)
- Dolittle as Dr. John Dolittle
- Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
- MoPOP Founders Award 2020 Honoring Alice in Chains as Self
2019
- Avengers: Endgame as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- The Chef Show as Self - Guest
- The Age of A.I. as Self - Host
- Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways as Self
2018
- Avengers: Infinity War as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman as Self
2017
- Spider-Man: Homecoming as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- The True Story of... as Self (archive footage)
- A Fan's Guide to Spider-Man Homecoming as Self
2016
- Captain America: Civil War as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- The Nice Guys as Sid Shattuck (uncredited)
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self - Guest
- Avengers: Age of Ultron as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Phase 2 Tag Scenes: A Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two as Self
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- The Judge as Hank Palmer
- Chef as Marvin
- Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe as Self / Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Sock or Hat? as Self
- Marvel: 75 Years, from Pulp to Pop! as Self
- I Am Steve McQueen as Self - Narrator (voice)
2013
- Iron Man 3 as Tony Stark
- The Frame as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Iron Man 3 Unmasked as Self
2012
- The Avengers as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Finding Your Roots as Self
- Marvel Studios: Building a Cinematic Universe as Self
- Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Perfect Chemistry as Self
2011
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as Sherlock Holmes
- Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant as Tony Stark (archive footage)
2010
- Iron Man 2 as Tony Stark
- Due Date as Peter Highman
- Love and Distrust as Rob (segment "Auto Motives")
- Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented as Self
- Mad Mel: The Rise and Fall of a Hollywood Icon as Self (archive footage)
2009
- Sherlock Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
- The Soloist as Steve Lopez
- Live from Studio Five as Self
2008
- Iron Man as Tony Stark
- The Incredible Hulk as Tony Stark (uncredited)
- Tropic Thunder as Kirk Lazarus
- Charlie Bartlett as Nathan Gardner
- Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness as Kirk Lazarus
- Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound as Self - Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Animal House: The Inside Story as Self
- I Am 'Iron Man' as Self
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Zodiac as Paul Avery
- Lucky You as Telephone Jack
- Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens as Self
- Voom Portraits as Self
2006
- A Scanner Darkly as James Barris
- The Shaggy Dog as Dr. Kozak
- Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus as Lionel Sweeney
- A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints as Dito
- Game 6 as Steven Schwimmer
- One Summer in Austin: The Story of Filming 'A Scanner Darkly' as Self / Barris
- Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow as Narrator
- The Weight of the Line: Animation Tales as Self
2005
- The Reichen Show as Self
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as Harry Lockhart
- Good Night, and Good Luck. as Joe Wershba
- The Showbiz Show with David Spade
- The Outsider as Self
- Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost and Found as Self
2004
- Eros as Nick Penrose
- Linklater: St. Richard of Austin as Self
- On the Set of 'Gothika' as Self
- The Route V50 as Traveller
- Painting with Fire as Self
2003
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Punk'd as Self
- Gothika as Pete Graham
- The Singing Detective as Dan Dark
- Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
- Whatever We Do as Bobby
2002
- Lethargy as Animal Therapist
2001
- Last Party 2000 as Self
- Pieta as Self
2000
- Wonder Boys as Terry Crabtree
- Auto Motives as Rob
1999
- Family Guy as Patrick Pewterschmidt (voice)
- Bowfinger as Jerry Renfro
- Black and White as Terry Donager
- In Dreams as Vivian Thompson
- The Early Show as Self
- Friends & Lovers as Hans
1998
- U.S. Marshals as Royce
- The Gingerbread Man as Clyde Pell
- Two Girls and a Guy as Blake
1997
- The View as Self
- Ally McBeal as Larry Paul
- One Night Stand as Charlie
- Hugo Pool as Franz Mazur
1996
- The Daily Show as Self - Guest
- Danger Zone as Jim Scott
1995
- The Frank Skinner Show as Self
- Restoration as Robert Merivel
- Home for the Holidays as Tommy Larson
- Richard III as Earl Rivers
- Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree as Mr. Willowby
1994
- Natural Born Killers as Wayne Gale
- Only You as Peter Wright
- Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue!
- Hail Caesar as Jerry
1993
- Raw as Self (archive footage)
- Late Show with David Letterman as Self - Guest
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- GMTV as Self
- Heart and Souls as Thomas Reilly
- Short Cuts as Bill Bush
- Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country as Self
- The Last Party as Self
1992
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Chaplin as Charles Spencer Chaplin
1991
- Soapdish as David Seton Barnes
- Too Much Sun as Reed Richmond
1990
- Air America as Billy Covington
1989
- Chances Are as Alex Finch
- True Believer as Roger Baron
- That's Adequate as Albert Einstein
1988
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
- Johnny Be Good as Leo Wiggins
- This Morning as Self - Interviewee
- 1969 as Ralph Carr
- Rented Lips as Wolf Dangler
- Martini Ranch: Reach ... (Thanks)
1987
- Kids' Choice Awards as Self
- Less Than Zero as Julian
- The Pick-up Artist as Jack Jericho
- Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as (voice)
1986
- American Masters as Self
- Back to School as Derek
- America as Paulie Hackley
- Arrival as Eddie
1985
- The Twilight Zone ... (Director)
- Weird Science as Ian
- Girls Just Want to Have Fun as Punk Party Crasher (uncredited)
- Tuff Turf as Jimmy Parker
- Mussolini: The Untold Story as Bruno Mussolini
1984
- Firstborn as Lee
1983
- Baby It's You as Stewart
1982
- Late Night with David Letterman as Self - Guest
1981
- Entertainment Tonight as Self
1980
- Up the Academy as Boy on Soccer Team (uncredited)
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- People's Choice Awards as Self - Presenter
- Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight as Himself
1972
- Greaser's Palace as Boy in Covered Wagon (uncredited)
1970
- Pound as Puppy
1953
- The Oscars as Self