Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. In 2008, Downey was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. From 2013 to 2015, Forbes listed him as Hollywood's highest-paid actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, Academy Award, and two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. At age five, Downey made his acting debut in his father Robert Downey Sr.'s 1970 film Pound. He subsequently worked with the Brat Pack in Weird Science (1985) and Less than Zero (1987) teen films. Downey's portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 biopic Chaplin garnered him a BAFTA Award for Best Actor and his first Academy Award nomination. Following a stint at the Corcoran Substance Abuse Treatment Facility on drug charges, he joined the TV series Ally McBeal in 2000 and won a Golden Globe Award for the role. Downey was fired from the show in 2001 in the wake of additional drug charges. He stayed in a court-ordered drug treatment program and has maintained his sobriety since 2003. Downey made his acting comeback in the 2003 film The Singing Detective, after Mel Gibson paid his insurance bond because completion bond companies would not insure him, and went on to star in the black comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), the thriller Zodiac (2007) and the action comedy Tropic Thunder (2008). Downey gained global recognition for starring as Iron Man in ten Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019). He also played Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (2009), which earned him his second Golden Globe, and in its 2011 sequel. Downey has also taken on dramatic parts in The Judge (2014) and Oppenheimer (2023), winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in the latter. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for playing multiple characters in the black comedy miniseries The Sympathizer (2024). He debuted on Broadway that year, playing the title role in Ayad Akhtar's McNeal.
Known For
Credits
- 2027 · Avengers: Secret Wars as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom
- 2026 · Avengers: Doomsday as Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom
- 2025 · SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night as Self
- 2024 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special as Self (archive footage)
- 2024 · Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2024 · Robert Downey Jr.: High Altitude as Self
- 2023 · Inside Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as Self - Lewis Strauss
- 2022 · 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self - Presenter
- 2022 · "Sr." as Self
- 2020 · Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
- 2019 · Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footge)
- 2014 · Marvel: 75 Years, from Pulp to Pop! as Self
- 2014 · Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe as Self / Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2010 · Love and Distrust as Rob (segment "Auto Motives")
- 2009 · The Soloist as Steve Lopez
- 2008 · Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness as Kirk Lazarus
- 2008 · Charlie Bartlett as Nathan Gardner
- 2007 · Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens as Self
- 2006 · A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints as Dito
- 2006 · Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus as Lionel Sweeney
- 2004 · Eros as Nick Penrose
- 2003 · The Singing Detective as Dan Dark
- 2003 · Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin as
- 2001 · Last Party 2000 as Self
- 1999 · Black and White as Terry Donager
- 1999 · In Dreams as Vivian Thompson
- 1998 · The Gingerbread Man as Clyde Pell
- 1997 · One Night Stand as Charlie
- 1996 · Danger Zone as Jim Scott
- 1995 · Richard III as Earl Rivers
- 1995 · Restoration as Robert Merivel
- 1995 · Home for the Holidays as Tommy Larson
- 1994 · Hail Caesar as Jerry
- 1994 · Only You as Peter Wright
- 1991 · Soapdish as David Seton Barnes
- 1990 · Too Much Sun as Reed Richmond
- 1990 · Air America as Billy Covington
- 1989 · Chances Are as Alex Finch
- 1989 · True Believer as Roger Baron
- 1988 · Johnny Be Good as Leo Wiggins
- 1987 · Less Than Zero as Julian
- 1987 · Rented Lips as Wolf Dangler
- 1987 · The Pick-up Artist as Jack Jericho
- 1985 · Girls Just Want to Have Fun as Punk Party Crasher (uncredited)
- 1985 · Tuff Turf as Jimmy Parker
- 1984 · Firstborn as Lee
- 1983 · Baby It's You as Stewart
- Future · Die Early as
- 2025 · Take a seat. as Himself
- 2024 · The Sympathizer as Claude / Professor Hammer / Ned Godwin / Niko Damianos / Priest
- 2023 · Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2023 · The Story of Our Time: The Making of Oppenheimer as Self
- 2023 · Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss
- 2023 · Downey's Dream Cars as Self - Host
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Assembled as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage)
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Legends as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2020 · MoPOP Founders Award 2020 Honoring Alice in Chains as Self
- 2020 · Dolittle as Dr. John Dolittle
- 2019 · The Age of A.I as Executive Producer
- 2019 · The Age of A.I. as Self - Host
- 2019 · Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways as Self
- 2019 · Spider-Man: Far From Home as Tony Stark (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2019 · The Chef Show as Self
- 2019 · Avengers: Endgame as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2018 · Avengers: Infinity War as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2018 · My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman as Self
- 2017 · Spider-Man: Homecoming as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2017 · A Fan's Guide to Spider-Man Homecoming as Self
- 2016 · The Nice Guys as Sid Shattuck (uncredited)
- 2016 · Captain America: Civil War as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2015 · Phase 2 Tag Scenes: A Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two as Self
- 2015 · The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
- 2015 · Avengers: Age of Ultron as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2014 · Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- 2014 · The Judge as Hank Palmer
- 2014 · I Am Steve McQueen as Narrator (voice)
- 2014 · Sock or Hat? as Self
- 2014 · Chef as Marvin
- 2014 · Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
- 2014 · The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as
- 2014 · Off Camera with Sam Jones as Self
- 2013 · Iron Man 3 Unmasked as Self
- 2013 · Iron Man 3 as Tony Stark
- 2013 · The Frame as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2012 · Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Perfect Chemistry as Self
- 2012 · The Avengers as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2012 · Finding Your Roots as Self
- 2012 · Honest Trailers as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage)
- 2011 · Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as Sherlock Holmes
- 2011 · Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant as Tony Stark (archive footage)
- 2010 · Due Date as Peter Highman
- 2010 · Mad Mel: The Rise and Fall of a Hollywood Icon as Self (archive footage)
- 2010 · Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self (archive footage)
- 2010 · Iron Man 2 as Tony Stark
- 2010 · Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented as Self
- 2009 · Sherlock Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
- 2009 · Live from Studio Five as Self
- 2008 · I Am Iron Man as Self
- 2008 · Animal House: The Inside Story as Self
- 2008 · Tropic Thunder as Kirk Lazarus
- 2008 · The Incredible Hulk as Tony Stark (uncredited)
- 2008 · Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound as Self - Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2008 · Iron Man as Tony Stark
- 2007 · Voom Portraits as Self
- 2007 · Lucky You as Telephone Jack
- 2007 · Zodiac as Paul Avery
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · One Summer in Austin: The Story of Filming 'A Scanner Darkly' as Self / Barris
- 2006 · A Scanner Darkly as James Barris
- 2006 · Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow as Narrator
- 2006 · Game 6 as Steven Schwimmer
- 2006 · The Shaggy Dog as Dr. Kozak
- 2005 · The Outsider as Self
- 2005 · The Reichen Show as Self
- 2005 · The Showbiz Show with David Spade as
- 2005 · Good Night, and Good Luck. as Joe Wershba
- 2005 · Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as Harry Lockhart
- 2004 · Equilibrium as Nick Penrose
- 2004 · The Route V50 as Traveller
- 2003 · Gothika as Pete Graham
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as
- 2003 · Punk'd as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2003 · Whatever We Do as Bobby
- 2002 · Lethargy as Animal Therapist
- 2001 · Pieta as Self
- 2000 · Wonder Boys as Terry Crabtree
- 1999 · The Early Show as Self
- 1999 · Bowfinger as Jerry Renfro
- 1999 · Friends & Lovers as Hans
- 1999 · Family Guy as Patrick Pewterschmidt (voice)
- 1998 · Two Girls and a Guy as Blake
- 1998 · U.S. Marshals as Royce
- 1997 · Hugo Pool as Franz Mazur
- 1997 · Ally McBeal as Larry Paul
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 1995 · Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree as Mr. Willowby
- 1995 · The Frank Skinner Show as Self
- 1994 · Natural Born Killers as Wayne Gale
- 1994 · Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue! as
- 1993 · Short Cuts as Bill Bush
- 1993 · Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- 1993 · The Last Party as Self
- 1993 · Heart and Souls as Thomas Reilly
- 1993 · Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country as Self
- 1993 · Raw as Self (archive footage)
- 1993 · GMTV as Self
- 1992 · Chaplin as Charles Spencer Chaplin
- 1992 · MTV Movie & TV Awards as Self
- 1992 · The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as
- 1989 · That's Adequate as Albert Einstein
- 1988 · This Morning as Self - Interviewee
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
- 1988 · 1969 as Ralph Carr
- 1987 · Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as (voice)
- 1987 · Kids' Choice Awards as Self
- 1980 · Up the Academy as Boy on Soccer Team (uncredited)
- Future · All-Star Weekend as Mexican Stranger
- 1986 · America as Paulie Hackley
- 1986 · American Masters as Self
- 1986 · Back to School as Derek
- 1986 · Arrival as Eddie
- 1985 · Mussolini: The Untold Story as Bruno Mussolini
- 1985 · Weird Science as Ian
- 1982 · Late Night with David Letterman as Self
- 1981 · Entertainment Tonight as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Various Characters
- 1975 · 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
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self - Presenter
- Future · Vertigo as John 'Scottie' Ferguson
- Future · The Hider as