Robert Downey Jr.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1966) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of commercial success later in his career. In 2008, Downey was named by Time magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world, and from 2013 to 2015, he was listed by Forbes as Hollywood's highest-paid actor. At the age of five, he made his acting debut in his father Robert Downey Sr.'s film Pound in 1970. He subsequently worked with the Brat Pack in the teen films Weird Science (1985) and Less than Zero (1987). In 1992, Downey portrayed the title character in the biopic Chaplin, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won a BAFTA Award. Following a stint at the Corcoran Substance Abuse Treatment Facility on drug charges, he joined the TV series Ally McBeal, for which he won a Golden Globe Award. He was fired from the show in the wake of drug charges in 2000 and 2001. He stayed in a court-ordered drug treatment program and has maintained his sobriety since 2003. Initially, completion bond companies would not insure Downey, until Mel Gibson paid the insurance bond for the 2003 film The Singing Detective. He went on to star in the black comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), the thriller Zodiac (2007), and the action comedy Tropic Thunder (2008); for the latter, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Downey gained global recognition for starring as Tony Stark / Iron Man in ten films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Iron Man (2008), and leading up to Avengers: Endgame (2019). He has also played the title character in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (2009), which earned him his second Golden Globe, and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). In 2024 he won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor thanks to his work in "Oppenheimer."
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2024 · The Sympathizer as Claude / Nicos Damianos / Professor Hammer / Ned Godwin
- 2023 · Off Script with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- 2023 · Oppenheimer as Lewis Strauss
- 2023 · Downey's Dream Cars as Self - Host
- 2022 · Sr. as Self
- 2021 · Loki as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Assembled as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage)
- 2021 · Marvel Studios Legends as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footage)
- 2020 · Dolittle as Dr. John Dolittle
- 2019 · Celebrating Marvel's Stan Lee as Tony Stark / Iron Man (archive footge)
- 2019 · The Age of A.I. as Self - Host
- 2019 · Ellen's Greatest Night of Giveaways as Self
- 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
- 2016 · Captain America: Civil War as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 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 · Marvel: 75 Years, from Pulp to Pop! as Self
- 2014 · The Judge as Hank Palmer
- 2014 · Sock or Hat? as Self
- 2014 · Chef as Marvin
- 2014 · Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe as Self / Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 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 as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2013 · The Frame as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 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 · Love and Distrust as Rob (segment "Auto Motives")
- 2010 · Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self (archive footage)
- 2010 · Iron Man 2 as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- 2010 · Stark Expo Shorts as Iron Man / Tony Stark
- 2009 · Sherlock Holmes as Sherlock Holmes
- 2009 · Live from Studio Five as Self
- 2009 · Kambakkht Ishq as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2009 · The Soloist as Steve Lopez
- 2008 · I Am Iron Man as Self
- 2008 · Tropic Thunder: Rain of Madness as Kirk Lazarus
- 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 / Iron Man
- 2008 · Charlie Bartlett as Nathan Gardner
- 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 · A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints as Dito
- 2006 · Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus as Lionel Sweeney
- 2006 · A Scanner Darkly as James Barris
- 2006 · The Shaggy Dog as Dr. Kozak
- 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 · Eros as Nick Penrose
- 2003 · Gothika as Pete Graham
- 2003 · The Singing Detective as Dan Dark
- 2003 · The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- 2003 · Punk'd as Self
- 2003 · Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- 2000 · Wonder Boys as Terry Crabtree
- 1999 · The Early Show as Self
- 1999 · Black and White as Terry Donager
- 1999 · Bowfinger as Jerry Renfro
- 1999 · Family Guy as Patrick Pewterschmidt (voice)
- 1999 · In Dreams as Vivian Thompson
- 1998 · Two Girls and a Guy as Blake
- 1998 · U.S. Marshals as John Royce
- 1998 · The Gingerbread Man as Clyde Pell
- 1997 · Hugo Pool as Franz Mazur
- 1997 · One Night Stand as Charlie
- 1997 · Ally McBeal as
- 1997 · Ally McBeal as Larry Paul
- 1997 · The View as Self
- 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
- 1995 · The Frank Skinner Show as Self
- 1994 · Natural Born Killers as Wayne Gale
- 1994 · Hail Caesar as Jerry
- 1994 · Only You as Peter Wright / Damon Bradley
- 1993 · Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- 1993 · Short Cuts as Bill Bush
- 1993 · Heart and Souls as Thomas Reilly
- 1993 · WWE 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
- 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 · This Morning as Self - Interviewee
- 1988 · LIVE with Kelly and Mark as
- 1988 · Johnny Be Good as Leo Wiggins
- 1987 · Less Than Zero as Julian
- 1987 · The Pick-up Artist as Jack Jericho
- 1987 · Kids' Choice Awards as Self
- 1986 · American Masters as Self
- 1986 · Back to School as Derek
- 1985 · Mussolini: The Untold Story as Bruno Mussolini
- 1985 · Weird Science as Ian
- 1985 · Girls Just Want to Have Fun as Punk Party Crasher (uncredited)
- 1985 · Tuff Turf as Jimmy Parker
- 1984 · Firstborn as Lee
- 1982 · Late Night with David Letterman as Self
- 1981 · Entertainment Tonight as Self
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Various Characters
- 1975 · Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- Future · Sherlock Holmes 3 as Sherlock Holmes
- 2023 · Inside Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer as Self - Lewis Strauss
- 2022 · 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self - Presenter
- 2022 · Downey's Dream Cars as Robert Downey Jr.
- 2020 · MoPOP Founders Award 2020 Honoring Alice in Chains as Self
- 2020 · Chadwick Boseman: A Tribute for a King as Self
- 2019 · The Age of A.I as Executive Producer
- 2017 · A Fan's Guide to Spider-Man: Homecoming as Self
- 2015 · Phase 2 Tag Scenes: A Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two as Self
- 2014 · I Am Steve McQueen as Narrator (voice)
- 2012 · Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: A Perfect Chemistry as Self
- 2010 · Mad Mel: The Rise and Fall of a Hollywood Icon as Self (archive footage)
- 2010 · Sherlock Holmes: Reinvented as Self
- 2008 · Animal House: The Inside Story as Self
- 2007 · Voom Portraits as Self
- 2007 · Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens as Self
- 2006 · One Summer in Austin: The Story of Filming 'A Scanner Darkly' as Self / Barris
- 2006 · Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow as Narrator
- 2006 · Game 6 as Steven Schwimmer
- 2005 · The Outsider as Self
- 2004 · Equilibrium as Nick Penrose
- 2004 · The Route V50 as Traveller
- 2003 · Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin as
- 2003 · Whatever We Do as Bobby
- 2002 · Lethargy as Animal Therapist
- 2001 · Pieta as Self
- 1999 · Friends & Lovers as Hans
- 1995 · Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree as Mr. Willowby
- 1994 · Fertile La Toyah Video Magazine #2: The Kinky Issue! as
- 1993 · The Last Party as Self
- 1993 · Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country as Self
- 1989 · That's Adequate as Albert Einstein
- 1988 · 1969 as Ralph Carr
- 1987 · Rented Lips as Wolf Dangler
- 1986 · America as Paulie Hackley
- 1983 · Baby It's You as Stewart
- 1972 · Greaser's Palace as Boy in Covered Wagon (uncredited)
- Future · Vertigo as John 'Scottie' Ferguson
- Future · All-Star Weekend as Mexican Stranger
- 1987 · Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as (voice)
- 1986 · Arrival as Eddie
- 1980 · Up the Academy as Boy on Soccer Team (uncredited)
- 1975 · Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight as Himself
- 1970 · Pound as Puppy
- 1953 · The Oscars as Self