Robert Downey Jr.

Actors

Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor, producer, and singer. At the age of five, he made his acting debut in in his father Robert Downey Sr.‘s film Pound (1970). He would appear in more of his films including an uncredited appearance in Up the Academy (1980), with Ron Leibman, Ralph Macchio, Tom Poston, King Coleman, and Barbara Bach; Rented Lips (1988), with Martin Mull, Dick Shawn, Jennifer Tilly, Kenneth Mars, Edy Williams, June Lockhart, and Tony Coz; Too Much Sun (1991), with Eric Idle, Andrea Martin, Allan Arbus, Macchio and Howard Duff; and Hugo Pool (1997), with Alyssa Milano, Patrick Dempsey, Richard Lewis, Malcolm McDowell, Cathy Moriarty, and Sean Penn.

Throughout the 80s, he appeared in such films as John Hughes‘ Weird Science (1985), with Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, and Bill Paxton; Back to School (1986), with Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Terry Farrell, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison, and Paxton Whitehead; James Toback’s The Pick-up Artist (1987), with Molly Ringwald, Dennis Hopper, Danny Aiello, and Harvey Keitel; Less Than Zero (1987), with Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, and James Spader; Johnny Be Good (1988), with Hall, Paul Gleason, Steve James, Tilly, and Uma Thurman; 1969 (1988), with Kiefer Sutherland, Bruce Dern, Mariette Hartley, Winona Ryder, Joanna Cassidy; and Chances Are (1989), with Cybill Shepherd, Ryan O’Neal and Mary Stuart Masterson; and Joseph Ruben’s True Believer (1989), with James Woods, Yuji Okumoto, Margaret Colin, and Kurtwood Smith.

He received his first Academy Award nomination (in the Best Actor category) for his portrayal of screen legend Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough’s biopic Chaplin (1992), with Dan Aykroyd, Geraldine Chaplin, Kevin Dunn, Anthony Hopkins, Milla Jovovich, Moira Kelly, Kevin Kline, Diane Lane, Penelope Ann Miller, Paul Rhys, John Thaw, Marisa Tomei, Travis, and Woods. Other Roles in the 90s include Roger Spottiswoode’s Air America (1990), with Mel Gibson, Nancy Travis, David Marshall Grant, and Lane Smith; Soapdish (1991), with Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Moriarty, Whoopi Goldberg, and Elisabeth Shue; Hearts and Souls (1993), with Charles Grodin, Kyra Sedgwick, Tom Sizemore, Alfre Woodard, Shue, and David Paymer; Robert Altman’s Short Cuts (1993), with Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Lili Taylor, Madeleine Stowe, Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher, and Jack Lemmon; Oliver Stone‘s Natural Born Killers (1994), with Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Sizemore, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rodney Dangerfield; and Norman Jewison’s Only You (1994), with Tomei, Bonnie Hunt, and Fisher Stevens.

Roles mid to late 90s include Richard III (1995), with Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, and John Wood; Jodie Foster‘s Home for the Holidays (1995), with Holly Hunter, Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Geraldine Chaplin, Steve Guttenberg, Cynthia Stevenson, Claire Danes, Austin Pendleton, and David Strathairn; Michael Hoffman’s Restoration (1995), with Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker, Meg Ryan, McKellen, Hugh Grant; Danger Zone (1996), with Billy Zane, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Ron Silver; Mike Figgis’s One Night Stand (1997), with Wesley Snipes, Nastassja Kinski, Kyle MacLachlan, and Ming-Na Wen; Toback’s Two Girls and a Guy (1997), with Heather Graham and Natasha Gregson Wagner; Altman’s The Gingerbread Man (1998), with Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz, Tom Berenger, Daryl Hannah, Famke Janssen, and Robert Duvall; U.S. Marshals (1998), with Tommy Lee Jones, Snipes, Joe Pantoliano, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, LaTanya Richardson, Kate Nelligan, and Irène Jacob; Neil Jordan‘s In Dreams (1999), with Bening and Stephen Rea; Friends & Lovers (1999), with Stephen Baldwin, Danny Nucci, George Newbern, Alison Eastwood, Claudia Schiffer, Suzanne Cryer, David Rasche, Neill Barry, Jamie Luner, Leon, Ann Magnuson; Frank Oz‘s Bowfinger (1999), with Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Graham, Christine Baranski, and Terence Stamp; and Toback’s Black and White (1999), with Gaby Hoffmann, Jared Leto, Pantoliano, Claudia Schiffer, William Lee Scott, Brooke Shields, Ben Stiller, Mike Tyson, and Elijah Wood.

Films in the early 2000s include Curtis Hanson’s Wonder Boys (2000), with Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, McDormand, Katie Holmes, and Rip Torn; The Singing Detective (2003), with Holmes, Adrien Brody, Robin Wright, Gibson, Jeremy Northam and Carla Gugino; Gothika (2003), with Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, and Bernard Hill; Steven Soderbergh’s segment of the anthology film Eros (2004), with Alan Arkin and Ele Keats; Game 6 (2005), with Michael Keaton, Griffin Dunne, Shalom Harlow, Bebe Neuwirth, Catherine O’Hara, Harris Yulin; Shane Black‘s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), with Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen; and Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), with David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney (who also directed), Jeff Daniels and Frank Langella.

He received a second Academy Award nomination (for Best Supporting Actor) for Tropic Thunder (2008), with Stiller (who also directed), Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Danny McBride, Nick Nolte, Bill Hader, Steve Coogan, and Tom Cruise. Other films in the mid to late 2000s include A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006), with Shia LaBeouf, Rosario Dawson, Melonie Diaz, Eric Roberts, Channing Tatum, Chazz Palminteri, Dianne Wiest; The Shaggy Dog (2006), with Tim Allen, Kristin Davis, Danny Glover, Spencer Breslin, Jane Curtin, Zena Grey, and Philip Baker Hall; Richard Linklater‘s A Scanner Darkly (2006), with Keanu Reeves, Harrelson, Ryder, and Rory Cochrane; Fur (2006), with Nicole Kidman and Ty Burrell; David Fincher‘s Zodiac (2007), with Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo; Charlie Bartlett (2008), with Anton Yelchin, Kat Dennings, and Hope Davis; The Soloist (2009), with Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener; and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009), with Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, and Eddie Marsan.

Downey gained global recognition for starring as Tony Stark/Iron Man in ten films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Iron Man (2008), with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Leslie Bibb, Shaun Toub, and Jon Favreau (who also directed). He would subsequently appear in 9 more entries, costarring alongside Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Clark Gregg, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stéphanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, William Sadler, Miguel Ferrer, Ben Kingsley, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Linda Cardellini, James Spader, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, Martin Freeman, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Tomei, Benedict Cumberbatch, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldaña, Josh Brolin, Pom Klementieff, Chris Pratt, Benedict Wong, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, and Bradley Cooper.

Films in the early 2010s include the anthology film Love & Distrust (2010), collectively with Robert Pattinson, Amy Adams, Sam Worthington, and James Franco; Due Date (2010), with Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, and Foxx; Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), with Law, Jared Harris, Noomi Rapace, and Stephen Fry; The Judge (2014), with Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard and Billy Bob Thornton; and Chef (2014), with Favreau (who also directed), Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, and Dustin Hoffman.

Downey won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), with Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Branagh, Benny Safdie, Jason Clarke, Dylan Arnold, Tom Conti, James D’Arcy, David Dastmalchian, Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, Tony Goldwyn, David Krumholtz, Matthew Modine, Michael Angarano, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Gustaf Skarsgård, James Urbaniak, Olivia Thirlby, James Remar, and Gary Oldman. Other films in the 2020s include Dolittle (2020), with Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Buckley, Ralph Ineson, and the voices of Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard, Frances de la Tour, Jason Mantzoukas, and Will Arnett.

TV appearances include the miniseries Mussolini: The Untold Story (1985), with George C. Scott, David Suchet, Lee Grant, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Gabriel Byrne, Raul Julia, and Virginia Madsen; and the TV special Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (1995), with Leslie Nielsen and Stockard Channing. Following a stint at the Corcoran Substance Abuse Treatment Facility on drug charges, he joined cast of the TV series Ally McBeal (1997-2002), with Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Greg Germann, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jane Krakowski, Vonda Shepard, Portia de Rossi, Lucy Liu, and Peter MacNicol – for which he won a Golden Globe Award. However in the wake of two drug charges, one in late 2000 and one in early 2001, he was fired and his character terminated. He stayed in a court-ordered drug treatment program shortly after and has maintained his sobriety since 2003. He’s set to appear in the HBO series The Sympathizer (2024), with Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Kieu Chinh, and Sandra Oh.

Downey’s 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 in middle age. 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. His films have grossed over $14.4 billion worldwide, making him the second highest-grossing box-office star of all time.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • Pound (1970) – directed by Robert Downey Sr.
  • Greaser’s Palace (1972) – directed by Robert Downey Sr. – uncredited
  • Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight (1975) – directed by Robert Downey Sr. – uncredited – aka Moment to Moment
  • Up the Academy (1980) – directed by Robert Downey Sr.
  • Baby It’s You (1983) – directed by John Sayles
  • Firstborn (1984) – directed by Michael Apted
  • Tuff Turf (1985) – directed by Fritz Kiersch
  • Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985) – directed by Alan Metter – uncredited
  • Weird Science (1985) – directed by John Hughes
  • Deadwait (1985) – directed by Sam Hurwitz – short
  • Back to School (1986) – directed by Alan Metter
  • The Pick-up Artist (1987) – directed by James Toback
  • Less Than Zero (1987) – directed by
  • Marek Kanievska
  • Johnny Be Good (1988) – directed by Bud S. Smith
  • Rented Lips (1988) – directed by Robert Downey Sr.
  • 1969 (1988) – directed by Ernest Thompson
  • That’s Adequate (1988) – directed by Harry Hurwitz
  • True Believer (1989) – directed by Joseph Ruben
  • Chances Are (1989) – directed by Emile Ardolino
  • Air America (1990) – directed by Roger Spottiswoode
  • Too Much Sun (1991) – directed by Robert Downey Sr.
  • Soapdish (1991) – directed by Michael Hoffman
  • Chaplin (1992) – directed by Richard Attenborough
  • Heart and Souls (1993) – directed by Ron Underwood
  • The Last Party (1993) – directed by Mark Benjamin
  • Marc Levin – himself, co-writer – documentary
  • Short Cuts (1993) – directed by Robert Altman
  • Hail Caesar (1994) – directed by Anthony Michael Hall
  • Natural Born Killers (1994) – directed by Oliver Stone
  • Only You (1994) – directed by Norman Jewison
  • Richard III (1995) – directed by Richard Loncraine
  • Home for the Holidays (1995) – directed by Jodie Foster
  • Restoration (1995) – directed by Michael Hoffman
  • One Night Stand (1997) – directed by Mike Figgis
  • Two Girls and a Guy (1997) – directed by James Toback
  • Hugo Pool (1997) – directed by Robert Downey Sr.
  • The Gingerbread Man (1998) – directed by Robert Altman
  • U.S. Marshals (1998) – directed by Stuart Baird
  • In Dreams (1999) – directed by Neil Jordan
  • Friends & Lovers (1999) – directed by George Haas
  • Bowfinger (1999) – directed by Frank Oz
  • Black and White (1999) – directed by James Toback
  • Wonder Boys (2000) – directed by Curtis Hanson
  • Auto Motives (2000) – directed by Lorraine Bracco – short
  • Lethargy (2002) – directed by David Gelb & Joshua Safdie – short
  • The Singing Detective (2003) – directed by Keith Gordon
  • Whatever We Do (2003) – directed by Kevin Connolly – short
  • Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003) – directed by Richard Schickel – himself – documentary
  • Gothika (2003) – directed by Mathieu Kassovitz
  • Eros (2004) – directed by Wong Kar-wai, Steven Soderbergh, & Michelangelo Antonio – anthology
  • The Route V50 (2004) – directed by Stephen Frears
  • Game 6 (2005) – directed by Michael Hoffman
  • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – directed by Shane Black
  • The Outsider (2005) – directed by Nicholas Jarecki – himself – documentary
  • Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) – directed by George Clooney
  • Hubert Selby Jr.: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (2005) – Michael W. Dean & Kenneth Shiffrin – narrator – documentary
  • A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) – directed by Dito Montiel
  • The Shaggy Dog (2006) – directed by Brian Robbins
  • A Scanner Darkly (2006) – directed by Richard Linklater
  • Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) – directed by Steven Shainberg
  • Zodiac (2007) – directed by David Fincher
  • Lucky You (2007) – directed by Curtis Hanson – cameo
  • Charlie Bartlett (2008) – directed by Jon Poll
  • Iron Man (2008)* – directed by Jon Favreau
  • The Incredible Hulk (2008)* – directed by Louis Leterrier – uncredited cameo
  • Tropic Thunder (2008) – directed by Ben Stiller
  • The Soloist (2009) – directed by Joe Wright
  • Sherlock Holmes (2009)* – directed by Guy Ritchie
  • Iron Man 2 (2010)* – directed by Jon Favreau
  • Love & Distrust (2010) – directed by Lorraine Bracco, Daisy Gili, Eric Kmetz, Warner Loughlin, Diana Valentine, & Darcy Yuille – anthology – direct-to-video
  • Due Date (2010)* – directed by Todd Phillips
  • Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)* – directed by Guy Ritchie
  • Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (2011) – directed by Leythum – archive footage – short
  • The Avengers (2012)* – directed by Joss Whedon
  • Iron Man 3 (2013)* – directed by Shane Black
  • Chef (2014)* – directed by Jon Favreau
  • The Judge (2014) – directed by David Dobkin – also executive producer
  • Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)* – directed by Joss Whedon
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016)* – directed by Anthony & Joe Russo
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)* – directed by John Watts
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)* – directed by Anthony & Joe Russo
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019)* – directed by Anthony & Joe Russo
  • Dolittle (2020) – directed by Stephen Gaghan – also executive producer
  • “Sr.” (2022) – directed by Chris Smith – himself – documentary – also producer
  • Oppenheimer (2023)* – directed by Christopher Nolan
  • All-Star Weekend (TBA) – directed by Jamie Foxx