Robert Downey Jr.
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| Robert John Downey Jr. | |
 Downey at the premiere of Air America in 1990. |
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| Born | April 04, 1965 (age 41) New York City, New York, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Levin 27 August 2005 - present Deborah Falconer 29 May 1992 - 26 April 2004 |
| Official site | www.robertdowneyjrmusic.com |
| Notable roles | Julian (Less Than Zero) Charlie Chaplin (Chaplin) Wayne Gale (Natural Born Killers) Tony Stark (Iron Man) Joseph Wershba in Good Night, and Good Luck |
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning American actor and musician. He became known during the late 1980s and early 1990s, after a series of well-reviewed performances in Hollywood films. After a period of drug addiction during the late 1990s, Downey Jr. resumed his acting career, appearing on the television series Ally McBeal as well as in a number of supporting and lead film roles, including the upcoming Iron Man.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and career
Downey Jr. was born in New York City, New York to Elsie Ford, a dancer and singer, and Robert Downey Sr., a director of underground films. He has a sister, Alison. Downey, Jr. is Jewish on his father's side, the original family name being "Elias";[1][2] he also has Irish ancestry.[3]
During his childhood, he had a minor role playing a puppy in his father's film Pound (1970). Downey Jr. grew up in California with his father. At the age of twenty, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, but was a cast member for only one season. He went on to star in The Pick-up Artist in 1987. The same year, he portrayed the drug-addicted rich boy in Less Than Zero. In 1992, he starred as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin, a role which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other films in the 1990s included Heart and Souls, Only You, Natural Born Killers, and Restoration.
[edit] Later career
In 2000, Downey Jr. became a regular on the television series Ally McBeal. He won a Golden Globe award and was also nominated for an Emmy. He also appeared as a writer and singer on Vonda Shephard's "Ally McBeal: For Once in My Life" album and sang in a duet with Sting on The Police's "Every Breath You Take" hit dating from 1983. Downey also appeared in Elton John video "I Want Love" in 2001. On November 23, 2004, he released his debut musical album "The Futurist" on Sony Classical, for which he designed the cover art. He was invited to open for Duran Duran in 2005, but declined due to film commitments.
He returned to film in the mid 2000s, with three roles in 2005 and seven roles in 2006. Among them are the already-released Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Good Night, and Good Luck., The Shaggy Dog, A Scanner Darkly, and Zodiac as well as the upcoming Fur. On September 28, 2006, it was announced that Downey would star in the film Iron Man as the titular character;[4] the film is scheduled for release on May 2, 2008.
[edit] Personal life
Downey Jr. dated actress Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1980s. He married actress Deborah Falconer on May 29, 1992 and had a son named Indio. They divorced on April 26, 2004. On August 27, 2005, Downey Jr. married producer Susan Levin, (whom he met on the set of Gothika) in a Jewish ceremony at Amagansett, New York.
Downey practices Wing Chun Kung Fu, which he has credited with helping him beat his addiction.[5]
[edit] Filmography
- Pound (1970)
- Greaser's Palace (1972)
- Moment to Moment (1975)
- Up the Academy (1980)
- Baby It's You (1983)
- Firstborn (1984)
- Deadwait (1985) (short subject)
- Tuff Turf (1985)
- Weird Science (1985)
- Back to School (1986)
- America (1986)
- The Pick-up Artist (1987)
- Less Than Zero (1987)
- Johnny Be Good (1988)
- Rented Lips (1988)
- 1969 (1988)
- That's Adequate (1989)
- True Believer (1989)
- Chances Are (1989)
- Air America (1990)
- Too Much Sun (1991)
- Soapdish (1991)
- Chaplin (1992)
- Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country (1993) (documentary)
- Heart and Souls (1993)
- The Last Party (1993) (documentary)
- Short Cuts (1993)
- Hail Caesar (1994)
- A Century of Cinema (1994) (documentary)
- Natural Born Killers (1994)
- Only You (1994)
- Richard III (1995)
- Home for the Holidays (1995)
- Restoration (1995)
- Danger Zone (1997)
- One Night Stand (1997)
- Two Girls and a Guy (1997)
- Hugo Pool (1997)
- The Gingerbread Man (1998)
- U.S. Marshals (1998)
- In Dreams (1999)
- Friends & Lovers (1999)
- Bowfinger (1999)
- Black and White (1999)
- Wonder Boys (2000)
- Auto Motives (2000) (short subject)
- Last Party 2000 (2001) (documentary)
- Lethargy (2002) (short subject)
- Whatever We Do (2003) (short subject)
- The Singing Detective (2003)
- Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003) (documentary)
- Gothika (2003)
- Eros (2004)
- Game 6 (2005)
- The Outsider (2005) (documentary)
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
- Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
- Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow (2005) (documentary)
- The Shaggy Dog (2006)
- A Scanner Darkly (2006)
- A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
- Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
- Zodiac (2007)
Upcoming:
[edit] Recurring Characters on SNL
- Jimmy Chance: a hipster movie critic (paired with Nora Dunn's Ashley Ashley)
- Rudy Randolph III: Son of Randy Quaid's Rudy Randolph, Jr.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ FoxNews.com. Mel Gibson's New 'Passion' Is Robert Downey Jr.. Retrieved on September 30, 2006.
- ^ Ally McBeal News Archive Part 1. Tidbit. Retrieved on September 30, 2006.
- ^ The Irish Echo. Back with a Bang. Retrieved on September 30, 2006.
- ^ "Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man", Marvel, 2006-09-29. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
- ^ http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,6737,1080388,00.html "More than skin deep," Guardian.co.uk, November 8, 2003
