Robert Downey Jr.

Biography

Downey earned an Oscar nomination for Chaplin in 1992 before addiction derailed his career in the late 1990s. His casting as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008) — a gamble at the time — launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of cinema's great second acts, capped by an Academy Award for Oppenheimer.

American actor whose early critical acclaim, public struggles and spectacular comeback made him the defining star of the Marvel era.

Known for

Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sherlock Holmes and Oppenheimer.

Notable works & defining projects

• Iron Man / Avengers films
• Sherlock Holmes
• Oppenheimer

Notable achievements

• Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer (2023)
• Iron Man (2008) launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the highest-grossing film franchise in history
• Won Golden Globes for Sherlock Holmes and Oppenheimer

Timeline

1. 1992Oscar-nominated for playing Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin
2. 2008Cast as Tony Stark in Iron Man
3. 2024Won the Academy Award for Oppenheimer

Did you know?

• His father, Robert Downey Sr., was an influential underground filmmaker
• He co-founded the production company Team Downey with his wife Susan