Robert Downey Jr. Biography 2026: Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Oscar Win & Avengers Return
Robert Downey Jr. remains Hollywood’s ultimate phoenix — a child-star who became an Oscar-nominated chameleon, crashed under the weight of addiction, then re-emerged as the MCU’s Iron Man and, in 2026, cinema’s most bankable shape-shifter. At 60 (and counting), he headlines Avengers: Doomsday this November, runs billion-dollar production shingle Team Downey with wife Susan, and continues to prove that reinvention is the best super-power of all.
Quick Facts
| Name | Robert Downey Jr. |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert John Downey Jr. |
| Profession | Actor • Producer • Occasional Singer |
| Birth Date | April 4, 1965 |
| Age | 60 years 9 months old |
| Birth Place | Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Known For | Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, Oppenheimer, Chaplin |
| Ethnicity | Lithuanian-Jewish / Hungarian-Jewish / Irish / English / Scottish / German |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Height | 5’8″ (173 cm) |
| Weight | ≈ 170 lbs (77 kg) |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown (salt-and-pepper) |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Religion | Jewish-Buddhist (self-described “Jew-Bu”) |
| Spouse | Susan Downey (m. 2005) |
| Children | 3 (Indio, Exton, Avri) |
| Parents | Robert Downey Sr. (dir.) • Elsie Ann Ford (actress) |
| Siblings | Allyson Downey |
| Production Co. | Team Downey |
| Years Active | 1970–present |
| Net Worth | $365 million (2026 est.) |
| Oscar Wins | 1 (2024 – Oppenheimer) |
| Oscar Noms | 3 |
| MCU Films | 10 |
| Highest Salary | $75 M (Avengers: Endgame backend) |
Early Life & Education
Born into film stock and cigarette smoke, Robert John Downey Jr. made his screen debut at five in father Robert Downey Sr.’s underground satire Pound (1970). Raised between Greenwich Village and the Chelsea Hotel, he studied classical ballet, appeared in off-Broadway plays, and dropped out of Santa Monica High School at 17 to chase stand-up and acting gigs full-time.
Why is Robert Downey Jr famous?
Robert Downey Jr. is famous for redefining the modern blockbuster through his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man, becoming one of the highest-grossing actors in history, leading the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over a decade, earning multiple major awards including an Academy Award, and completing one of Hollywood’s most remarkable career comebacks.
- His superhero character Tony Stark / Iron Man in the Marvel superhero movies.
- The second highest grossing box office actor to date.
- He was Forbes’ highest-paid actor from 2013 to 2015.
Where was Robert Downey Jr born?
Downey was born on April 4, 1965. His birth name is Robert John Downey Jr. His place of birth is New York City, New York in the United States. He has American nationality. He was born to a father, Robert Downey Sr., and a mother, Elsie Ann Ford. His zodiac sign is Aries. He has an older sister named Allyson. His father is half Lithuanian Jew, a Hungarian Jewish quarter and a fourth Irish descendant, while his mother had Scottish, German and Swiss ancestry. He grew up in Greenwich Village.
His childhood and youth were surrounded by drugs. His father was addicted to drugs and allowed Downey to use marijuana at age six. He became a regular drug user along with his father.
He appeared in minor roles in his father’s films at an early age. He later went to England at the age of 10, where he studied classical ballet as part of a broader curriculum. He then attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in New York State when he was a teenager.
His parents divorced in 1978 and moved to California with his father. He dropped out of Santa Monica High School in 1982. He returned to New York to pursue his acting career. He was a roommate with actor kiefer sutherland when he moved to Hollywood.
Source: @ pagesix.com
Early career
He made his acting debut at the age of 5 when he played a sick puppy in his father’s movie, Pound, in 1970.
When he was a teenager, he began his career in theatrical roles.
He was elected as part of Saturday Night Live in 1985. Most of the crew, including him, were abandoned after low qualifications in 1986.
He obtained his innovative role as a companion to the character of James Spader in Tuff Turf in 1985.
He earned his first leading role in the 1987 romantic comedy movie, The Pick-up Artist.
He is sometimes named a member of the Brat Pack after appearing in Tuff Turf, Weird Science, Back to School, Johnny Be Good.
He later appeared in several films such as Rented Lips, 1969, That Adequate, True Believer, Chances Are, Air America, Too Much Sun and Soapdish.
Ascent to prominence
He rose to fame after playing Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 biographical dramatic comedy film Chaplin. The role earned Downey an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
He then appeared in movies such as Hearts and Souls, Short Cuts, Hail Caesar, Natural Born Killers, Only You, Richard III, Home for the Holidays and Restoration.
Source: @ journal.hautehorlogerie.org
Career problems
He was arrested numerous times on drug charges between 1996 and 2001.
He also went through drug treatment programs that were unsuccessful.
He was arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and a .357 Magnum gun unloaded in April 1996.
While on probation, he illegally entered a neighbor’s house under the influence of a controlled substance and fell asleep in one of the beds in May 1996.
He received three years of probation and was ordered to undergo mandatory drug testing.
He spent 6 months in the Los Angeles County jail after missing one of the drug tests ordered by the court in 1997.
He was arrested once again in 1999 after missing the drug test.
He was sentenced to three years in prison at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Center and at the Corcoran State Prison, California.
He had already finished his film projects before arrest.
He was released early on bail of $ 5,000 after serving almost a year.
He joined the cast of the hit television series Ally McBeal, a week after its launch in 2000.
His role in Ally McBeal earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Emmy Award nomination.
Source: @ cheatsheet.com
He was arrested once more when police searched his room at the Merv Griffin Hotel and the Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs. Downey was under the influence of a controlled substance and in possession of cocaine and Valium.
If convicted, he would have faced a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months.
The Los Angeles police officer found Downey wandering barefoot in Culver City under the influence of a controlled substance in April 2001. Although he tested positive, he was released a few hours later.
Ally McBeal dismissed Downey from the program.
His arrest cost him several important roles.
He did not oppose the charges of Palm Springs and was sent to drug rehab. He also received three years of probation.
He once agreed that he had a bipolar disorder that led to his addiction to controlled substances.
Returns
After his rehabilitation period, he got his first job as an actor in August 2001, where he did a lip sync on the single “I Want Love” by Elton John.
He returned to the main films in the mid-2000s with the 2003 film, Gothika.
He then appeared in the movies Eros, Game 6, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Good Night and Good Luck, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, The Shaggy Dog, A Scanner Darkly, Fur, Zodiac, Lucky You and Charlie Bartlett.
Source: @ twitter.com
Highly successful movies, Iron Man (Marvel Cinemas)
Downey got the lead role as Tony Stark / Iron Man in the 2008 Marvel superhero movie Iron Man.
He also starred in the action and comedy film, Tropic Thunder in the same year.
Both films achieved critical and commercial success. Downey won the Academy Award nomination for his role in Tropic Thunder. Iron Man raised more than $ 585 million worldwide.
He later repeated his role as Iron Man in the Iron Man franchise and The Avenger franchise.
His last role as Iron Man was in The Avenger: EndGame, released in 2019. With Endgame, he played Iron Man in a total of 10 Marvel movies, including Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. He had a cameo like Tony Stark / Iron Man in the 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk.
Downey, starring the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, set several box office records. The film became the eighth highest grossing film of 2009.
He also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in Sherlock Holmes.
The sequel to Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was released in 2011. The third Sherlock Holmes movie is scheduled to premiere in 2020.
His 2010 comedy, Due Date, also earned him commercial success.
Source: @ nme.com
Career Journey
1970-1995: Prodigy & Prince of the 80s
- Teen cult classics – Weird Science (1985), Less Than Zero (1987)
- Oscar-nominated breakout – Chaplin (1992, BAFTA win, Oscar nom)
- Indie darling – Short Cuts (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994)
1996-2003: Addiction, Arrests & Comeback Trail
Multiple drug arrests, rehab stints and a year in state prison made him Hollywood-uninsurable. He clawed back via TV (Ally McBeal – Golden Globe 2001) and scene-stealing support roles in Wonder Boys, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Good Night, and Good Luck.
2008-2019: Iron Man & the MCU Empire
Cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man (2008) when Marvel was still considered “risky,” Downey improvised snarky billionaire swagger that re-defined blockbuster charisma. The film’s $585 M global haul jump-started the MCU; he reprised the role in Iron Man 2 & 3, all four Avengers films, and cameos, earning an estimated $435 M total from Marvel backend deals. His final MCU bow in Endgame (2019) became the highest-grossing movie ever ($2.8 B).
2009-2023: Beyond the Armor
- Sherlock reboot – Sherlock Holmes (2009) & A Game of Shadows (2011) grossed $1.1 B combined
- Academy-approved turn – Tropic Thunder (2008) earned him an Oscar-nom for playing an Aussie method actor in blackface – a risky satire that paid off
- Prestige pivot – The Judge (2014), Oppenheimer (2023) – winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as Lewis Strauss
2024-2026: Third-Act Reinvention
- Dramatic heavyweight – Oppenheimer awards sweep (BAFTA, Golden Globe, Oscar 2024)
- Villainous return to Marvel – confirmed as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (Nov 2026)
- Team Downey slate – producing The Sympathizer (HBO), Play Dirty (Amazon), and a Sherlock Holmes 3 script in active development
Career Stats
Box-Office Milestones
| Franchise/Film | Worldwide Gross | Downey’s Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Man trilogy | $2.4 B | $15 M → $75 M |
| Avengers quadrilogy | $7.7 B | $75 M (Endgame) |
| Sherlock Holmes duo | $1.1 B | $15 M + 15 % |
| Oppenheimer (2023) | $976 M | $4 M + bonuses |
Awards Scorecard
- Academy Awards – 1 win / 3 nominations
- BAFTA – 2 wins / 5 nominations
- Golden Globes – 4 wins / 8 nominations
- Screen Actors Guild – 2 wins / 7 nominations
- BAFTA Award 1993 Best actor in a lead role for Chaplin.
- 1994 Golden Globe for Best Cast for Short Cuts.
- Golden Globe Award 2010 Best Actor-Musical Movie or Comedy by Sherlock Holmes.
- 2013 MTV Movie Award Best Fight for The Avengers.
- MTV Generation Award 2015.
- 2019 MTV Movie Award Best Hero for Avengers: Endgame.
- 2013 People ‘ s Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actor and Favorite Movie Superhero for The Avengers.
- 2014 People ‘ s Choice Award Actor of favorite action movies for Iron Man 3.
- 2015 People ‘ s Choice Award Favorite movie actor of The Judge.
- 2017 People ‘ s Choice Award Actor of favorite action movies for Captain America; Civil war.
- 1993 Saturn Award Best Actor for Heart and Souls.
- 2009 Saturn Award Best Actor for Iron Man.
- Saturn Award 2014 Best Actor for Iron Man 3.
- 2013 Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actor: Action for Iron Man 3.
- 2018 Teen Choice Award Choice Action movie actor for Avengers: Infinity War.
- 2019 Teen Choice Award Choice Action movie actor for Avengers: Endgame.
- 2001 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Television Movie by Ally McBeal.
- Screen Actors Guild Award 2001 Outstanding performance of a male actor in a comedy series for Ally McBeal.
MCU Salary Evolution
- Iron Man (2008) – $500 k base + 8 % backend ≈ $12 M total
- Avengers (2012) – $10 M base + 5 % ≈ $50 M
- Endgame (2019) – $20 M + 8 % of $2.8 B gross ≈ $75 M
Production company
Downey and his wife Susan opened their own production company, Team Downey, in June 2010.
The company’s first project was The Judge.
Music
He released his debut musical album, The Futurist in November 2004.
He has sung in several soundtracks for his films.
He has sung for Chaplin, Too Much Sun, Two Girls and a Guy, Friends and Lovers, The Singing Detective and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
He has appeared in Elton John’s songs “I Want Love.”
His most commercially successful recording has been his new version of the 1973 Joni Mitchell Christmas song “River.” The song was included in Ally McBeal’s album, Ally McBeal: A Very Ally Christmas.
Source: @ metro.co.uk
Source: @ europapress.es
Personal Life
Family & Relationships
Downey is a married man. He is married to producer Susan Levin. They started dating after they met on the set of Gothika. Downey proposed to Susan the night before her thirtieth birthday. The couple married in August 2005 in a Jewish ceremony. The couple has two children, a son and a daughter.
He was previously married to actress and singer Deborah Falconer. The couple married between May 1992 and April 2004. Downey’s struggle with addiction failed in their marriage. He has a son with Falconer. He also dated actress sarah jessica Parker. They separated due to Downey’s drug addiction.
He lives with his family in Malibu, California.
- First marriage – Deborah Falconer (1992-2004); son Indio (b. 1993)
- Current wife – producer Susan Downey (m. 2005); children Exton (b. 2012) and Avri (b. 2014)
- Production powerhouse – the couple runs Team Downey, developing film/TV projects that blend commercial appeal with social commentary
Wellness & Sobriety
Clean since July 2003, Downey credits Wing Chun kung-fu, meditation, and Susan’s support for maintaining sobriety. He practices daily martial-arts forms and has turned his Malibu compound into a zen-inspired retreat.
Philanthropy & Activity
- The Footprint Coalition – tech-driven environmental non-profit he founded in 2019
- Random Act Funding – supports addiction-recovery and mental-health initiatives
- Marvel merch royalties – donates a reported 10 % to children’s hospitals
Physical Statistics
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | 5’8″ (173 cm) |
| Weight | ≈ 170 lbs (77 kg) |
| Build | Lean / Athletic |
| Hair | Dark Brown (salt-and-pepper) |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Shoe | 9 US |
| Distinctive Features | Expressive eyes, quick smile, goatee (often trimmed) |
Quotes
“I don’t drink anymore; I don’t do drugs anymore. I’m allergic to both – they make me break out in handcuffs.”
“The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven. That’s what I love about humanity.”
“I’m not a superhero; I just play one in the movies. But I’ve learned heroes are the ones who get up every day and try again.”
Controversies
Addiction & Legal Troubles (1996-2001)
Multiple arrests for cocaine, heroin and firearm possession; served a year in state prison and several stints in rehab. Hollywood studios branded him “uninsurable” until Mel Gibson personally paid his insurance bond for Singing Detective (2003).
Tropic Thunder Blackface (2008)
Portrayed an Australian method actor who darkens his skin for a role. The satire earned him an Oscar nomination but also criticism; Downey later said he’d “do it again” but acknowledges the sensitivities it sparked.
Contract Disputes
Early MCU salary negotiations were tense—Downey’s agents secured unprecedented backend points that reshaped star compensation in franchise filmmaking.
Favorites
| Category | Preference |
|---|---|
| Food | Vegan Chinese, sushi (post-sobriety diet) |
| Music | Classic rock, Sinatra, Wu-Tang Clan |
| Sports | Wing Chun kung-fu, Lakers, NY Rangers |
| Fashion | Tailored suits, vintage Rolex, Nike sneakers |
| Cars | Electric Audi e-tron GT, 1965 Corvette |
| Causes | Clean-tech, ocean cleanup, addiction recovery |
| Relaxation | Meditation, martial-arts forms, guitar jamming |
Salary & Net Worth
2026 Net Worth: $365 million
Annual Income Snapshot
| Stream | 2026 Est. |
|---|---|
| Film Salaries | $25 M |
| Producing Fees | $10 M |
| Team Downey Projects | $8 M |
| Residuals/Backends | $12 M |
| Endorsements/Investments | $5 M |
| Total | $60 M |
Asset Highlights
- Real Estate – $90 M (Malibu compound, Hamptons estate, NYC penthouse)
- The Footprint Coalition – $20 M stake
- Equity Portfolio – Clean-tech, AI, entertainment start-ups
- Cash & Bonds – $55 M
Interesting Facts
- Youngest SNL cast – hired at 20 (1985-1986 season)
- Musician side-hustle – released jazz album The Futurist (2004)
- Wing-Chun black belt – trains daily since 2003
- Digital pioneer – first major star to live-stream an AA meeting (2006)
- Comic-book creator – co-wrote Iron Man comic miniseries Iron Man: Hypervelocity
- Voice cameo king – uncredited vocal cameos in Spider-Man: Homecoming & Black Widow
- Oscar record – shortest gap (15 years) between first nomination and win for acting
- Philanthropic royalty – donated $1 M to Australian bushfire relief (2020)
- Tech investor – early backer of MasterClass, NowThis, and plant-based leather company
- Family tradition – son Indio appeared in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as younger Downey
Social Media Links
- Instagram: @robertdowneyjr (55 M followers)
- Twitter/X: @RobertDowneyJr (17 M followers)
- Facebook: Robert Downey Jr. (44 M likes)
- YouTube: Official Channel
- Footprint Coalition: footprintcoalition.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How old is Robert Downey Jr. in 2026?
A: Robert Downey Jr. is 60 years 9 months old years old as of January 2026.
Q: What is Robert Downey Jr.’s next movie?
A: He will play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, releasing November 2026 .
Q: Has Robert Downey Jr. won an Oscar?
A: Yes – Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer (2024), his first Academy Award after two previous nominations .
Q: What is RDJ’s net worth in 2026?
A: Approximately $365 million, driven by Marvel residuals, producing fees and clean-tech investments.
Q: Is Robert Downey Jr. still sober?
A: Yes – continuously sober since July 2003, attributing his recovery to martial arts, meditation and family support .
Q: Who is Robert Downey Jr. married to?
A: Producer Susan Downey (married 2005); they co-run Team Downey and have two children together.
Conclusion
From child-actor prodigy to Hollywood’s highest-paid superstar, Robert Downey Jr.’s story is one of spectacular peaks, devastating lows and triumphant reinvention. In 2026 he stands not only as Tony Stark’s eternal embodiment but as an Oscar-winning character actor, tech-savvy philanthropist and proof that personal redemption can coexist with global stardom. With Avengers: Doomsday poised to dominate 2026 box offices, RDJ’s third act is still being written – and audiences remain eager to turn the page.
Share this updated biography of Robert Downey Jr. and stay tuned for Avengers: Doomsday November 2026!
