Actor Robert Downey Jr. was born on April 4, 1965, in New York, USA. Born to film director Robert Downey and an actress mother, he appeared as a child actor in his father's film "Pound" in 1970. He dropped out of high school to pursue a career as an actor, and made his film debut in "Baby It's You" in 1983. He gained attention while appearing on the variety show "Saturday Night Live" from 1985 to 1986. He played Charles Chaplin in "Charlie" in 1992, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Despite his critical acclaim, he was plagued by troubles, including drug arrests. He served time in prison, but made a full comeback in 2003. In 2008, he was cast in the lead role of "Iron Man," a live-action adaptation of the American comic book, and made a worldwide breakthrough. Furthermore, in 2009 he played Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock Holmes" and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

In his personal life, he dated Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1980s. In 1992 he married model Deborah Falconer but divorced in 2004. In 2005 he married film producer Susan Levin and had a son in 2012. He currently appears in many of the films produced by Susan.