01
of 44
Robert Downey Jr., then and now
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/rdj-image-tout-cd26284954b44710a4b3ecfb2816a302.jpg)
Beginning his career as a child actor, Robert Downey Jr. rose to fame in his 20s, doing a stint on Saturday Night Live, and picking up gigs in Weird Science, Back to School, and Tuff Turf. Decades later, he is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, thanks to his franchise turns as Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. In honor of Downey's long-lasting career, see the movie star through the years, ahead.
02
of 44
Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Rusler, Robert Downey Jr., and Ilan Mitchell-Smith in Weird Science in 1984
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-502881329-55d1e6b7bc6141eba630dba85851d25c.jpg)
03
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Sarah Jessica Parker in the mid-1980s
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-80041151-d6125c546b47413699300845bf0a70f6.jpg)
04
of 44
Dennis Miller, Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Michael Hall on Saturday Night Live on April 14, 1986
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-138231862-2957d9612c6a4e77abd7acc4d057fdd8.jpg)
05
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. on Saturday Night Live on Jan. 18, 1986
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-138233579-c1486e2ff4a44845947785a8254ad8c4.jpg)
06
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Molly Ringwald for The Pick-Up Artist in 1987
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-168592859-aea487091b484fb38c3f54a18a845ba0.jpg)
07
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Sarah Jessica Parker at a benefit cocktail party for Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis on Sept. 15, 1988
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-128813341-86fc429ca3c44e5fa8da9aa643d5feef.jpg)
08
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Christian Slater in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 1988
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-77833897-56293c5bc90340ac9fab2a57b02668ea.jpg)
09
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. in Chances Are in 1989
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-159824916-51a2256bed2e4051b84e7ebced698250.jpg)
10
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Sarah Jessica Parker at the London premiere of L.A. Story on May 10, 1991
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-75032598-ca9c5a530042483cb497d4ca9752109d.jpg)
11
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Moira Kelly in Chaplin in 1992
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-159825201-1dd93862836a414fa509a103e0815c56.jpg)
12
of 44
Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Christopher Penn, and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Short Cuts in 1993
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-1673677-1418d43a772b4409a573ee299fe66dbe.jpg)
13
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Aug. 25, 1994
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-169725698-1e44e503336347d5a0cec69bb06564be.jpg)
14
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with his then wife Deborah Falconer on Dec. 7, 1994
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-109328882-218908880bf0418f8f65a43728661faf.jpg)
15
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the MTV Movie Awards in 1995
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-111166624-354838384c8d4afb82eecc2eba40f669.jpg)
16
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. in The Gingerbread Man in 1998
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-159821773-4afcb8d9b1004122933987b8d92ea25b.jpg)
17
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 21, 2001
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-1317570-94cb48a79fc14204a6d60e2c4b5c6e02.jpg)
18
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with his son Indio Falconer Downey at the premiere of Austin Powers in Goldmember on July 26, 2002
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-1155440-eba48c79e14749cd90e6c5308ab2cfd5.jpg)
19
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. in Park City, Utah on Jan. 18, 2003
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ap_03011805154-0522db550d904849823a59f1f7e4fbf5.jpg)
20
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Susan Levin at the Los Angeles Gothika premiere on Nov. 13, 2003
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-105304410-781bff6d181049e28935e33b5ab6cf72.jpg)
21
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. in L.A. on Nov. 23, 2004
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-51788239-f81e726b7d9a4050a4162651c432325c.jpg)
22
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Susan Levin at their wedding on Aug. 27, 2005
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-80088704-d58e485f1b204e258adbc0c69676016f.jpg)
23
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2006
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-115429639-c1e4234bad1f499289dc2b2c3a03e358.jpg)
24
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. in New York on Nov. 5, 2006
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-112497129-a0abb52d615f4f99bb4c9c7114afd6f8.jpg)
25
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the 79th annual Academy Awards on Feb. 25, 2007
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-77453946-c10ca90f1d19418faf320c50ab7b0b81.jpg)
26
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with his father Robert Downey Sr. at TIME's 100 Most Influential People gala on May 8, 2008
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-81032412-d45d692688034f14b6fb1188b5e68fc3.jpg)
27
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the 17th annual MTV Movie Awards on June 1, 2008
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-81326086-d666fed7bf004fa4ae22a272e77f383d.jpg)
28
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. in California on Feb. 2, 2009
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ap_090202027307-6bd89ddd18f24fbc8d76a09701199fa2.jpg)
29
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with his mother Elsie on Dec. 7, 2009
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-94122553-eaec01655df348fcbace224ad9478fff.jpg)
30
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Dec. 7, 2009
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-94121486-89625be8b04e44f1bda9d2c4859330ff.jpg)
31
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Jude Law at the New York premiere of Sherlock Holmes on Dec. 17, 2009
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-94734780-93d6f5bab4b9498caa79df54fbf60aff.jpg)
32
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with his wife Susan at the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 17, 2010
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-95838469-438396f584bc41d2ab16ee0c23c3cb2d.jpg)
33
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at Spike TV's Scream Awards on Oct. 15, 2011
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-129319205-30ca74cc2fb547a799cf7f7fb12289e2.jpg)
34
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at San Diego Comic-Con on July 14, 2012
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-148360497-01fb06284ada46c18b53b1078bb207f5.jpg)
35
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Gwyneth Paltrow in Los Angeles on April 22, 2013
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ap_347124172259-8cfa3df2cbd445bba675f2a58de0796e.jpg)
36
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the 50th Chicago International Film Festival on Oct. 5, 2014
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-456708446-0fcec74da86842cf9b4866be837255eb.jpg)
37
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the British Academy Britannia Awards on Oct. 30, 2015
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-495032644-36a034e05e524abeb28286d590e76d21.jpg)
38
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. with Chris Evans at the Kids' Choice Awards on March 12, 2016
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gettyimages-515221590-c4e51bbf9f894bd1b5fe201f99417d03.jpg)
39
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland at the premiere of Spider-Man: Homecoming at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on June 28, 2017
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-2017-102022-86f74c71373e449fa05b40f0e8682537.jpg)
40
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. and Josh Brolin at the Avengers: Infinity War press junket in Los Angeles on April 22, 2018
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-2018-102022-585f3d4930024a9b9f75a2d5994f814c.jpg)
41
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the 2019 E! People's Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on Nov. 10, 2019
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-2019-102022-f261e05b020f4d91ac05ea63efea4ad0.jpg)
42
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the Dolittle special screening at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, England on Jan. 25, 2020
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-2020-102022-7bad223b574e449cb606473a0fee0e27.jpg)
43
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on March 13, 2021
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-2021-102022-cb18480fc22a459fb5ce191b86d75e59.jpg)
44
of 44
Robert Downey Jr. at the Sr. New York Film Festival premiere screening on Oct. 10, 2022
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-2022-102022-02c69d30c7c240209727e92b3315d29a.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/avengers-070824-8116ae45a2ef4f5b9a9d2599b7179d77.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/emmy-predictions-MAY13-6ae6dc7eee234d209e3a94407b35ef7f.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/best-western-movies-030624-46e1f0aa4e074b38b5064be1ecfc45f6.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Robert-Downey-Jr-The-Sympathizer-052824-bbbcca45614944a8a9f32a9058394707.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/eric-emma-julia-roberts-070824-fdaffe6739df4534a22aedf11711b9dc.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/The-Daily-Show-022024-e52b854261494fc2a07850ffa35f5d78.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Jeff-Bridges-at-TCA-tout-2-071024-c2398e27fcfc4b25b3dbbd349477ac59.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Tom-Hanks-and-Robin-Wright-in-HERE-062524-1-aa5a6f0edcf44facb4411129f7d28cec.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/shelley-duvall-top-ten-performances-071124-d23fca06e5964fb484342335bb905148.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/shelley-duvall-071124-2-6715f5cb1e26400797393a57bd3ac931.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/rob-lowe-and-sons-ancestry-061324-95aad440bc404a1587a494faace1cecb.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/despicable-me-070224-02e120f8c7614887884152bc63500842.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/robin-roberts-070924-4aaf4e45b41a421db0af8234711eb3a3.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/emma-roberts-madame-web-070624-80b47224d23b44bcb975a8d61f91bf38.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/longlegs-nic-cage-071024-3043e0f2bb9c40b88416dea0061afbc0.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/DeadpoolWolverineCover06262404-35e1659b05b54c939c1f3493a1f9d535.jpg)