History Creator / RobertDowneyJr

* [[TallDarkAndSnarky Short, Dark, Snarky]][[TallDarkAndHandsome ,and Handsome]]: Despite being just 5'8'', he has many fangirls.

In 2010, Downey appeared in ''Iron Man 2'', another huge hit, and the comedy RoadMovie ''Film/DueDate'' along with Zach Galifianakis. He reprised the role of Sherlock Holmes in 2011's ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows''. In 2012, he appeared as Iron Man in the highly successful ''Film/TheAvengers''.

As far as upcoming roles go, he is set to play the role of Tony Stark once again in the [[Film/IronMan3 third]] ''Iron Man'' film.

** He has also been declared Captain of the Pepperony ship. He fought for Gwyneth Paltro to have a role in ''Film/TheAvengers'', several quotes from him regarding ''Film/IronMan3'' are about Pepper and Tony's relationship, and when asked what he would have of Tony's if he could get it, he answered: "Pepper Potts."
** And now he and Gwyneth Paltro call themselves "Pepperony". The fan reactions on tumblr ranged from "THIS IS THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED" to "WAIT HOW MUCH DO THEY KNOW?!"
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Gwyneth Paltro.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor

** He has also been declared Captain of the Pepperony ship. He fought for Gwyneth Paltro to have a role in ''Film/TheAvengers'', several quotes from him regarding ''Film/IronMan3'' are about Pepper and Tony's relationship, and when asked what he would have of Tony's if he could get it, he answered: "Pepepr Potts."

** He has also been declared Captain of the Pepperony ship. He fought for Gwyneth Paltro to have a role in [[Film/TheAvengers]], several quotes from him regarding [[Film/IronMan3]] are about Pepper and Tony's relationship, and when asked what he would have of Tony's if he could get it, he answered: "Pepepr Potts."

[[quoteright:306:[[Film/IronMan http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robert-downey-jr-iron-man.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:306:[[MemeticMutation And he did all that in a cave! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!]]]]
Robert John Downey, Jr. is an American actor, film producer and musician. Downey made his screen debut at the age of 5 when he appeared in one of his father's films, ''Pound'' (1970), and has worked consistently in film and television ever since.

* CelebrityParadox: Nobody is sure if he is actually of Robert Downey Jr. or if he is, in fact, Tony Stark. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-H8gdxSK34 Not even him]].

In 2008, Downey became [[ComicBook/IronMan the title character]] in the ComicBook adaptation ''Film/IronMan''. Somehow, playing a SuperHero with undeniable talent and a substance abuse problem seemed to be a natural for him. His other 2008 films include ''CharlieBartlett'' and ''TropicThunder'', directed by BenStiller, in which he played Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, who is overly engrossed in his role as an African-American soldier. He received his second Oscar nomination for the film, in the category of Best Supporting Actor, which he lost to HeathLedger (but not before being lauded by CubaGoodingJr as the only man crazy enough and good enough to play blackface).

In 2008, Downey became [[ComicBook/IronMan the title character]] in the ComicBook adaptation ''Film/IronMan''. Somehow, playing a SuperHero with undeniable talent and a substance abuse problem seemed to be a natural for him. His other 2008 films include ''CharlieBartlett'' and ''TropicThunder'', directed by BenStiller, in which he played Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, who is overly engrossed in his role as an African-American soldier. He received his second Oscar nomination for the film, in the category of Best Supporting Actor, which he lost to HeathLedger (but not before being lauded by JamieFoxx as the only man crazy enough and good enough to play blackface).

* IAmNotSpock: Averted. He embraces the fact that people call him Tony Stark.

* CelebrityParadox: Nobody is sure if he is actually of Robert Downey Jr. or if he is, in fact, {{Tony Stark}}.

* HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: A noted ad-libber, Downey was vital in making the largely unscripted ''Film/IronMan'' film as funny as it was. The "shawarma" line in ''Film/TheAvengers'' was also the result of a sequence of ad-libs. Also notable is that though JossWhedon is the one who came up with "Shakespeare In The Park", Downey is the one who decided to start taunting Thor about "weareth(ing his mother's) drapes."

* HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: A noted ad-libber, Downey was vital in making the largely unscripted ''Film/IronMan'' film as funny as it was. The "shawarma" line in ''Film/TheAvengers'' was also the result of a sequence of ad-libs.

During the [[TheEighties 1980s]], he was a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''SaturdayNightLive'' (his uncle, Jim Downey, was a cast member on the show in the 1979-1980 season and is currently on the show as a writer) and had roles in a series of coming-of-age films associated with the BratPack. He was cast to read one of the letters in the 1987 film "Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam" before his rise to fame. ''LessThanZero'' is particularly notable, not only because it was the first time Downey's acting would be acknowledged by critics, but also because the role pushed Downey's already-existing drug habit one step further. After ''Zero'', Downey started landing roles in bigger films, such as ''AirAmerica'' and ''Film/{{Soapdish}}''. These higher-profile roles eventually led to his being cast as Creator/CharlieChaplin in the 1992 {{biopic}} ''Chaplin'', for which he gained an AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor.

* CelebrityParadox: Nobody is sure if he is actually of Robert Downey Jr. or if he is, in fact, Iron Man.

After one last stay in a court-ordered drug treatment program, Downey finally achieved lasting sobriety and his career began to take off again. He appeared in semi-independent films such as ''The Singing Detective'', ''AScannerDarkly'', and ''KissKissBangBang''. He also had supporting roles in the mainstream films ''{{Gothika}}'' and ''Film/{{Zodiac}}''. In 2004, Downey released his debut studio album ''The Futurist'', although he was involved with music a little earlier; that's him walking around in the EltonJohn video for "I Want Love."

* TypeCasting: Oddly, Downey ''finding'' his type is what sent his career into hyperdrive; Type 2 {{Broken Ace}}s AKA brilliant and dedicated yet deeply flawed heroes with a history of substance abuse ([[Film/IronMan alcohol]], [[Film/SherlockHolmes cocaine]]).
** [[ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself For Halloween, Tony Stark Is Going as Robert Downey, Jr.]]