Downey, Robert, Jr (1965– )

US actor, considered one of the most versatile of his generation. As part of the so-called ‘Brat Pack’ of the mid-1980s, he starred in such films as The Pick-Up Artist (1987) and Less Than Zero (1987). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his starring role in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (1992).

He has collaborated with such directors as Robert Altman for Short Cuts (1993) and The Gingerbread Man (1998), and actor/director George Clooney for Air America (1990), The Singing Detective (2003), and Good Night and Good Luck (2005). His other films include Oliver Stone's grisly Natural Born Killers (1994), the drama Wonder Boys (2000), and the thrillers Gothika (2003) and A Scanner Darkly (2006). He guest-starred 2000–01 in the television comedy series Ally McBeal, winning a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series for his performance. He launched a singing career in 2004, releasing the album Futurist.

He was born in New York, New York, the son of underground filmmaker Robert Downey. As a child he appeared in several of his father's films, debuting at the age of five with Pound (1970), in which he played a puppy. He dropped out of high school and worked in a series of odd jobs before becoming a regular on the comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1985. His first major film was the comedy Weird Science (1985).