Who is Exton Elias Downey?
Born on February 7, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA, Exton Elias Downey is known only as the son of Robert Downey, Jr. His father is one of the most successful Hollywood actors of recent years, best known for his work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), portraying the character Tony Stark of Iron Man.
The wealth of Exton Elias Downey
As of mid-2020, Exton Elias Downey’s net worth is solely dependent on his father’s success. As one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, Robert’s net worth is estimated at over $300 million.
He has appeared in several high-profile films since the 1970s.
Life So Far – Family
Exton’s father met his mother, Susan Levin, on the set of the movie “Gothic”; she is a producer who previously worked for Silver Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment. At the time, his father was in the process of divorcing actress Deborah Falconer after their marriage broke down due to Robert’s struggles with drug addiction. Robert made many overtures and was rejected several times by Susan, as she did not want to start a relationship while on set.
Despite his initial reservations, especially about actors notoriously difficult in relationships, their relationship worked, and he proposed to her just before her 30th birthday. Exton is theirs first-born, and grew up alongside an older half-brother, Indio Falconer Downey. Exton is of very mixed Jewish, Irish, French, Scottish, Swiss and Hungarian descent from his parents. A few years after their marriage, his younger sister was born. Since then, he has largely lived life away from the limelight as his parents prefer that he grow up without pressure from the entertainment industry.
Mother – Susan Levin
Growing up, Susan developed a love for the film industry, and not necessarily as an actress, as she became more inclined towards filmmaking. She was academically gifted and graduated from Schaumburg High School as a valedictorian. She then enrolled at the University of Southern California, where she graduated summa cum laude and completed a degree in film production. After that, she soon became involved in film production and development with Threshold Entertainment, working on several ‘Mortal Kombat’ projects throughout the 1990s.
She then joined Silver Pictures, where she worked on such films as “Ghost Ship”, “Swordfish” and “House of Wax”. During her time there, she began a relationship with Downey – the two would later work on the film adaptation of “Sherlock Holmes” starring Downey. After making more films for Silver, she left to co-found a production company with her husband, Team Downey, which was founded in 2010 and partnered with Warner Bros. Some of the movies they have produced are ‘The Judge’ and ‘USS Indianapolis’. Aside from her professional work, she is credited as being of the greatest help in his recovery from drug addiction.
Father – Robert Downey, Jr.
Robert is the son of Robert Downey Sr., who was also an actor. He grew up in a family of actors, but had many problems at a young age, especially with drugs, as his father struggled with life as an addict. He had his first experience with marijuana as a child and has linked his emotional connection with his father to drugs, making it more difficult for him to refrain from using it.
He made his professional acting debut as a child, appearing in supporting roles in his father’s films. Wanting to pursue a similar career, he took ballet lessons before taking classes at the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center.
During his teenage years, his parents divorced and he moved to California with his father. There he attended Santa Monica High School, but had no intention of getting a formal education, so he soon dropped out of school to pursue acting opportunities. Although he had numerous failures in the beginning, he started to get more attention for his acting after appearing in “Tuff Turf” alongside James Spader.
Drug Problems – Robert Downey Jr.
In the 1980s, Downey became part of the Brat Pack, following a string of successful coming-of-age films. Some of his successes during this time included “Weird Science”, “Pretty in Pink”, and “Less than Zero”.
As the decade progressed, he pursued bigger roles and bigger paychecks. He teamed up with Mel Gibson in “Soapdish”, and other films included “Chances Are”, and he played the titular comedian in “Chaplin”, which earned him a Best Actor nomination. Other films he worked on in the 1990s included ‘Short Cuts’, ‘The Last Party’ and ‘Restoration’.
However, in the mid-1990s, Robert became involved in a series of arrests, all of which related to drugs. His addiction spiraled out of control, and after one particular incident where he was drunk driving, he was sentenced to three years of probation, and in 1999 was sentenced to three years in prison on multiple charges.
His career collapsed during this period, although he was able to post bail, subject to a year in rehab. In 2000, he started to get attention again and for his work in “Ally McBeal” he was nominated for an Emmy. However, he was arrested again for drug possession.
Career Comeback – Robert Downey Jr.
After years of struggling with drugs, Robert finally decided enough was enough and once again sought help with his addiction. He was finally able to return to film in 2003 with “The Singing Detective”, thanks to the help of his good friend Mel Gibson, and went on to do projects such as “Gothika”, “A Scanner Darkly” and “The Shaggy dogs”. .
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Although he had returned to acting, he did not reach another blockbuster until 2008 with “Tropic Thunder”, which brought him back to the market.
Around the same time, he was cast as the title character in “Iron Man,” which was essentially the beginning of what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first movie was very successful, launched the franchise and eventually led to the creation of “The Avengers”. He remains closely associated with many of the franchise’s actors, producers, and collaborators at his own possible last appearance as Tony Stark in “Avengers: Endgame”.
