Robert John Downey Jr. was born April 4, 1965, in Manhattan, New York City. He made his acting debut at the age of five, playing a sick puppy in the absurdist comedy film Pound. Downey gained global recognition for starring as Iron Man in ten Marvel Cinematic Universe films, from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019) In 2008, Downey was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.