Robert Downey Jr. movies in order

By Alex Wiggan

Thanks to his fan-favourite turn as the comic book super hero, Iron Man, as well as some excellent performances in films such as Chaplin and Wonder Boys, Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood’s most popular actors. His career has spanned decades and over the years he has appeared in a wealth of movies including Due Date (2010), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Gothika (2003), to name but a few.

His films have ranged from gag-filled comedies and tense thrillers, to biographical dramas and comic book adventures. To an entire generation of fans he is Tony Stark, while to others he is Sherlock Holmes.

But do you know about all of his films? Well, if the answer is ‘no’, then don’t worry – you’re about to!

In this post I am taking a look back at the film career of Robert Downey Jr., with a rundown of all his movies. I will be going through his films, decade-by-decade, to showcase all of the pictures he has featured in over the years.

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The 1970s

Before touching upon the more successful decades of his career, it is important to start at the very beginning, which is back in the 1970s when Robert Downey Jr. was a child. Prior to landing substantial roles in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr. kick-started his movie career with a couple of small parts (in his dad’s films), and while the films are not well known today, they need highlighting.

The films included:

Pound (1970)
Greaser’s Palace (1972)*

*Uncredited

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The 1980s

Having got a taste for the movie business with small parts in the 1970s, it was the 1980s where Downey Jr. really started to gain some traction. The roles remained small to begin with, but as the decade progressed his work became more substantial.

Films in this decade included 1969, Less Than Zero, and That’s Adequate. He also appeared in a small role in the John Hughes comedy, Weird Science.

Robert Downey Jr.’s movies during the 1980s included:

Up the Academy (1980)*
Baby It’s You (1983)
Moving In (1984)
Tuff Turf (1985)
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)*
Weird Science (1985)
Back to School (1986)
America (1986)
The Pick-Up Artist (1987)
Rented Lips (1987)
Less Than Zero (1987)
Johnny Be Good (1988)
1969 (1988)
That’s Adequate (1989)
True Believer (1989)
Chances Are (1989)

*Uncredited

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1990s

Moving into the ‘90s now, and this is where Downey Jr. really started to come into his own. He kick-started the decade with roles in Air America and Too Much Sun, before achieving critical acclaim playing the title role in Chaplin – a bio-pic about the actor Charlie Chaplin.

Other movies in this decade included Natural Born Killers, Richard III, and Only You. He also took parts in U.S. Marshals and In Dreams.

Robert Downey Jr.’s movies during the 1990s included:

Air America (1990)
Too Much Sun (1990)
Soapdish (1991)
Chaplin (1992)
Heart and Souls (1993)
Short Cuts (1993)
Hail Caesar (1994)
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Only You (1994)
Richard III (1995)
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (1995)
Restoration (1995)
Danger Zone (1996)
One Night Stand (1997)
Two Girls and a Guy (1997)
Hugo Pool (1997)
The Gingerbread Man (1998)
U.S. Marshals (1998)
In Dreams (1999)
Friends & Lovers (1999)
Bowfinger (1999)
Black and White (1999)

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2000s

Onto the 2000s now, and Robert Downey Jr. continued to appear in a run of movies, with pictures ranging from Wonder Boys and The Singing Detective, to Gothika, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Then in 2008 he took on the role of Tony Stark for the comic book movie, Iron Man, which not only introduced him to a whole new legion of fans, but set him up with a huge role that would stick with him for life.

Robert Downey Jr.’s films throughout the 2000s included:

Wonder Boys (2000)
The Singing Detective (2003)
Gothika (2003)
Eros (2004)
Game 6 (2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)
Zodiac (2007)
Lucky You (2007)
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)*
Tropic Thunder (2008)
The Soloist (2009)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)

*Uncredited

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2010s

Heading into the 2010s and thanks to projects such as Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes, Downey Jr. was hot property. He was appearing in multiple movies, year-after-year, with notable pictures including Due Date and The Judge.

But outside of a few standalone features, his biggest appearances came via a string of Marvel movies, including four Avengers movies (all of which were HUGE box office smashes), and a couple of Iron Man sequels.

Robert Downey Jr.’s movies throughout the 2010s included:

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Due Date (2010)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Chef (2014)
The Judge (2014)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The Nice Guys (2016)*
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)

*Uncredited

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2020s

And finally, moving into the 2020s, and with Downey Jr. essentially waving goodbye to his involvement in Marvel movies, following the release of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the actor focused on new projects. His films in the 2020s have so far included:

Dolittle (2020)
All-Star Weekend (2023)
Oppenheimer (2023)

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So, those are all the Robert Downey Jr. movies, but what are your favourites? Are you a fan of U.S. Marshals or is Iron Man your No.1 movie? Perhaps Only You is the film for you, or possibly Sherlock Holmes?

Whatever your favourite Robert Downey Jr. movie, be sure to drop a comment below.

And if you are a fan of Robert Downey Jr. you might like to know that many of his hit movies are available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray, including one of his most acclaimed films, Chaplin.

If you’ve not watched Chaplin before, you’re in for a real treat, as the film is a superb bio-pic from director Richard Attenborough.

The Chaplin DVD is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Robert Downey Jr. movies. For more movie-related content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.

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