Susan Downey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Susan Downey
Downey in 2014
Born	Susan Nicole Levin (1973-11-06) November 6, 1973 (age 51) Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	Producer
Years active	1995–present
Title	President (executive), Team Downey
Spouse(s)	Robert Downey Jr. ​ (m. 2005)​
Children	2

Susan Nicole Downey (born November 6, 1973) is a talented American film producer. She used to be a top executive at big movie companies like Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. Susan is married to famous actor Robert Downey Jr.. Together, they have their own movie production company called Team Downey.

Early Life and Education

Susan Levin grew up in Schaumburg, Illinois. She became interested in making movies when she was just 12 years old! She was a very good student and graduated at the top of her high school class in 1991.

To follow her dream of making movies, Susan moved to California. She studied at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts and graduated with high honors. She started her career at a company called Threshold Entertainment. There, she helped create and produce movies and TV shows based on popular stories. Some of these projects included the movies Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat Annihilation, and the TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest.

Career as a Producer

Susan Downey has worked on many exciting films throughout her career. She is known for helping bring stories to life on the big screen.

Working at Silver Pictures

Susan held important roles at Silver Pictures, a major film company. She was in charge of developing and producing many movies. Some of the films she worked on early in her career include Thirteen Ghosts and Swordfish.

In 2002, Susan became a co-producer for the movie Ghost Ship. She then co-produced Cradle 2 the Grave in 2003. She also produced movies like Gothika and House of Wax. She was an executive producer for the fun thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Later, Susan produced the drama The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster. She also produced Guy Ritchie's comedy RocknRolla and the thriller Orphan. She was an executive producer for The Book of Eli, a drama starring Denzel Washington.

Producing Sherlock Holmes Films

Susan Downey at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con

Susan was working on the movie RocknRolla when her husband, Robert Downey Jr., visited her office. He learned about director Guy Ritchie's plans for a new Sherlock Holmes movie. At Robert's request, Susan arranged a meeting with Ritchie, and soon Robert Downey Jr. was cast as the lead!

Sherlock Holmes was a big success, getting good reviews and making a lot of money at the box office in 2009. It was the most successful movie Susan and Robert had worked on together at that time. Robert Downey Jr. even won a Golden Globe Award for his role in the film. He thanked Susan in his acceptance speech, saying how much she helped him.

After the first Sherlock Holmes movie, Susan continued to work with her husband on other films. These included Iron Man 2, Due Date, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. This allowed them to keep working together, which they enjoyed.

Starting Team Downey

In June 2010, Susan and Robert Downey Jr. announced they were starting their own movie production company called Team Downey. They hired David Gambino to help lead the company. Their first project was a heist film called Yucatan.

Team Downey has produced several other projects. They developed a movie based on the book Emergency! This Book Will Save Your Life. They also worked on a musical project for Warner Bros.

Team Downey produced the family drama The Judge in 2014, which starred Robert Downey Jr. In 2011, they also planned to produce a movie about the true story of the USS Indianapolis and how its captain was cleared of blame years later.

Personal Life

Susan Downey with her husband Robert Downey Jr. at the Avengers: Age of Ultron world premiere

Susan's first full producer job was for the 2003 movie Gothika. This film starred Halle Berry and her future husband, actor Robert Downey Jr.. Robert has said that his favorite memory from filming Gothika was getting to know Susan. Susan initially thought Robert was "weird" but also recognized he was an amazing actor.

They started a relationship, though Susan was careful at first because she worried it might not last. Robert proposed to Susan on November 5, 2003, the night before her 30th birthday. They were married on August 27, 2005, in a ceremony in Amagansett, New York.

Susan and Robert have two children. Their son, Exton Elias Downey, was born on February 7, 2012. Their daughter, Avri Roel, was born on November 4, 2014.

Robert Downey Jr. often credits Susan with helping him in his life and career. He says she is a huge part of his success and that they make a great team. Director Guy Ritchie has described their marriage as a wonderful partnership, saying Susan helps Robert be his best self. Robert even has a tattoo on his arm that says "Suzie Q" as a tribute to her.

Filmography

Susan Downey has produced or executive produced many films and TV shows. Here are some of them:

Producer