Susan Downey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Downey
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Susan Downey in 2014
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Susan Nicole Levin
November 6, 1973 Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Producer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Title | President (executive), Team Downey |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Susan Nicole Downey (born November 6, 1973) is an American film producer. She helps create movies and TV shows. For a while, she was a top executive at a company called Dark Castle Entertainment and also at Silver Pictures. Susan is married to the famous actor Robert Downey Jr.. Together, they have their own movie production company called Team Downey.
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Early Life of Susan Downey
Susan Levin was born in Schaumburg, Illinois. Her parents are Rosie and Elliott Levin. 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 class from Schaumburg High School in 1991.
To follow her dream of working in film, Susan moved to California. She studied at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and graduated with very high honors. She started her career at a company called Threshold Entertainment. There, she helped develop and produce projects based on popular stories for both movies and TV. Some of these projects included the films Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, as well as the TV show Mortal Kombat: Conquest.
Susan Downey's Producing Career
Working at Silver Pictures
Susan Downey held important roles at Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. She joined Silver Pictures in 1999. In these roles, she helped create and produce many feature films. Some of the movies she worked on early in her career include Thirteen Ghosts and Swordfish.
In 2002, Susan became a co-producer for the first time on the movie Ghost Ship. She then co-produced Cradle 2 the Grave in 2003. She went on to produce films like Gothika and House of Wax. She was also an executive producer for the action-comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Later, Susan produced other movies such as the drama The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster. She also produced the comedy RocknRolla and the thrillers Orphan and Whiteout. She was an executive producer for the action film The Book of Eli, which starred Denzel Washington.
Producing the Sherlock Holmes Films
While Susan was producing the movie RocknRolla, 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. Soon after, Robert Downey Jr. was cast as the lead detective.
This movie was the first time Susan and Robert had worked together since Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005. They both really enjoyed working on Sherlock Holmes because they didn't have to be apart during the long filming process. The movie was a big success, getting good reviews and making a lot of money. It was their most successful project together at that time. Robert Downey Jr. even won a Golden Globe Award for his role. In his acceptance speech, he thanked Susan, joking about how much he owed his success to her.
Founding Team Downey
After the first Sherlock Holmes film, Susan continued to work on movies like Iron Man 2 and Due Date. She also produced Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with her husband.
In June 2010, Robert and Susan Downey announced they were starting their own production company called Team Downey. They wanted to create their own movies and TV shows. Their first project was a heist film called Yucatan. They also worked on a movie based on the book Emergency! This Book Will Save Your Life.
Team Downey produced the family drama The Judge in 2014, which starred Robert Downey Jr. They also planned to produce a film about the tragic story of the USS Indianapolis.
Susan Downey's Family Life
Susan Levin's first full producer job was for the 2003 thriller Gothika. This movie starred Halle Berry and Susan's future husband, actor Robert Downey Jr.. Robert was very interested in Susan during filming. Susan thought Robert was an amazing actor, but she also found him a bit "weird" at first.
They started a quiet romance. Susan was careful because she worried that a relationship with an actor might not last. However, they soon made their relationship public in late 2003. Robert proposed to Susan on November 5, 2003, the day before her 30th birthday. They got married on August 27, 2005, in a Jewish ceremony in New York.
Susan and Robert have two children. Their son, Exton Elias Downey, was born on February 7, 2012. On July 9, 2014, Robert announced they were expecting a daughter. Their daughter, Avri Roel, was born on November 4, 2014.
Robert Downey Jr. often talks about how important Susan is to his success. He once said, "Behind every good man there's an incredible woman. I owe a huge amount – if not all – of my success to Susan. We make a great team." He even has a tattoo on his arm that says "Suzie Q" as a tribute to her.
Key Films Produced by Susan Downey
Susan Downey has produced or executive produced many films and TV shows throughout her career. Some of her notable works include:
- Ghost Ship (2002)
- Gothika (2003)
- House of Wax (2005)
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
- The Brave One (2007)
- RocknRolla (2008)
- Orphan (2009)
- Sherlock Holmes (2009)
- The Book of Eli (2010)
- Iron Man 2 (2010)
- Due Date (2010)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
- The Judge (2014)
- Dolittle (2020)
- Perry Mason (TV series, 2020)
- Sweet Tooth (TV series, 2021)
