| Susan Downey | |
|---|---|
 Downey promoting Sherlock Holmes at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International |
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| Born | November 6, 1973 |
| Residence | Brentwood, Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Film producer |
| Years active | 1995 - present |
| Home town | Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Title | Executive Vice President of Production, Silver Pictures |
| Term | 2006-2009 |
| Successor | Andrew Rona |
| Religious beliefs | Judaism |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Downey, Jr. (August 27, 2005 - present) |
| Website IMDB page for Susan Downey |
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Susan Downey (born Susan Levin; November 6, 1973) is an American film producer. Until February 2009 she was the Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures, Joel Silver's production company, but has since stepped down to work more closely with her husband, actor Robert Downey, Jr.[1]
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Early life
Susan grew up in Schaumburg, Illinois, where she graduated valedictorian from Schaumburg High School in 1991. Interested in pursuing a career in film production, Levin moved to California and graduated from the University of Southern California School of Cinema/Television[2]. She began her career at New Line Cinema, where she did uncredited production work on Mortal Kombat in 1995 and its 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, and spearheaded the development of the 1998 live action TV prequel, Mortal Kombat: Conquest[2].
Personal life
Susan produced the 2003 thriller Gothika starring Halle Berry and the man who would become her future husband, actor Robert Downey, Jr. Downey — who was in the process of divorcing his first wife, actress/model/singer Deborah Falconer[3] — has said that his most memorable recollection about shooting Gothika was "romancing the producer"[4]; Susan admitted to James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio that while she thought Downey was "an amazing actor that we were lucky to have in our movie"[4], her first impression of him was that he was "weird"[4]. The two quietly struck up a romance — though she turned down his romantic advances twice for fear that their relationship would not last through the completion of shooting because "he's an actor; I have a real job"[5] — and Downey proposed to Susan the night before her thirtieth birthday[5]. The couple went public with their relationship in 2004, and were married on August 27, 2005 in a Jewish ceremony at Amagansett, New York.[6][7]
The last film Susan produced under her maiden name was the 2005 black comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang as executive producer, and Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in the leads, with her stepson Indio Falconer Downey in a cameo role as a younger version of his father's character.
Silver Pictures
Levin was hired by producer Joel Silver to join his production company, Silver Pictures, in 1999, where she was assigned to work on development for Silver Pictures as well as Dark Castle Entertainment, the subsidiary company founded by Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis, and Gilbert Adler. Her first assignments were overseeing development and production of Thirteen Ghosts and Swordfish. She moved up to co-producer status on the 2002 film Ghost Ship and also served as co-producer for the 2003 movie Cradle 2 the Grave.
Susan Downey was promoted to Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures in 2006, where she produced a fairly large slate of films including three movies released in 2007 alone: The Reaping, The Invasion, and The Brave One. She also took on development tasks for the 2008 live action version of Speed Racer; a 2010-slated horror film, The Summoner; an apocalyptic western due for 2010 release, The Book of Eli; and a 2009 action/thriller, Whiteout.
Sherlock Holmes
Downey was working on production for 2008 Guy Ritchie's crime film RocknRolla, during which her husband Robert Downey Jr., visited her office at Silver Pictures, and learned about Ritchie's plans for a new Sherlock Holmes film[8]. It is the first time since 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang that the Downeys have worked together on a movie, and according to Robert Downey Jr., the couple are enjoying it very much because they do not have to "miss each other"[9].
Post-Silver Pictures
Susan Downey says she intends to fulfill contractual obligations as a producer that she still has to Silver Pictures, even though she chose not to renew her contract as Executive VP of Production at Silver when it expired in February 2009.
References
- ^ Andrew Rona likely to join Silver Pictures; retrieved November 15, 2008.
- ^ a b Susan Levin biography at Filmbug.com; retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ "Good Clean Fun", The Los Angeles Times, November 2002, as hosted at DeborahFalconer.com; retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c Stated in an interview with Robert Downey, Jr. on Inside the Actors Studio, 2006.
- ^ a b The Oprah Winfrey Show, third segment, November 22, 2004; retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ Hall, Katy (2005-08-29). "Robert Downey Jr. Marries Girlfriend". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1098017,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ^ Stevens, Honie (2008-08-17). "No joke: actors saved by love". NEWS.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24191509-5006013,00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Robert Downey Jr 'to play Holmes'". BBC News Online. 2008-07-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7499055.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
- ^ "Robert and Susan Downey glad to be working together", retrieved March 23, 2009.
External links
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