Rangarira ndima iri pasi apa uye ipapo pindura mubvunzo gare gare mumutauro mumwe chetewo sechikamu:  Kupfuura: Downey akaberekerwa muManhattan, New York, muduku wevana vaviri. Baba vake, Robert Downey Sr., mutambi uye mugadziri wemafirimu, apo amai vake, Elsie Ann (akaberekwa Ford), aive mutambi akaonekwa mumafirimu aDowney Sr. Baba vaDowney ndevehafu yechiLithuanian Jewish, chikamu chimwe muzvina chechiHungarian Jewish, uye chikamu chimwe muzvina cheIrish, apo amai vaDowney vaiva nemadzitateguru eScotland, Germany, neSwitzerland. Zita remhuri rokutanga raRobert raiva Elias iro rakachinjwa nababa vake kuti vapinde muuto. Downey nehanzvadzi yake mukuru Allyson vakakurira muGreenwich Village. Baba vake, vakapindwa muropa nezvinodhaka, vakabvumira Downey kushandisa mbanje pazera ramakore matanhatu, chiitiko icho baba vake vakazoti vakazvidemba. Downey gare gare akataura kuti kushandisa zvinodhaka kwakava chisungo chendangariro pakati pake nababa vake: "Apo baba vangu neni taishandisa zvinodhaka pamwe chete, kwakanga kwakafanana nokuedza kwavo kundiratidza rudo rwavo nenzira bedzi yavaiziva". Pakupedzisira, Downey akatanga kupedza husiku hwose achidhakwa uye "kuita chiuru chekufona achitsvaga zvinodhaka". Munguva yehudiki hwake, Downey aive nemabasa madiki mumafirimu ababa vake. Akatanga kuita basa rake pazera remakore mashanu, achitamba mwana wembwa anorwara mumutambo unonakidza wePound (1970), uye ipapo pazera remakore manomwe akaonekwa muGreaser's Palace (1972). Pazera ramakore 10, aigara muEngland uye akadzidza ballet yekare sorutivi rwepurogiramu huru. Akaenda kuStagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center kuchamhembe kweNew York achiri kuyaruka. Apo vabereki vake vakarambana muna 1978, Downey akatamira kuCalifornia nababa vake, asi muna 1982, akasiya Santa Monica High School, ndokudzokera kuNew York kunoteedzera basa rekuita basa renguva yakazara.  Mubvunzo: Amai vaDowney vainzi ani?
Elsie Ann