Susan Nicole Levin, who is also recognized as Susan Downey, is a film producer from the United States and the co-founder of the production company ‘Team Downey’. Her husband, Robert John Downey Jr., an actor, shares co-founding duties with her. Before this, she worked as the Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures and served as Co-President at Dark Castle Entertainment. Even though she was born into a family with no prior connections to Hollywood, Downey developed a strong passion for filmmaking early on and pursued her studies at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. She then embarked on a career in film production and quickly earned respect as a producer. Prior to establishing her own production company, Downey was involved in the production of notable films including ‘Gothika’, ‘House of Wax’, ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’, ‘RocknRolla’, and ‘Orphan’. Since the inception of ‘Team Downey’, she has played a role in producing films such as ‘Due Date’, ‘Iron Man 2’, ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’, and ‘The Judge’.
Career of Susan Downey
In the late 1990s, Susan Downey took on the role of Executive Vice President of Production at Joel Silver’s production company, Silver Pictures. She was also responsible for the production house’s darker film division, Dark Castle Entertainment. This division was established by the parent company with the aim of remaking the eerie films, mainly horror, of former director William Castle. Over time, the production company began creating original content as well. Once Downey became the head of development at the company, she produced several successful movies in the following years.
Her initial films for the production companies included the 2001 Canadian-American supernatural horror movie ‘Thir13en Ghosts’ and the American action crime thriller ‘Swordfish.’ She subsequently co-produced the American-Australian horror film ‘Ghost Ship’ and the American action film ‘Cradle 2 the Grave,’ starring Jet Li, in 2002 and 2003, respectively.
She made her debut as a producer in 2003 with the psychological horror thriller ‘Gothika.’ Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, the film starred Halle Berry as a psychiatrist. It earned over $140 million from a $40 million budget. In the years that followed, Downey produced films including the horror movie ‘House of Wax’; the neo-noir black comedy crime film ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,’ featuring her husband Robert Downey Jr.; the psychological horror thriller ‘The Reaping’; and the psychological horror film ‘Orphan.’
Both Susan and Robert Downey Jr. had worked with English filmmaker Guy Ritchie before. When Ritchie decided to create a new Sherlock Holmes film based on the original novel, the couple approached him. Robert Downey Jr. starred as the lead character, while Susan Downey oversaw the production. The resulting film, ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ was released in 2009 and achieved significant critical and commercial success. Robert Downey Jr. won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
In the following years, Susan Downey produced movies such as ‘The Book of Eli,’ a post-apocalyptic neo-Western action film starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis, which was made for $80 million and grossed nearly double that. Her next role as executive producer was for the comedy film ‘Due Date,’ which also featured her husband in the lead alongside Zach Galifianakis.
Downey then produced the second installment of the Marvel Comics superhero series, ‘Iron Man 2,’ with her husband Robert Downey Jr. reprising his lead role. In 2011, the couple collaborated once more for Guy Ritchie’s second Sherlock Holmes film, ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.’ This film earned $545 million at the box office from a budget of $125 million.
The couple launched their production company, ‘Team Downey,’ in 2010, appointing David Gambino as the company president. It took them four years to release their first film, ‘The Judge,’ in 2014. This legal drama featured Robert Downey Jr. as a successful defense attorney named ‘Henry “Hank” Palmer’ and Robert Duvall as his father, a judge named ‘Joseph Palmer.’ Although the film received mixed reviews, the performances of the lead actors were highly praised.
Family & Personal Life
Susan Downey was born as Susan Levin in Schaumburg, Illinois, on November 6, 1973, to Rosie and Elliott Levin. She attended Schaumburg High School, followed by graduation from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. She began her journey in the entertainment industry with Threshold Entertainment.
Susan encountered Robert Downey Jr. while working on the thriller movie ‘Gothika’. They wed on August 27, 2005, and have two kids: a son named Exton Elias Downey, who was born in 2012, and a daughter named Avri Roel Downey, born in 2014.
Net worth of Susan Downey
Susan Downey is a film producer from the United States who has an estimated net worth of $20 million. It is important to mention that a significant portion of Susan’s net worth and riches can be linked to her spouse, Robert Downey, Jr. Born Susan Levin on November 6, 1973, in Schaumburg, Illinois, she graduated as the valedictorian of her high school class in 1991.