Susan Downey
| Susan Downey | |
|---|---|
 Downey in 2010 | |
| Born |
Susan Nicole Levin November 6, 1973 Schaumburg, Illinois, US |
| Residence | Venice, Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Producer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Home town | Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Title | President (Executive), Team Downey |
| Spouse(s) |
Robert Downey, Jr. (2005–present) |
| Children | 1 |
Susan Nicole Downey (née Levin; born November 6, 1973) is an American film producer. Until February 2009 she was Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment and 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] The couple have formed their own production house entitled Team Downey.
Early life
Susan was born in Schaumburg, Illinois, to a Jewish family. She graduated valedictorian from Schaumburg High School in 1991. Interested in pursuing a career in film production, Levin moved to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts.[2] She began her career at Threshold Entertainment, where she oversaw the development and production of projects based on well-known properties for both the company's film and television slates. These include the feature films Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, as well as the 22-episode TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest which ran on both TNT and in syndication.[3]
Silver Pictures
Downey held the dual posts of Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment and Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures. Joining Silver Pictures in 1999, she oversaw the development and production of feature films released under both banners, including Thir13en Ghosts and Swordfish.
In 2002, she made her producing debut as a co-producer on Ghost Ship and then co-produced the 2003 release Cradle 2 the Grave Downey went on to produce the features Gothika and House of Wax, and also served as an executive producer on the critically acclaimed comedic thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Downey later produced Neil Jordan's psychological drama The Brave One, starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard; Guy Ritchie's comedy RocknRolla, starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Idris Elba, Chris Bridges and Jeremy Piven; the horror thriller Orphan, starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard; and the thriller Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale.
She was also an executive producer on the Hughes brothers' post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.[4]
Sherlock Holmes
Downey was working on production for 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; at her husband's request, Susan set up a meeting with Ritchie, and soon the film had Robert Downey, Jr. as its lead.[5] The film became the first time since 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang that the Downeys had worked together, and according to Robert Downey, Jr., the couple enjoyed it very much because they did not have to "miss each other" during the long production.[6]
Sherlock Holmes opened to good reviews and record-breaking box office over the Christmas holiday in 2009. It was the couple's most financially successful joint venture to date,[7] and netted Robert Downey, Jr. his third Golden Globe Award, his first for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In his satirical, self-deprecating acceptance speech, he started off by thanking his wife: "First of all, I would like to thank Susan Downey for telling me that Matt Damon was going to win, 'so don't bother to prepare a speech.' That was at about 10AM." He continued his speech by noting all the people he supposedly wasn't going to thank (indirectly thanking them for giving him a chance to be in the movie) and again singled out his wife for tribute: "I mean, I really don't want to thank my wife, because I could be bussing tables at the Daily Grill right now if not for her. Jesus, what a gig that'd be."[8]
Post-Silver Pictures
Susan worked with the production staff of Iron Man 2, Due Date and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows alongside her husband, allowing the couple to work together again after the first Sherlock Holmes completed production.
Team Downey
In June 2010, Robert and Susan Downey announced the formation of their Warner Bros.-based production company Team Downey, and hired David Gambino to be president of production.[9] Their first producing project is Yucatan, a heist film originally crafted by Steve McQueen as a star vehicle for himself.[9]
Columbia Pictures announced on October 20 it had obtained the rights to Neil Strauss' non-fiction 2009 bestseller Emergency! This Book Will Save Your Life. The book is to be developed into a feature produced by Team Downey.[10]
The Downeys are also developing a musical project for Warner Bros. from a pitch by "Next to Normal" composers Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt.[11]
On March 23, 2011, Warner Bros. announced that Team Downey would produce the family drama The Judge.[12]
Team Downey will also produce the tragic, shark-infested tale of the "USS Indianapolis", told through the eyes of Hunter Scott.[13]
Personal life
Susan Levin's first full-credit producer job was for the 2003 thriller Gothika, starring Halle Berry and Levin's future husband, actor Robert Downey, Jr. Downey – who was in the process of divorcing his first wife, Deborah Falconer[14] — has said that his most memorable recollection about shooting Gothika was "romancing the producer";[15] Levin stated 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",[15] her first impression of him was that he was "weird".[15] 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"[16] — and Downey proposed to Levin the night before her thirtieth birthday.[16] The couple went public with their relationship in 2003, and were married on August 27, 2005 in a Jewish ceremony at Amagansett, New York.[17][18]
Downey credits his wife with helping him kick his drug and alcohol habits. "The old saying is true – 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, and all that luck I spoke about, that's Susan."[19] Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie describes the couple as "the greatest illustration of a symbiotic marriage that I've ever seen. It's a real yin and yang, and it's made him a joy to work with. Robert would be a pain in the ass if he didn't have Susan to police him."[20] One of his biceps bears a tattoo which reads, "Suzie Q" as a tribute to her.[21]
Susan gave birth to their first child, Exton Elias Downey, on February 7, 2012, in Los Angeles.[22]
Filmography
Producer
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ghost Ship | Co-producer; credited as Susan Levin |
| 2003 | Cradle 2 the Grave | Co-producer; credited as Susan Levin |
| 2003 | Gothika | Credited as Susan Levin |
| 2005 | House of Wax | Credited as Susan Lust |
| 2005 | Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | Executive producer; credited as Susan Levin |
| 2007 | The Reaping | |
| 2007 | The Invasion | Executive producer |
| 2007 | The Brave One | |
| 2008 | RocknRolla | |
| 2009 | Orphan | |
| 2009 | Whiteout | |
| 2009 | Sherlock Holmes | |
| 2010 | The Book of Eli | Executive producer |
| 2010 | Due Date | Executive producer |
| 2010 | Iron Man 2 | Executive producer |
| 2011 | Unknown | Executive producer |
| 2011 | Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | |
| 2014 | The Judge | |
References
- ↑ Andrew Rona likely to join Silver Pictures; retrieved November 15, 2008.
- ↑ Susan Levin biography at Filmbug.com; retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ↑ "Susan Levin Joins Silver Pictures as Vice President, Production. – Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Due Date". Thecia.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Robert Downey Jr 'to play Holmes'". BBC News Online. July 10, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ↑ "Robert and Susan Downey glad to be working together", retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ↑ "Robert Downey, Jr. Movie ox Office Results". BoxOfficrMojo.com. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ↑ "Robert Downey Jr.'s Golden Globes Acceptance Speech is Today's Big Thing in Entertainment". January 19, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Robert and Susan Downey hire prexy, tap spirit of Steve McQueen for first pic".
- ↑ "An 'Emergency' for Robert Downey Jr.". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (December 3, 2010). "Downeys set up musical at Warner Bros". Variety.
- ↑ McNary, Dave; Abrams, Rachel (March 23, 2011). "WB taps David Seidler for 'The Judge'". Variety.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (August 17, 2011). "Robert and Susan Downey to Produce USS Indianapolis Sinking Story for Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Good Clean Fun", Los Angeles Times, November 2002, as hosted at DeborahFalconer.com; retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Stated in an interview with Robert Downey, Jr. on Inside the Actors Studio, 2006.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Oprah Winfrey Show, third segment, November 22, 2004; retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ↑ Hall, Katy (August 29, 2005). "Robert Downey Jr. Marries Girlfriend". People. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
- ↑ Stevens, Honie (August 17, 2008). "No joke: actors saved by love". NEWS.com.au. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
- ↑ "Give Downey His Due". Herald.ie. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ↑ Cutter, Kimberly (December 9, 2009). "Susan Downey Interview – Susan Downey on Her Marriage to Robert Downey Jr. – Harper's BAZAAR". Harpersbazaar.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ↑ Barrett, Jennifer. "Article – Newsweek, November 15, 2003". Downeyunlimited.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ↑ Nia Long, on Nia Long: I 'Asked God' for This Pregnancy (August 31, 2011). "Robert Downey Jr. Welcomes Son Exton Elias – Moms & Babies – Moms & Babies - People.com". Celebritybabies.people.com. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
External links
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