Details About Robert Downey Jr.'s Divorce From His First Wife

The following article contains references to drug use and addiction.

Oscar-winning actor Robert Downey Jr. has had a stunning transformation, but it wasn't always a smooth journey for the second-generation Hollywood star. Prior to the career renaissance he underwent thanks to the success of "Iron Man," Downey Jr. had garnered a far less flattering reputation due to his struggles with addiction and various run-ins with the law. Downey Jr.'s troubled lifestyle may have contributed to the end of his marriage to first wife Deborah Falconer.

Downey Jr. and Falconer wed in 1992 after only six weeks of dating. The pair welcomed their first and only child together, a son named Indio Downey, the following year. Downey Jr. and Falconer separated in 1996, though Falconer didn't formally file for divorce until January 2001, due to "irreconcilable differences," per ABC News. The outlet noted at the time that Downey Jr. had been released from prison in August 2000 following a drug-related conviction, only to be arrested on drug charges again three months later. ABC also speculated Falconer's decision to finally pull the trigger on a divorce could've had something to do with the way Downey Jr. was a little too friendly with Calista Flockhart at the Golden Globes shortly before the filing (the duo co-starred on "Ally McBeal" together). Additionally, Falconer and musician Victor Indrizzo were reportedly living together amid her separation from Downey Jr., according to New York Daily News. 

Downey Jr. and Falconer's divorce was finalized in 2004, with Falconer receiving custody of Indio, who was only 10 years old at the time. "This is more or less just a formality," a spokesperson for Downey Jr. told the press regarding the actor's day in court with his ex-wife (per BBC). After all, by that point, Downey Jr. had well and truly moved on.

By the time his marriage to Deborah Falconer officially ended in 2004, Robert Downey Jr. was already engaged to Susan Downey (née Levin). Despite the future Marvel actor failing to make a good impression at first, Downey Jr. and Levin tied the knot in 2005, have been happily married ever since, and even welcomed two children together. Notably, Downey Jr. — who got sober in 2003 — has long credited Levin with helping him to get his life back on track.

At a 2022 screening of "Sr.," a documentary about Downey Jr.'s father, Levin opened up about what she told Downey Jr. when they started dating: essentially to lose the drugs, or lose her. "There's no credit I will ever take other than basically saying, 'Here's what I need to have happen, or more importantly what can't be happening,' but it's entirely that person," Levin said (via SheKnows). Still, Downey Jr. called what happened on that fateful day in 2003, "The clearest conversation I've ever had in my life," adding, "Ultimatums work." And this one clearly did, given the couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in August 2025.

As Downey Jr. said in his 2024 Oscar acceptance speech, "I'd like to thank my veterinarian — I meant wife — Susan Downey, over there. She found me a snarling rescue pet, and you loved me back to life. That's why I'm here. Thank you." Downey Jr. has also clearly made an effort to pay that forward, publicly supporting eldest son Indio — whom he shares with Falconer — through his own struggles with addiction.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).