Tirohia te wāhanga i raro nei, kātahi ka whakautu i te pātai i muri mai i te reo kotahi me te wāhanga:  Passage: I whanau a Downey i Manhattan, New York, te taiohi o nga tamariki tokorua. Ko tana papa, ko Robert Downey Sr., he kaiwhakaari me te kaihanga kiriata, ko tana whaea, ko Elsie Ann (née Ford), he kaiwhakaari i puta i nga kiriata a Downey Sr. Ko te papa o Downey he haurua o Lithuanian Hurai, kotahi-wha-wha Hungarian Hurai, me tetahi-wha-wha o nga uri Irish, i te mea ko te whaea o Downey he Scottish, Tiamana, me Switzerland. Ko Elias te ingoa whānau taketake o Robert i hurihia e tona papa ki te whakauru ki te ope taua. I tipu ake a Downey me tana tuahine matua a Allyson i Greenwich Village. I a ia e tamariki ana, ko Downey "kua karapotia e nga raau taero". Ko tana papa, he haurangi tarukino, i whakaae ki a Downey ki te whakamahi i te tarukino i te ono o ona tau, he kaupapa i kii a tana papa i muri mai i pouri ia. I kī a Downey i muri ake nei, ko te whakamahi tarukino te hononga i waenganui i a ia me tona papa: "I te wa e whakamahi tahi ana maua ko taku papa i te tarukino, me te mea e whakamatau ana ia ki te whakaatu i tona aroha ki ahau i roto i te huarahi anake i mohio ai ia". I te mutunga, ka tiimata a Downey ki te whakapau i nga po katoa ki te whakamahi i te waipiro me te "whakaoho i nga waea waea ki te whai i nga raau taero. "I a ia e tamariki ana, he iti noa nga mahi a Downey i nga kiriata a tona papa. I eke ia ki te mahi kaiwhakaari i te rima o ona tau, i te takaro i tetahi kuri mate i roto i te komihana pounamu (1970), ana i te whitu ka puta i te whare rangatira o Greaser (1972). I te 10 o ona tau, e noho ana ia ki Ingarangi ka ako i te haka tawhito hei waahanga o te kaupapa nui ake. I haere ia ki te Whare Whakangungu Toi Whakaaturanga o Stagedoor Manor i te raki o New York i a ia e taiohi ana. I te wehenga o ona maatua i te tau 1978, ka neke a Downey ki California me tona papa, engari i te tau 1982, ka wehe ia i te Kura Tuarua o Santa Monica, ka hoki ki New York ki te whai i tetahi mahi whakaari i te wa katoa. Ko Downey me Kiefer Sutherland, nana i tohaina te mata i te 1988 drama 1969, e toru nga tau i noho tahi ai ia i te wa i neke ai ia ki Hollywood ki te whai i tana mahi whakaari.  Pātai: He aha te ingoa o te whaea o Downey?
Ko Elsie Ann