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Jonathan Downey
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i. Biography
The Climb
The timing and room-read that live performance demands show up early in Jonathan Downey’s path. At The Bronx High School of Science in New York until 1984, then at Queens College in New York from 1984–1987, the foundation was academic; in Chicago from 1988, work at improvisational theaters including ImprovOlympic and Improv Institute shifted that foundation toward performance, where pace, attention, and response matter as much as material. Screen work gave that same instinct a different scale. Credits at Rudy from 1993 and PCU from 1994 led to actor-screenwriter work at Swingers in Los Angeles from 1996, where performance and structure sat in the same frame. The run that followed — Friends from 1997, Deep Impact from 1998, Very Bad Things from 1998, Rocky Marciano from 1999, Love & Sex from 2000, and The Replacements from 2000 — shows a career moving across ensemble, comic, and commercial forms without locking into one register. Direction and production added another layer to the craft. Downey was film director at Made from 2001, star at Dinner for Five 2001–2005, and guest director at Undeclared from 2001. He was screenwriter at The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest from 2002, then director at Elf from 2003, while also appearing as actor at Daredevil from 2003 and The Big Empty from 2003. The sequence continued with director at Zathura: A Space Adventure from 2005 and guest judge and executive representative at The Apprentice from 2005, before larger-scale directing work on Iron Man 2006–2008, Iron Man 2 2010–2010, and Cowboys & Aliens from 2011. By 2012, the credits had expanded into television and multi-role projects. He was director and executive producer at Revolution (pilot), then director at The Office from 2013. In 2014, writer, co-producer, director, and star at Chef placed several parts of the process in one credit. Later work included The Jungle Book 2016–2016, The Orville 2017–2019, The Mandalorian 2018–2023, The Lion King 2019–2019, The Chef Show from 2019, Prehistoric Planet from 2022, The Mandalorian and Grogu 2024–2026, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from 2025. The range reads less like detour than accumulation: a practice built on pacing, crowd sense, and moving between forms.
Today
At London Union in London, where he is CEO and co-founder, the work is about designing spaces that hold attention and keep people in the room. Street Feast, founded in London in 2012, extends that same logic into a format shaped by atmosphere, appetite, and the mechanics of a night out.
Signature
Jonathan's signature dishes include Match Bar, Milk & Honey London, Street Feast, Dinerama, and Hawker House.
Recognition
Jonathan Downey has received Lifetime Achievement Award, Spirited Awards (2015).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Jonathan
What is Jonathan Downey's current role?
As of 2026, Jonathan Downey is CEO and Co-founder of London Union.
Where did Jonathan Downey work before?
Jonathan Downey's earlier career included The Bronx High School of Science, Queens College, and Chicago improvisational theaters (including ImprovOlympic and Improv Institute).
What recognition has Jonathan Downey received?
Emmy Award.
