Robert Downey Jr. hit the highlights of Harvard Yard on a brief tour, which included a stop at the John Harvard statue. "So if I were to give you a bunch of books you'd name it Robert Downey Jr. College?" the actor quipped. (Staff photo Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard University News Office)

Robert Downey Jr.'s Man of the Year tour through Harvard Yard may have been scripted, with Hasty Pudding Theatricals' member Burden Walker '06 reciting the three lies of the John Harvard statue and the tale of Harry Elkins Widener's watery demise, but it was hardly predictable.

The charming and unruly Downey knocked on a window of Massachusetts Hall hoping to capture President Lawrence H. Summers' attention, performed an impromptu soft-shoe to the Radcliffe Pitches' serenade, and traded jackets with a lucky freshman.

Downey, his Hasty Pudding hosts, and an entourage of media and handlers hit the highlights of Harvard Yard on the brief tour, which Downey launched by mugging from the steps of Harvard Hall. Upon learning that John Harvard's initial donation of books earned him naming rights, Downey quipped, "So if I were to give you a bunch of books you'd name it Robert Downey Jr. College?"

Eclectically attired in a navy pinstriped blazer, maroon striped pants, and bright orange Nikes, Downey obliged fans with autographs and dispensed hugs and kisses freely. He clapped and shuffled along with the Radcliffe Pitches, who entertained him with a few songs in front of the John Harvard statue, and traded wisecracks with his tour guides.

Downey exited the Yard and headed to the Hasty Pudding Club looking far more "Harvard" than when he entered: After posing for a photo in front of Weld Hall with fans Jordan Fox and Ayah Mahgoub, both '07, the Man of the Year swapped his blazer for Fox's Harvard sweatshirt.

Downey was honored Thursday night as the Hasty Pudding Theatricals' Man of the Year by students who roasted the actor and presented him with his Pudding Pot prior to the start of the opening-night performance of "As the Word Turns."

The Hasty Pudding Man and Woman of the Year awards are presented annually to performers who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment." This year's Woman of the Year, Sandra Bullock, was honored on Feb. 12.