One of the most accomplished actors of his generation, Robert Downey Jr. has worked in over 70 films throughout his career. He has starred in a number of successful superhero movies and has appeared in a number of high-profile TV series. The actor’s career has been marked by a number of controversies, including substance abuse, legal troubles and arrests. His personal life has also been troubled, and he has been in prison several times.
Born in New York City to a creative mother and a father who was an avant-garde filmmaker, Downey has a background in the arts. He began acting at age five, and by the time he was eight years old, he had made his acting debut in the film Pound. From there, he was offered a role on the Saturday Night Live cast in the 1980s. In 1985, he worked with the Brat Pack, a group of young actors who starred in iconic coming-of-age films such as Weird Science and Less Than Zero. After his time with the Brat Pack, Downey moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.
During his first few years in Hollywood, he appeared in a number of films, including Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Natural Born Killers, and Elijah Wood. However, his career hit a rough patch in the early 1990s, when he had a number of drug-related arrests. This is when he began to struggle with addiction, which eventually led to his prison sentence.
Upon release from prison, Downey was reinstated into a number of TV shows. He was cast in the role of attorney Larry Paul on the television series Ally McBeal, and his performances earned him praise. Moreover, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by a Male in a Comedy Series for his performance.
Although his film credits in the late 1990s were relatively small, Downey established himself as an A-list actor. After starring in a number of critically acclaimed films, he earned praise for his comic turn in the film Soapdish.
He continued to work on TV, appearing in a number of popular series such as Ally McBeal and Sherlock Holmes. Though he was cast in several flops and had legal problems, he still managed to maintain his reputation as a talented actor.
Despite his struggles with drugs, he continued to work and eventually regained his life. Eventually, he was granted probation and a chance to go to rehab.
In 2003, Downey began to rebuild his career. After a period of struggling with drug and alcohol abuse, he became sober and made his film comeback with the Marvel Studios movie Iron Man (2008). Over the next five years, he acted in 13 feature films.
Throughout his career, Downey has lent his talents to charity and has been actively involved in protecting the environment. For example, he is a member of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a nonprofit organization that offers reentry services to former prisoners. Through this association, Downey has invested $10 million to help support the cause.
