Updated on: 04 April, 2022 04:55 PM IST |Shweta Shah
Robert Downey Jr, Hollywoods one of the finest gem, has had a journey full of highs and lows. As the actor turns 57 today, lets see how he became the highest paid actor of Hollywood from a drug addict.
Hollywood has seen many stars who came from different walks of life. Some from broken families while some battled drug addictions. One of them is Robert Downey Jr. Among the highest paid actors of Hollywood, Downey didn't just play a superhero and enjoyed overnight success. He almost lost everything - his family, friends, career, money - because of his undying addiction to drugs. Going through rehabs, slipping down, and sobbering up costed him his everything to leave the addiction for good.
As the Iron Man actor turns 57 today, let's take a tour of his journey of highs, lows, and everything in between.
As the Iron Man actor turns 57 today, let's take a tour of his journey of highs, lows, and everything in between.
Childhood
Robert Downey Jr. was born in 1965 in New York to underground filmmaker Robert DOnwy Sr. and actress Elsie Downey. At an adolescent age of 8, his father introduced him to drugs, allowing him to try marijuana at a party. Soon after, drugs became a way of the father-son bonding. During most of his 20s and 30s nights, Downey Jr spent the nights getting drunk and scounting dealers.
In the early 1980s, Robert left to pursue his acting career in Hollywood, where his role in the film Weird Science secured him a spot in The Bra Pack, a group of young actors who starred in the decade's most promising films. In 1985, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live before landing his role in The Pick-Up Artist, a film that changed his career.
Beginning of the career and battle with drug addiction
In 1987, Downey Jr. gave a stellar performance in the film Less Than Zero, portraying a wealthy, troubled youth. This was followed by an unexpected success of Chaplin, where he portrayed the iconuic legend in Richard Attenborough’s biopic Chaplin, where he was even nominated for the Oscars. Even thoguh his drug and alcohol addiction was uncontrollable, he continued to do films. The fil sets would hold him sober but once done with business, he would fall off the wagon.
He was caught by the police in many drug-overdose stints. 1995 was the year when the Iron Man actor started smoking heroin and freebase cocaine, where Downey Jr. was arrested multiple times for reckless and unacceptable behaviour. 199 got worse, when in just a matter of couple of weeks, he was arrested several times for overdosage of drugs, amrijuana, cocaine, and everything that could intoxicate him.
Soon after, he was arrested to crash into his neighbour's son's bedroom. This was when the downhill of Downey Jr's life began.
In 1987, Downey Jr. gave a stellar performance in the film Less Than Zero, portraying a wealthy, troubled youth. This was followed by an unexpected success of Chaplin, where he portrayed the iconuic legend in Richard Attenborough’s biopic Chaplin, where he was even nominated for the Oscars. Even thoguh his drug and alcohol addiction was uncontrollable, he continued to do films. The fil sets would hold him sober but once done with business, he would fall off the wagon.
He was caught by the police in many drug-overdose stints. 1995 was the year when the Iron Man actor started smoking heroin and freebase cocaine, where Downey Jr. was arrested multiple times for reckless and unacceptable behaviour. 199 got worse, when in just a matter of couple of weeks, he was arrested several times for overdosage of drugs, amrijuana, cocaine, and everything that could intoxicate him.
Soon after, he was arrested to crash into his neighbour's son's bedroom. This was when the downhill of Downey Jr's life began.
The rock bottom
For severa years, Downey Jr. constantly did rounds of the rehab institutions throughout California. He was sentenced to a 36-months prison in 1999, where he was released on parole within 12 months. But that wasn't it - he was arrested twice within eight months before being sent to rehab again for six months.
This is when he hit the rock bottom. His wife left him and took away their son, he was fired from the Ally McBeal show, he was almost drowned in debt and was about go become bankrupt. That's when he realized hwo the addiction has been his biggest fall.
For severa years, Downey Jr. constantly did rounds of the rehab institutions throughout California. He was sentenced to a 36-months prison in 1999, where he was released on parole within 12 months. But that wasn't it - he was arrested twice within eight months before being sent to rehab again for six months.
This is when he hit the rock bottom. His wife left him and took away their son, he was fired from the Ally McBeal show, he was almost drowned in debt and was about go become bankrupt. That's when he realized hwo the addiction has been his biggest fall.
A cinematic rise
It was in 2002 when Downey Jr. decided to battle his addiction and work harder toward his dreams. He jumped back into his career with roles in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang after the box-office hit, Zodiac. However, it was when the film producer Susan Levin entered his life just to change it for good. In 2005, their romantic affair then turned into a beautiful marriage where they had two lovely children together.
His dedication and conviction to regenerate his career landed him one of the life-changing roles - Tony Stark as Marvel's Iron Amn and the Avenger series. The Sherlock Holmes actor gives his wife Susan, their kids, Eastern martial arts, yoga, and the 12-step program for helping him overcome the deadly addiction and staying sober. Downey Jr. enjoys a relatively quiet life with his family.
The wild nights have now replaced spending quality time with his family at their Malibu house. With his career keeping him busier than ever, Downey Jr's latest film Dollitle came out earlier this year, doign fairly well at the box-office.
In a famous Vanity Fair interview, the Chaplin star, then aged 49 said, "For some folks it’s just a function of age. It’s perfectly normal for people to be obsessive about something for a period of time, then leave it alone.”For some folks it’s just a function of age. It’s perfectly normal for people to be obsessive about something for a period of time, then leave it alone.”
Radio City wishes Robert Downey Jr. a very happy birthday!
It was in 2002 when Downey Jr. decided to battle his addiction and work harder toward his dreams. He jumped back into his career with roles in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang after the box-office hit, Zodiac. However, it was when the film producer Susan Levin entered his life just to change it for good. In 2005, their romantic affair then turned into a beautiful marriage where they had two lovely children together.
His dedication and conviction to regenerate his career landed him one of the life-changing roles - Tony Stark as Marvel's Iron Amn and the Avenger series. The Sherlock Holmes actor gives his wife Susan, their kids, Eastern martial arts, yoga, and the 12-step program for helping him overcome the deadly addiction and staying sober. Downey Jr. enjoys a relatively quiet life with his family.
The wild nights have now replaced spending quality time with his family at their Malibu house. With his career keeping him busier than ever, Downey Jr's latest film Dollitle came out earlier this year, doign fairly well at the box-office.
In a famous Vanity Fair interview, the Chaplin star, then aged 49 said, "For some folks it’s just a function of age. It’s perfectly normal for people to be obsessive about something for a period of time, then leave it alone.”For some folks it’s just a function of age. It’s perfectly normal for people to be obsessive about something for a period of time, then leave it alone.”
Radio City wishes Robert Downey Jr. a very happy birthday!
