1. He started early
Robert Downey Jr. was born to Robert Downey Sr. and Elsie Ann in Manhattan, New York City. Both his parents were into filmmaking. His father was an actor and filmmaker while his mother was also an actress who featured in his father’s films. RDJ made his acting debut at age 5 in one of his father’s films, Pound, in 1970, and then at 7, he appeared in another one of his father’s films, Greaser’s Palace, in 1972.
2. He pursued his dream relentlessly
RDJ dropped out of Santa Monica High School and moved back to New York City in 1982 to pursue his acting career professionally. After his parents’ divorce in 1978, RDJ moved to California with his father. Downey started with theatre roles, then worked briefly as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 1985, before he was fired alongside many other new cast members as a result of the show’s low ratings. Downey didn’t quit, and not long after, he appeared in his career-making films, Tuff Turf and Weird Science in the same year of 1985. The roles began to pour in for Downey afterward, with appearances in movies such as the 1987 and 1992 movies Less Than Zero and Chaplin, the latter of which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a BAFTA Award.
3. He recovered from his mistakes
RDJ’s father introduced him to marijuana and drugs at the early age of 8, and that had really serious consequences later in his life. Just when he was beginning to enjoy success, RDJ faced numerous drug charges related to marijuana, heroin, and cocaine beginning from April 1996. Even though he was having the time of his life in his career, with a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film, RDJ confessed to being at his “lowest point in terms of addictions,” and not caring about whether he ever acted again. These arrests cost Downey multiple roles including his role in Ally McBeal despite being responsible for the show’s improved ratings. However, finally in 2001, RDJ decided to seek help to put an end to his drug addictions for good and has remained sober since 2003.
4. He was committed to his craft
RDJ started in the theatre and performed in musicals such as American Passion. He is also known to prepare heavily for his roles as he did in his award-winning performance in the biopic about Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin, where he learned to play the violin and tennis left-handed in his bid to capture the titular character accurately. He also hired a coach who helped him with replicating Charlie Chaplin’s posture and movement. By the time he was 27 years old, Downey had already earned a reputation as one of the most talented performers in his generation.
5. He was grounded and humble
In time, all of Downey’s critical success finally followed him onto the big stage, with huge commercial success coming in his very popular role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Downey first played the role of Iron Man in the 2008 film Iron Man which grossed over $550 million worldwide before reprising his role in cameos, the lead role or part of an ensemble cast in several MCU movies afterward including Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3 and The Avengers series. Each MCU movie Downey has been involved in has grossed over $500 million, with Avengers: Endgame topping the list with a whopping $2.5 billion, setting the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time. Despite all this commercial and critical success, Downey is known to downplay his abilities and success and has even said that he “knows very little about acting,” and is “just an incredibly gifted faker.”
6. He was loyal to his friends and family
RDJ’s rough patch between 1996 and 2001 because of his drug addictions and constant lawsuits had many thinking his career was over except for his friend Mel Gibson who took a gamble on him and paid the insurance bond for his first post-drugs movie, The Singing Detective in 2003. He has credited Gibson with helping him out of his drug addiction multiple times and has also said that “the goal should really be a life that values honour, duty, good work, friends and family.” He stood up for his fellow castmates during a dispute with Marvel Studios over wages and has said that playing Iron Man is “the best thing that ever happened” to him because he had made good friends. Downey’s son, Indio, was a huge fan of Family Guy, causing Downey to telephone the show’s production staff to do something special for him, which led to the creation of the character Patrick Pewterschimdt in the episode “The Fat Guy Strangler,” showing just how much Downey goes over and beyond for the people he cares about.
7. He was a hard worker
Downey’s success hasn’t caused him to slow down one bit. After the success of the 2008 film Iron Man, Downey appeared in the movie Tropic Thunder alongside Jack Black and Ben Stiller who also the director of the movie. In 2009, he appeared alongside Jude Law in the movie Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie which broke several box office records and won Downey a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. He also starred in Dr. Dolittle in 2020, a movie that the production company he started with his wife, Susan Downey called Team Downey played a huge part in.
8. He went into different ventures
Downey started the production company Team Downey together with his wife, Susan Downey in 2010. The studio was involved in the production of the movie The Judge, which opened the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, The 2020 movie Dr. Dolittle, and is also to be involved in the production of the movie Sherlock Holmes 3 set to be released in December 2021. Downey was also involved in music and released his studio album The Futurist in 2004 as well as numerous appearances on movie soundtracks including Every Breath You Take with Sting for Ally McBeal in 2001.
9. He stayed driven
Robert Downey Jr. has worked hard to remain one of the top actors in the world. He has stayed motivated to remain sober since 2003, ending all doubts about the sustainability of his career, while constantly putting in top performance after top performance. Jon Favreau said in casting Downey for the role of Iron Man in 2008 that Downey would be to the franchise what Johnny Depp was to Pirates of the Caribbean – an actor who would elevate the quality of the film and increase public interest in it. It’s safe to say that Downey has done just that and cemented himself in the legends of filmmaking.
10. He was a philanthropist
Downey formed The Footprint Coalition, an organization that uses advanced technology to reduce carbon footprints worldwide. His organization has promoted and continues to promote various kinds of technology that clean up the environment, such as the bamboo toilet paper manufacturing company Cloud Paper, the French insect-farming start-up Ynsect, and alternative to plastic manufacturers RWDC. He has also become a vegan in his attempt to help solve the climate crisis and continues to push for saving the environment. He also donates very regularly to charities such as the Orca Network and Clothes Off Your Back.
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