Robert Downey Jr.: Biography

Born: April 4, 1965 in New York City, NY

Worked as: Actor

Hailed by many critics as one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation, Robert Downey Jr. seemed for a long time to be primed for a brilliant career. Unfortunately, the promise he displayed onscreen in such films as Chaplin (for which he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar) and Two Girls and a Guy was jeopardized offscreen by a continuing drug addiction; in June 1996, the actor was arrested for the first of many times for his drug use, and in August 1999, his problems culminated with a three-year jail sentence for repeated violations of parole.

The son of underground filmmaker Robert Downey, Downey Jr. was born in New York City on April 4, 1965. He made his first onscreen appearance at the age of five, playing a puppy in his father's film Pound (1970). Between 1972 and 1990, he made cameo appearances in five more of his father's films. The actor's first significant role, in 1983's Baby, It's You, largely ended up on the cutting-room floor; it wasn't until two years later that he began landing more substantial parts, first as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (he stayed with the show through 1986) and then in the comedy Weird Science. In 1987, he landed plum roles in two films that capitalized on the Brat Pack phenomenon, The Pick-Up Artist, in which he starred opposite Molly Ringwald, and Less Than Zero, for which he won acclaim playing cocaine addict Julian Wells.

After a string of such films as 1969 (1988), Chances Are (1989), Air America (1990) (in which he starred opposite Mel Gibson), and Soapdish (1991), Downey Jr. won the title role in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (1992), which allowed him to showcase the wide range of his talents. Proving adept at going from broad physical comedy to poignant drama, Downey Jr. was rewarded with Oscar, Golden Globe, and British Academy Award nominations. Following this triumph, he starred in a number of films, some good, some bad, but all allowing him to continue proving his versatility. Some of his more notable projects included Robert Altman's Short Cuts (1993); Natural Born Killers, Oliver Stone's controversial 1994 film for which Downey Jr. won particular acclaim for his portrayal of an Australian media parasite; Richard Loncraine's Richard III (1996); and Two Girls and a Guy (1997), which was directed by Downey Jr.'s old friend and Pick-Up Artist director James Toback.

Although the actor was enjoying steady work, his offscreen life was becoming increasingly tumultuous, thanks to a string of trouble that began with his June 1996 arrest for driving under the influence, possession of illegal substances (heroin, crack, and powder cocaine), and possession of a concealed weapon. A month after this arrest, Downey Jr. was found passed out on a neighbor's lawn, under the influence of a controlled substance, and was once again hauled off by the police, this time to a rehab center. Unfortunately, a third arrest soon followed, as did another stint in rehab. His stay in rehab didn't last long, as he walked out, thereby violating the conditions of his bail. More arrests and more trouble followed -- in fact, the actor had to be released from rehab to make Two Girls and a Guy -- but he still managed to make a few screen appearances, winning praise for his work in Mike Figgis' One Night Stand (1997) and Altman's The Gingerbread Man (1998). In addition, he starred in one of his father's films, the offbeat Hugo Pool (1997).

Unfortunately, his problems caught up with him in August 1999, when he was sentenced to three years in prison for repeated violations of his parole. The same year, he had three films out in theaters: In Dreams, Friends and Lovers, and Bowfinger. In addition, he appeared as the gay husband of a documentary maker (Brooke Shields) in Black and White, directed by his erstwhile champion, James Toback.

2000 brought a glimmer of hope for the troubled actor, as Downey Jr. was awarded the Best TV Series Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his role in Ally McBeal. But the drug troubles resurfaced in 2001, when he was arrested again, and was dropped from Ally McBeal for the remainder of the season.

In 2003, Downey Jr. was one of the prime interviewees in Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin, a documentary which also featured on cinema bigwigs Johnny Depp and Woody Allen. He would go on to star as a hallucination-prone novelist in The Singing Detective later that year, and while the film didn't achieve huge mainstream success, Downey Jr. was praised for holding his own against an all-star cast including Oscar winners Adrien Brody and Mel Gibson. The same could be said for Gothika (2003), the psychological spook-fest that placed him opposite Hollywood heavyweight Halle Berry. In 2004, Downey Jr.'s career will take a rather unique turn -- the young actor is slated to star in the erotic drama Eros, which boasts an unlikely collaboration between directors Steven Soderbergh, Wong Kar-Wai, and Michaelangelo Antonioni. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide