Now, we all know him as Marvel’s beloved Iron Man. But that wasn’t always the case for Robert Downey Jr.. Let’s take a look at his turbulent career.
No one else has saved their career quite like RDJ. In the late 1990s, it was at its lowest point. Suffering from substance abuse and after spending a year in a correctional facility – it seemed like the end of his career. However, 10 years later, the actor got the titular role of the MCU Iron Man, and since then, he has become a household name with a net worth of $300 million.
But where did all this start?
Robert made his film debut when he was just five years old in 1970. Pound was just one of his father’s films in which he had a minor role at a young age. His father also struggled with substance abuse, and RDJ has said on several occasions that this was the reason for his downfall.
After his parents divorced, he lived with his father in California, leaving high school in 1982 to pursue acting.
He appeared in some off-Broadway productions, before making it to Saturday Night Live. However, his term did not last long. Fans have complained about the new cast, and Rolling Stone has called Robert the worst SNL cast member ever.
forward and up
Despite his cruelty, it was the motivation he needed to start gaining recognition. During the late 1980s, RDJ picked up many of the roles that elevated him in Hollywood, making him his first major role in 1987 alongside Molly Ringwald: The Pick-Up Artist.
All this led to the peak of his early career. In 1992, he starred in the biographical film The Life of Charlie Chaplin, putting him in the spotlight. He received an Academy Award nomination for the part, and was only 27 years old at the time. Although this unimaginably accelerated his career, it also accelerated drug abuse. As he appeared in more and more films, he increasingly struggled behind the scenes.
Flying close to the sun
Beginning in 1996, Robert has been arrested on multiple occasions, most famously for driving naked down Sunset Boulevard. He was taking drugs, driving dangerously, and even broke into his neighbor’s house. Although he tried several rehabilitation programs, his problems only got worse.
He was sentenced to three years in a reformatory but was released a year later. This was his hit or miss moment.
Rise from the ashes
When he was first released, it seemed like history would repeat itself. He soon won a Golden Globe for his role in Ally McBeal but was later fired from the show for drug possession. Over the next few months, the police found him several times under the influence. His habits cost him high-profile jobs, and his career seemed truly over.
That was until Mel Gibson came along as sponsor and RDJ was recording on big productions like Gothika, A Scanner Darkly, and David Fincher’s Zodiac.
Then, in 2007, he was cast as Iron Man.
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Robert married his wife Susan in 2005 and credited her with much of his success and transforming his life forever. She obviously did a great job, landing the role of our favorite billionaire philanthropist, and the movie grossed $585 million worldwide.
Since then, he has become the patriarch of the MCU. He has starred in his own sequels, the Avenger films and countless other films. And it wasn’t just the Marvel movies. He also starred in the Sherlock Holmes and Doolittle franchise.
Most importantly, he welcomed two more children and seems happier than ever. Although he definitely got rocky in the middle, there’s no denying that Robert Downey Jr was happy afterwards.
In other news, an Iron Man tribute to Robert Downey Jr. has been spotted in the Black Panther 2 trailer