Robert Downey Jr. was born in New York City on April 4, 1965, and he started his acting career as a young child. His first significant role was in the movie The Pick-up Artist, a romantic comedy which he co-starred with Molly Ringwald (Hillstrom, 2011). His most significant breakthrough came by when he played Less Than Zero in 1987 where his role depicted him as a cocaine addict as well as a party-loving person.
As he headed into his 20s, he developed a proficient addiction. “I used to the drugs after work and on all weekends, and I would show up to work on the next day all hangover (Howden, 2010). When I played Less than Zero, the role was like the ghost of Christmas culture since I continued behaving like the character even after completing the movie,” Downey later explained. Despite facing difficulties in his personal life, he continued working hard in his career where he eventually won a Golden Globe Award in 2001 and later Screen Actors Guild Award which propelled his career.
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The New York Times often referred to Downey as the actor with a troubled past due to his addiction and the newspaper also acknowledged that he was a talented actor. Mel Gibson played a significant role in Downey’s turnaround since he supported him as a friend and also found him work in his acting (MacDonald, 2014). Downey’s life has changed significantly and through the support of his wife, family and friends he has been able to stay clean.
References
Hillstrom, L. C. (2011). Robert Downey Jr . New York, NY: Greenhaven Publishing LLC.
Howden, M. (2010). Robert Downey Jr: The Biography . London, England: Blake Publishing.
MacDonald, E. E. (2014). Robert Downey Jr. from Brat to Icon: Essays on the Film Career . Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
