Robert Downey Jr is probably a name that is no longer strange to Marvel movie followers when he is the one who plays Iron man, bringing fame to Marvel. Since he joined Marvel, his career and money have skyrocketed and it has turned him into an expensive Hollywood actor. But there are also rumors that he used to be a drug addict, so let’s see how his career trajectory from beginning to fame is like now.
Biography of Robert Downey Jr
Robert Downey Jr. was born on April 4, 1965, in Manhattan, New York City.He was born into an artistic family. So from a young age, he was exposed to art when his father was Robert Downey Jr., a famous actor and director in the world.
His father was a drug addict, so he let his son use opium since childhood. So when he was only 6 years old, he used marijuana which, he said, was his father’s way of expressing his love.
Robert Downey’s career milestones
Dive into an acting career
Robert Downey Jr made his film debut in his father’s film Pound when he was 5 years old. At the age of 7, he acted in the movie Greaser’s Palace. Being a child actor was the perfect stepping stone to help Robert Downey Jr. breakthrough. He had a few small roles in his early acting career directed by his father, until his parents split and he moved with his father across the country to pursue his career.
Successful start of his career (before 1996)
In the early years of his career, he struggled to keep up with the pressure of criticism. Then he and his colleagues were gradually replaced. Fortunately, RDJ found success after its SNL shortcomings. He got his breakthrough playing Tuff Turf (1985) directed by Fritz Kiersch. Next is the bully in John Hughes’ Weird Science. His first major role was as Molly Ringwald in The Pick-up Artist. Because of these roles and the films Downey played in throughout the 1980s, he is sometimes referred to as a member of the Brat Pack.
In 1987, his successful career began when he was cast as Julian Wells, a rich but addicted and out of control guy in Less Than Zero. His performance was praised and praised by experts. After the success of Less Than Zero was the door that led him to bigger films starring with many famous actors such as Chances Are (1989) (starring Cybill Shepherd and Ryan O’Neal), Air America (1990). (starring Mel Gibson), Soapdish (1991) (starring Sally Field, Kevin Kline and Whoopi Goldberg).
A turning point in his career came in 1992, when he was offered the role of comedy king Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin. An extremely difficult role requires him to prepare comprehensively such as learning to play the violin and play tennis with his left hand. He even hired a trainer to show him how to imitate Chaplin’s movements. Because of those investments, his performance was greatly praised. From there he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the first time in his life. His career took a whole new level. Although he did not win the award, the Oscar nomination that year was one of the impressive lipstick marks of Robert’s career.
Tempting troubles in career (1996 – 2001)
Robert Downey Jr is no stranger when it comes to addiction, when his father gave him marijuana when he was 6 years old, which his father now regrets.
From 1996 to 2001 he was repeatedly arrested. In 1996, he was arrested by the police while driving in a nude state for possession of cocaine, heroin and marijuana, and ended up in prison, going to rehab many times but to no avail. For 5 years, the actor’s life revolved around going in and out of rehab camps and prisons. Addiction and arrest, rehab, and addiction again, a vicious cycle that repeats with no way out. What he achieved in his previous career is gradually forgotten, the audience only remembers him as addicted, fallen, a talented actor with many disabilities, a fluffy life that makes the audience bored.
After a year in rehab, on $5,000 bail, Downey was suddenly released. Not long after that, he joined the television series Ally McBeal as the new love interest of the main character played by Calista Flockhart. But sadly in April 2001, he was arrested again while wandering barefoot in the suburbs of Los Angeles while under house arrest. He was remanded into custody on suspicion of drug use and released shortly thereafter, however, it was found that he had cocaine in his system, prompting the show’s producers Alley McBeal to remove him from the series and cancel his contract.
After many scandals, he is one of the few artists that is considered difficult to revive his career.
Glorious career stage is back
2001-2008 period
In 2001, Robert Downey Jr. turned 36. After being arrested for 5 years of addiction, he also got rid of the cycle of addiction and returned to his acting path. Fortunately, besides Robert, there are people willing to go with him on this difficult journey. It was Mel Gibson – a brother in the profession willing to use his reputation to buy insurance for the movie The Singing Detective and bring him back to the big screen.
This paved the way for him to return to mainstream films such as Gothika (2003) and producer Susan Downey – who later became his wife, the woman who placed a great trust in the actor that no one else had. can do. In addition, Susan also brought her husband the role of Sherlock Holmes by directly suggesting to director Guy Ritchie. After that, he also played roles in films such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Shaggy Dog (Disney), or Zodiac (2007) (directed by David Fincher).
From the above, he has proven that he is completely serious about going back, those lost years are now in the past. Continuing with his acting work, he showed himself to still have diverse and humorous acting flaws, mixed with confidence and arrogance. It was the perfect reversal of fortunes that his wife believed in as he said, “I owe Susan much – if not all – of today’s success,” the actor confided.
Period 2008 to present
His career has really been revived since entering the Marvel world when he played Iron man- Tony Stark in 2008.
The resounding success of the film helped him enter the top 100 most influential people, according to Time magazine. Director Jon Favreau said the reason he chose Robert was because he “was able to bring his own experience into the character of Tony Stark”.
And it can be seen that this role of a billionaire in the field of science and technology needs something funny, something flowery, elegant, and indispensable part of the frenzied and extravagant part. Because of many similarities with the character, the actor can easily transform into Iron man ingeniously to help usher in a new cinematic era of the Marvel universe.
In 2013, Downey once again played the role of Tony Stark in Iron man 3. Bringing the most success of the superhero series when ranked at number five on the list of the highest-grossing films in US cinema.
Although successful thanks to world blockbusters, the Hollywood actor said goodbye to the role that was put into a billion-dollar star before the regret of many fans. The contract between the actor and the MCU will end after Avengers: Endgame in theaters. Dot RDJ’s predestined relationship with the hero series for nearly a decade. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony stark. stopped the same series but Robert Downey Jr. His main is not. Over the years he remembers many things because of his impatience that he wants to make up for that time. Time here with him, each minutes of the life of the special time and deserve it. Show at, the value of the male actor is 300 million dollars.
