On This Day

Birthday of Robert Downey Jr.

April 4th 1965

10:46 4 April 2024

American actor and producer Robert Downey Jr. was born on this day in 1965. Downey made his film debut aged just 5 in his fathers film 'Pound' (1970). In the 1980s he emerged as part of the "Brat Pack" with roles in the films 'Weird Science' (1985), 'The Pick-up Artist' (1987) and 'Less Than Zero' (1987). He received widespread praise for his role in the latter and it opened the door to roles in movies with bigger budgets and co-stars, including 'Chances Are' (1989), 'Air America' (1990) and 'Soapdish' (1991).

For the title role in 'Chaplin' (1992) he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and won the BAFTA Best Actor Award. Other notable film credits during the 90s include 'Heart and Souls' (1993), 'Short Cuts' (1993), 'Only You' (1994), 'Natural Born Killers' (1994), 'Restoration' (1995), 'Richard III' (1995), 'Two Girls and a Guy' (1997), 'U.S. Marshals' (1998) and 'Black and White' (1999).

From 1996 to 2001, the actor was beset by substance abuse and legal problems that led to a six month prison term in the Los Angeles County jail and nearly a year in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison.

Downey successfully battled his demons and began his comeback with 'The Singing Detective' (2003) before going on to star in mainstream movies including 'Gothika' (2003), 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' (2005) and 'Zodiac' (2007) as well as semi-independent films such as 'Good Night, and Good Luck' (2005) and 'A Scanner Darkly' (2006).

Downey was now enjoying great critical success but had yet to star in a blockbuster movie. That all changed in 2008 when he starred in 'Tropic Thunder' for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination and 'Iron Man' which would make him a Hollywood A-lister and Hollywood's highest-paid actor from 2013 to 2015.

Playing Iron Man/Tony Stark gave him global recognition and he has reprised the role in nine films since. He has also starred as the title character in Guy Ritchie's 'Sherlock Holmes' (2009), which earned him a Golden Globe, and its sequel 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' (2011). At this years Academy Awards, Downey won his first Oscar, picking up the Best Supporting Actor Award for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' (2023). From promising young talent to a career in ruins with no sign of a way back to one of the worlds most respected and talented actors, it's been quite a journey. Happy Birthday Robert.