Downey Jr Biography

On this day in history, April 4, 1965, Robert Downey Jr., the acclaimed actor, was born to his parents Elsie Ford and Robert Downey Sr. in Manhattan, New York. His Father was a critically acclaimed independent director, famous for creative social commentaries like Putney Swope. His mother was an actress who starred in very independent movies, some which were directed by her husband. His Father was born Robert Elias, but changed his name at a young age when we wanted to join the army but was too young. He changed it to Downey after his stepfather Joseph Downey. Robert Downey Jr would appear in his first acting role in 1970 at the age of 5 in his father’s movie Pound, in which human actors dressed as normal humans play dogs in a dog pound. His only line in the whole movie was asking if an adult Dog had hair on his unmentionables in very different terms. This would be the first of many controversial roles for nominations and three golden globe wins, as well as starring in two of the highest grossing films of all time, you might say that his 40 year career has been largely successful. It hasn’t been an easy life for Downey Jr. however, few actors’ pasts nearly has checkered as Downey Jr. Downey was introduced to drugs at six years old with marijuana by his father. While Downey Sr. has said that he regrets that incident, Downey Jr has stated that drugs were his father’s way of communicating his love to the young Downey Jr. the only way he knew how. Indeed Downey Sr. was a distant father, always working on his latest film, this combined with deep emotional scars he suffered in Vietnam that would later lead to his eccentricities, and his rampant drug use and constant traveling, and you have a man perhaps not the best candidate for raisi...

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... powerful man in Hollywood at this time. In April of this year Downey opened a Twitter account. Within 24 hours he had a million followers, fastest on record.

In less than 10 years Downey has gone from an ex felon to the top of the world. At this point, the sky is his limit. He has overcome his adversity. He is reconciled with his father and is looking to direct with him. He donates a quarter of all his salaries to rehab and children's charities and he volunteers at drug clinics. He goes to children's hospitals in the Iron Man suit and talks to them. All without alerting the media. Tony Stark/Robert Downey Jr. Superhero no matter which way you look at it.

As he told Rolling Stone in 2008 just after Iron Man's release: "I'm a soldier who didn't know how nasty the battle was going to be, and now, I've got a purple heart and I’m back." (Rolling Stone August 2008).