Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr-2008.JPG
Downey, Jr. at an Iron Man photo call in Mexico City, April 2008
Born Robert John Downey Jr.
April 4, 1965 (1965-04-04) (age 44)
New York City, New York, United States
Spouse(s) Deborah Falconer (1992–2004)
Susan Levin (2005–)
Official website

Robert John Downey, Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and musician. Downey made his screen debut at the age of five when he started to appear in his father's films. During the 1980s he had minor roles in a series of coming of age films associated with the Brat Pack. Less Than Zero (1987) is particularly notable, not only because it was the first time Downey's acting would be acknowledged by the critics, but also because the role pushed Downey's already existing drug habit one step further. After Zero Downey started landing roles in bigger films such as Air America (1990) and Soapdish (1991), these would eventually lead him to Chaplin for which he gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin.

During 1996-2001, Downey was arrested several times on drug-related charges, going through drug treatment programs unsuccessfully. It was between these stays in prison that Downey joined the cast of the hit television series Ally McBeal, playing the new love interest of Calista Flockhart's title character. His performance was praised and he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a mini-series or TV Film, but his character was written off when Downey was once again arrested in 2000. After Ally McBeal, and one last stay in a drug treatment program, Downey finally achieved lasting sobriety, and his career began to take off again. He appeared in semi-independent films such as The Singing Detective (2003), A Scanner Darkly (2005) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). He also had supporting roles in the mainstream films Gothika (2003) and Zodiac (2007). In 2004, Downey released his debut studio album The Futurist.

In 2006, Downey was cast as the title character in the comic book adaptation Iron Man which premiered in the summer of 2008, making almost $100 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend. In addition to receiving commercial success, Downey's performance in the film received rave reviews. His other 2008 films include Charlie Bartlett and the Ben Stiller-directed Tropic Thunder, in which he portrayed an Australian Method actor overly engrossed in his role as an African-American soldier.

Contents

Biography

Early life and family

Downey was born in New York City, New York, the younger of two children. His father, Robert Downey, is an actor, writer, producer, cinematographer, and director of underground films, and his mother, Elsie (née Ford), is also an actress and appeared in Downey Sr.'s films. Downey's father is of Irish and Jewish ancestry and his mother is of German and Scottish descent.[1] His father was born "Robert Elias," but changed his last name to "Downey" (after his stepfather James Downey) when he was a minor and wanted to enlist in the Army.[1][2]

During his childhood, Downey had minor roles in his father's projects, making his debut at age 5 as a sick puppy in the absurdist comedy Pound (1970), and then at age 7 he was murdered by Jesus Christ Superstar God in the surrealist Greaser's Palace (1972).[1] He grew up in Greenwich Village and attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate New York, as a teenager. When his parents divorced in 1978, Downey moved to California with his father, but in 1982 he dropped out of Santa Monica High School and moved back to New York to pursue an acting career full time.[3]

Beginnings and critical acclaim

At the age of twenty, he joined the cast of the weekly television comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL), but was a cast member for only one season.[3] After leaving SNL during the last half of the eighties, Downey had his breakthrough when in 1985 he played James Spader's sidekick in Tuff Turf and then a bully in John Hughes's Weird Science. He was afterwards considered for the role of Duckie in John Hughes's film Pretty in Pink (1986),[4][5] but his first lead role would be with Molly Ringwald in The Pick-up Artist (1987). Because of these and other coming of age films Downey did during the 1980s he is sometimes named as a member of the Brat Pack.[3][6] Also during 1987 he appeared in Less Than Zero, where his portrayal of a drug-addicted rich boy was described by The New York Times as "desperately moving".[7] Downey has said that for him "the role was like the ghost of Christmas Future", since his drug habit resulted in him becoming an "exaggeration of the character" in real life.[8] Zero drove Downey into films with bigger budgets and names, such as Air America (1990) with Mel Gibson, and Soapdish (1991) with Sally Field, Kevin Kline and Whoopi Goldberg.

In 1992, he starred as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin, a role for which he prepared extensively, learning how to play the violin and tennis. He even had a personal coach in order to imitate Chaplin's posture and way of carrying himself.[9] The role garnered Downey an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards 65th ceremony, losing to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.[10] His other films in the 1990s included Heart and Souls, Only You, Natural Born Killers, Restoration, and The Last Party, which is a documentary written by Downey.

Substance abuse

From 1996 through 2001, Downey was arrested numerous times on drug-related charges and went several times through drug treatment programs unsuccessfully, explaining in 1999 to a judge: "It's like I have a loaded gun in my mouth and my finger's on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gunmetal."[11] He also explained his relapses by claiming to be addicted to drugs since the age of eight.[12]

In April 1996, Downey was arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded .357-caliber Magnum handgun, while he was speeding down Sunset Boulevard. A month later, when on parole, he trespassed into a neighbor's home while under the influence of a controlled substance, falling asleep in one of the beds.[13][14] He was sentenced to three years of probation and required to undergo mandatory drug testing. In 1997 he missed one of the court-ordered drug tests and had to spend four months in the Los Angeles County jail. When Downey missed another required drug test in 1999, he was arrested and sentenced to a three-year prison term. After spending nearly a year in a state prison in Corcoran, California, he was released on $5,000 bail.[15] For his 1999 defense, Downey's lawyer, Peter Knecht, assembled the same team of lawyers that successfully defended O. J. Simpson during his criminal trial for murder.[12] At the time of the arrest all of Downey's film projects had wrapped and were close to release, with the exception of In Dreams, which he was allowed to complete filming. He had also been hired for voicing "The Devil" on the NBC animated television series God, the Devil and Bob, but was fired when he failed to show up for rehearsals.[16][17]

A week after being released in 2000, Downey joined the cast of the hit television series Ally McBeal, playing the new love interest of Calista Flockhart's title character.[18] His performance was praised and the following year he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a mini-series or TV Film.[19][20] He also appeared as a writer and singer on Vonda Shepard's Ally McBeal: For Once in My Life album, and he sang with Sting a duet of "Every Breath You Take". Despite the apparent success, Downey claims that his performance on the series was overrated and that "It was my lowest point in terms of addictions. At that stage, I didn't give a fuck whether I ever acted again."[8] In January 2001, Downey was scheduled to play the role of Hamlet in a Los Angeles stage production directed by Mel Gibson.[21]

Before the end of his first season on Ally McBeal, Downey was arrested during Thanksgiving 2000, when his room at Merv Griffin's Hotel and Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs, California was searched by the police who were responding to an anonymous 911 call. Downey was under the influence of a controlled substance and in possession of cocaine and Valium.[22][23] Despite the fact that if convicted he could face a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months, he signed on to appear in at least eight more Ally McBeal episodes.[24] In April 2001, while he was on parole, a Los Angeles police officer found him wandering barefoot in Culver City, near southwest Los Angeles. He was arrested for suspicion of being under the influence of drugs but was released a few hours later,[25] even though tests showed he had cocaine in his system.[26] After this last arrest producer David E. Kelley and other Ally McBeal executives ordered last-minute re-writes and re-shoots, and dismissed Downey from the show, despite the fact that Downey's character had resuscitated Ally McBeal's ratings.[27] The Culver City arrest also cost him a role in the high-profile film America's Sweethearts.[26] In July 2001, he pleaded no contest to the Palm Springs charges, avoiding jail time. He was instead sent into drug rehabilitation and put on a three-year probation, benefiting from the California Proposition 36, which had been passed the year before and aims to help non-violent drug offenders overcome their addictions instead of sending them to jail.[15][28]

The book Conversations With Woody Allen reports that director Woody Allen wanted to cast Downey and Winona Ryder in his film Melinda and Melinda in 2000, but was unable to do so because he could not get insurance on them, stating, "We couldn't get bonded. The completion bonding companies would not bond the picture unless we could insure them. We were heartbroken because I had worked with Winona before [on Celebrity] and thought she was perfect for this and wanted to work with her again. And I had always wanted to work with Bob Downey and always thought he was a huge talent."[29]

Career comeback

Downey, Jr. at the premiere of Air America, 1990

Downey's first acting job after being ordered into a drug treatment program in July 2001 was a month later, when Sam Taylor-Wood suggested to Elton John the idea of having an actor lip-syncing to the song in the video for the single "I Want Love". John thought Downey would be perfect, and the video ended up being a tracking-shot video centered on Downey.[30][31] Downey was able to return to the big screen only after Mel Gibson, who had been a close friend to Downey since both had co-starred in Air America, paid Downey's insurance bond for the 2003 film The Singing Detective.[32] Gibson's gamble paved the way for Downey's comeback, and Downey returned to mainstream films in the mid 2000s with Gothika, for which Joel Silver withheld 40 percent of his salary until after production wrapped as insurance against his addictive behavior; similar clauses have become standard in his contracts since then.[33] After Gothika Downey appeared to have become a more reliable actor and was cast in a number of leading and supporting roles, including the well received semi-independent films Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Good Night, and Good Luck, and A Scanner Darkly, as well as Disney's poorly received The Shaggy Dog, the mainstream Zodiac and Steven Shainberg's fictional biopic of Diane Arbus, Fur, where Downey's character represented the two biggest influences on Arbus's professional life, Lisette Model and Marvin Israel.[34]

On November 23, 2004, Downey released his debut musical album, The Futurist, on Sony Classical, for which he designed the cover art[35] and designed the track listing label on the CD with his son Indio[36]. The album received mixed reviews,[37][38] but Downey stated in 2006 that he probably won't do another album as he felt that the energy he put on doing the album was not compensated.[39]

In 2004, Downey was named "Man of the Year" by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals.[40]

In 2006, Downey returned to his television roots as he guest-starred on Family Guy in the episode "The Fat Guy Strangler", which originated when Downey telephoned the show production staff and asked if he could produce or assist in an episode creation, as his son is a fan of the show. The producers of the show accepted and created the character of Patrick Pewterschmidt, Lois Griffin's long lost, mentally disturbed brother, for Downey.[41]

Downey signed on with publishers HarperCollins to write a memoir, which in 2006 was already being billed as a "candid look at the highs and lows of his life and career". In 2008, however, Downey returned his advance to the publishers and cancelled the book without further comment.[42]

In 2006, Downey was surprisingly cast for the title character in the film Iron Man,[43] with director Jon Favreau explaining the choice by stating: "Downey, Jr., wasn't the most obvious choice but he understood what makes the character tick. He found a lot of his own life experience in 'Tony Stark.'"[44] Favreau insisted in having Downey as he repeatedly claimed that Downey would be to Iron Man what Johnny Depp is to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, a lead actor that could both elevate the quality of the film and increase the public's interest on it.[45][46][13][47] For the role Downey had to gain more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months so as to look like he "had the power to forge iron."[48] The film was globally released between April 30 and May 3, 2008, grossing over $300 million in the United States and Canada[49] and receiving rave reviews which cite Downey's performance as a highlight of the film.[50][51] As a result, both Downey and Favreau stated their interest in making Iron Man a trilogy.[52] By October 2008, Downey had agreed to appear as Iron Man in two Iron Man sequels and the future film of the Avengers. [53] He also made a small appearance as Iron Man's alter ego Tony Stark in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, as a part of Marvel Studios' attempt to depict the same Marvel Universe on film by providing continuity among the movies.[54]

After Iron Man, Downey appeared in another 2008 summer film, the Ben Stiller directed Tropic Thunder, starring Stiller and Jack Black. For the role Downey had to wear blackface makeup, something that Stiller and Downey feared could become controversial:

Stiller says that he and Downey always stayed focused on the fact that they were skewering insufferable actors, not African-Americans. 'I was trying to push it as far as you can within reality,' Stiller explains. 'I had no idea how people would respond to it.' He recently screened a rough cut of the film and it scored high with African-Americans. He was relieved at the reaction. 'It seems people really embrace it,' he says.

—Entertainment Weekly- First Look: 'Tropic Thunder' [55]

When asked by Harry Smith on CBS's The Early Show who his model was for his portrayal of the self-absorbed method actor Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder, Downey laughed before responding, "Sadly, my sorry-ass self."[56]

Upcoming in March 2009 is The Soloist, which was pushed out from a November 2008 release by Paramount Pictures due to the studio's tight end-of-year release schedule.[57] Critics who have seen the movie were mentioning it as a possible Academy Award candidate; it remains to be seen what effect the March 2009 release date will have on the film's 2009 Oscar chances.[58][59]

The first role Downey accepted after Iron Man was the lead in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.[60] He is also in negotiations to star in DreamWorks Pictures' adaptation of the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens, a potential 2010 tentpole that plans to mix the genres Western and science fiction.[61]

In November 2008, Downey was named by Entertainment Weekly as "Entertainer of the Year". As for his future passion projects, Downey recently joked to OK! magazine, "Now that I have a hit, I can tell the story about the transsexual horse whisperer!"[62][63]

Personal life

Downey started dating actress Sarah Jessica Parker after meeting on the set of Firstborn. They separated in 1991, according to Downey, because of his drug and alcohol abuse.[64] Downey also dated Marisa Tomei in the late 1980s, whom he appeared with in Only You and Chaplin. He married actress Deborah Falconer on May 29, 1992 after a 42-day courtship[65], and had a son with her named Indio Falconer Downey, born on September 7, 1993 in Los Angeles County, California. The strain on their marriage from Downey's repeated trips to rehab and jail finally reached a breaking point; in the midst of Downey's last arrest where he was sentenced to an extended stay in rehab, Falconer left Downey in 2001 and took Indio with her.[65] Downey and Falconer finalized their divorce on April 26, 2004.

In 2003, while on the set of Gothika, Downey met producer Susan Levin, who runs Joel Silver's movie company, Silver Pictures.[32] Levin and Downey started dating on the set, and continued their relationship after the film wrapped.[35] Downey proposed to Levin the night before her thirtieth birthday; the couple were married on August 27, 2005 in a Jewish ceremony at Amagansett, New York.[66] Downey now sees his son Indio frequently after settling custody arrangements with Falconer.[65]

Downey says he has been drug-free since July 2003,[67] thanks to the help of his family, therapy, meditation, twelve-step recovery programs, yoga and the practice of Wing Chun Kung Fu.[8] He has described his religious beliefs as "Jewish-Buddhist," although he has been interested in the past by Christianity and the Hare Krishna ideology.[68]

Downey has been the best friend of Mel Gibson since they starred in Air America. He defended the actor/director during the controversy surrounding The Passion of the Christ, and argued that "nobody's perfect" regarding Gibson's DUI.[69]

Downey has alleged he is, at least after his prison experience, no longer a liberal in both his "proclivities and politics."[70]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1970 Pound a puppy Directed by Robert Downey Sr.
1972 Greaser's Palace uncredited Directed by Robert Downey Sr.
1975 Moment to Moment uncredited Directed by Robert Downey Sr.
1980 Up the Academy Caleb Yoon Directed by Robert Downey Sr.
1983 Baby It's You Stewart
1984 Firstborn Lee
1985 Deadwait (short subject)
Tuff Turf Jimmy Parker
Weird Science Ian
1986 Back to School Derek
America Paulie Hackley
1987 The Pick-up Artist Jack Jericho
Less Than Zero Julian Wells
1988 Johnny Be Good Leo Wiggins
Rented Lips Wolf Dangler
1969 Ralph Carr
1989 That's Adequate Albert Einstein
True Believer Roger Baron
Chances Are Alex Finch
1990 Air America Billy Covington
1991 Too Much Sun Reed Richmond
Soapdish David Seton Barnes
1992 Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Academy Award for Best Actor nomination
1993 Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country documentary
Heart and Souls Thomas Reilly
The Last Party himself documentary written by Downey
Short Cuts Bill Bush
1994 Hail Caesar Jerry
A Century of Cinema documentary
Natural Born Killers Wayne Gale
Only You Peter Wright, alias Damon
1995 Richard III Lord Rivers
Home for the Holidays Tommy Larson
Restoration Robert Merivel
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (TV) Mr. Willowby
1997 Danger Zone Jim Scott
One Night Stand Charlie
Two Girls and a Guy Blake Allen
Hugo Pool Franz Mazur
1998 The Gingerbread Man Clyde Pell
U.S. Marshals Special Agent John Royce
1999 In Dreams Vivian Thompson
Friends & Lovers Hans
Bowfinger Jerry Renfro
Black and White Terry Donager
2000 Wonder Boys Terry Crabtree
Auto Motives Rob short subject
2001 Last Party 2000 documentary
2002 Lethargy Animal therapist short subject
2003 Whatever We Do Bobby short subject
The Singing Detective Dan Dark
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin documentary
Gothika Pete Graham
2004 Eros (segment "Equilibrium") Nick Penrose
2005 Game 6 Steven Schwimmer
The Outsider documentary
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Harry Lockhart
Good Night, and Good Luck. Joe Wershba
Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow documentary
2006 The Shaggy Dog Dr. Kozak
A Scanner Darkly James Barris
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Dito Montiel
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus Lionel Sweeney
2007 Zodiac Paul Avery
Lucky You Telephone Jack
2008 Charlie Bartlett Principal Gardner
Iron Man Tony Stark/Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk Tony Stark cameo
Tropic Thunder Kirk Lazarus
2009 The Soloist Steve Lopez completed; projected release March 2009
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes filming; projected release November 2009
2010 Iron Man 2 Tony Stark/Iron Man pre-production
2011 The Avengers Tony Stark/Iron Man pre-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1985-1986 Saturday Night Live 18 episodes
2000-2002 Ally McBeal Larry Paul 15 episodes
2005 Family Guy Patrick Pewterschmidt voice, episode "The Fat Guy Strangler"

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Diamond, Jamie. (1992-12-20). "FILM; Robert Downey Jr. Is Chaplin (on Screen) and a Child (Off)", New York Times. 
  2. ↑ "Rosemary Rogers, Robert Downey", New York Times (1998-05-10). Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "CNN People In The News - Profile of Robert Downey Jr.", CNN (2002-08-17). Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  4. ↑ Manning, Jason (2000). "13. The Brat Pack". Material Things. The Eighties Club. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  5. ↑ Pretty in Pink, (1986), John Hughes, notes from: Special feature "Zoids and Richies". Paramount Home Entertainment,B00006JY0R, (2002).
  6. ↑ Germain, David (2005-10-23). "Downey riding high on the comeback trail", The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  7. ↑ Maslin, Janet (1987-11-06). "Film: 'Less Than Zero,' Young Lives", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Wilde, Jon (2003-11-08). "More than skin deep", The Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  9. ↑ Hornaday, Anne (1993-04-11). "FILM; Once Again The Clowning Gets Physical", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  10. ↑ Travers, Peter (2008-03-13). "The Strange Case of Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.", Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  11. ↑ Reaves, Jessica (2001-02-07). "Will Robert Downey CassieJr.'s Case Spark a Change in Drug Sentencing?", Time. Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Addicted Downey Jnr jailed", BBC News (1999-08-06). Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Carr, David (2008-04-20). "Been Up, Been Down. Now? Super.", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  14. ↑ Winters Keegan, Rebecca (2008-04-16). "Robert Downey Jr.: Back from the Brink", Time. Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Actor's toughest role", CNN (2004). Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  16. ↑ Ault, Susanne (1999-08-06). "Downey gets 3 yr. prison term for parole violations", Variety. Retrieved on 2008-08-08. 
  17. ↑ "Downey Jr back in jail", BBC News (1999-07-23). Retrieved on 2008-08-08. 
  18. ↑ "Downey Jr lands McBeal role", BBC News (2000-08-11). Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  19. ↑ "Bada Bing! Sopranos Leads Emmy Pack", Fox News (2001-07-12). Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  20. ↑ "Downey Jr's Golden acting career", BBC News (2001-01-22). Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  21. ↑ "Gibson Downey Jr becomes Hamlet", BBC News (2000-09-21). 
  22. ↑ Baron, James (2001-07-17). "Boldface Names", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  23. ↑ Angluo, Sandra P. (2001-04-24). "Arrested Development", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-05-01. 
  24. ↑ "Downey Jr signs McBeal deal", BBC News (2001-02-15). Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  25. ↑ Associated Press (2001-04-25). "Robert Downey Jr. Fired From Ally McBeal After Another Arrest", Fox News. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Reuters (2001-05-31). "Robert Downey Jr.'s Drug 'Deal'", Wired. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  27. ↑ Carter, Bill (2002-04-18). "This Season to Be Last for 'Ally McBeal'", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  28. ↑ "Robert Downey Jr. to Enter Plea Agreement on Drug Charges", CNN (2001-07-16). Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  29. ↑ "When Woody Allen couldn't cast Winona, Downey due to lack of insurance", Malaysian Sun (2007-08-12). 
  30. ↑ Rankin, Rebecca. "Elton John: California Love (Interview)". MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  31. ↑ Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric (2001-08-03). "Elton John Casts Robert Downey Jr. In His New Video". MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Friedman, Roger (2003-10-14]]). "Mel Gibson's New 'Passion' Is Robert Downey Jr.", Fox News. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  33. ↑ "Robert Downey Jr.". Shootout. AMC. 2006-07-14.
  34. ↑ Frey, Jennifer (2006-11-12). "A 'Fur'-Fetched Portrait Of Arbus? Precisely! Says the Filmmaker", The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-15. 
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio, 2006
  36. ↑ As listed in the credits on the CD version of The Futurist.
  37. ↑ Pensiero, Nicole (2004-12-09). "Robert Downey Jr. The Futurist", The Heights. Retrieved on 2008-08-06. 
  38. ↑ Collar, Matt. "The Futurist: Critic's Review", MSN Music. Retrieved on 2008-08-06. 
  39. ↑ Horkins, Tony (2006-03-26). "This Much I Know: Robert Downey Jr", The Observer. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  40. ↑ Rabinowitz, Nancy (2004-02-19). "Robert Downey Jr. Gets Hasty Pudding Pot", The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-11. 
  41. ↑ Sheridan, Chris. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Fat Guy Strangler" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  42. ↑ Italie, Hillel (2008-07-21). "AP Exclusive: Robert Downey Jr. postpones memoir", Yahoo! News via AP. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  43. ↑ "Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man", Marvel News (2006-09-29). Retrieved on 2006-09-29. 
  44. ↑ O'Loughlin, Lucy (2008-05-02). "Robert Downey Jr.'s heroic comeback". List.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  45. ↑ Anderson, John (2008-04-16). "Jon Favreau rose from obscurity to direct ‘Iron Man’". KansasCity.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  46. ↑ Hartlaub, Peter (2008-05-05). "Indie cred gave 'Iron Man' filmmaker his shot". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  47. ↑ Anderson, John (2008-05-01). "Nerve Of Steel". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  48. ↑ Masuda, Sylvia (2008-05-02). "Robert Downey Jr. has reforged his career in 'Iron Man'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
  49. ↑ "Iron Man (2008) - Iron Man King Of the Box Office". Gamer Center Online. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
  50. ↑ Hornaday, Ann (2008-05-02). "'Iron Man' Shows Strength of Character". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  51. ↑ Ansen, David (2008-05-01). "Putting the Irony in ‘Iron Man’". Newsweek. Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  52. ↑ Quint (2007-02-09). "Quint visits the IRON MAN production offices! Art! Favreau speaks about sequels (?!?), casting and more!!!", AICN. Retrieved on 2007-02-10. 
  53. ↑ Marc Graser. "Downey Jr. extends Marvel deal, Actor to star in 'Avengers,' 'Iron Man 3'", Variety. Retrieved on 2008-10-28. 
  54. ↑ Larry Carroll. "William Hurt Says New Hulk Is More Heroic, Reveals Iron Man Crossover Scene", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-04-22. 
  55. ↑ Adam B. Vary (2008-03-05). "First Look: 'Tropic Thunder'", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-03-05. 
  56. ↑ ""Robert Downey Jr. on 'Thunder'"". CBS (2008-08-18). Retrieved on 2008-08-21.
  57. ↑ The Soloist Delayed Until March 2009
  58. ↑ Chris Tilly (2008-06-02). "Jamie Foxx is The Soloist", Time Out. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  59. ↑ Sasha Stone (2008-06-14). "Oscar watching The Soloist", Awards Daily. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  60. ↑ Jacques Steinberg (2008-06-11). "Robert Downey Jr. to Play Sherlock Holmes'", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-01. 
  61. ↑ Jay A. Fernandez (2008-06-16). "Robert Downey Jr. saddles up for 'Cowboys'", Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-06-17. 
  62. ↑ OK Magazine December 8 2008 issue# 49 p.64
  63. ↑ Benjamin Svetkey (2008-11-14). "The 25 Entertainers of the Year", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-11-14. 
  64. ↑ "Drugs ruined my relationships, Downey says", Stuff.co.nz (2008-04-22). Retrieved on 2008-05-02. 
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 "Robert Downey, Jr." episode of Biography, 2007; viewed 2008-08-29.
  66. ↑ Hall, Katy (2005-08-29). "Robert Downey Jr. Marries Girlfriend". People. Retrieved on 2008-06-12.
  67. ↑ "With 'Iron Man,' Robert Downey Jr. Winks at his Past and Looks to Transcend it", New York Times (2008-04-20). Retrieved on 2008-09-06. 
  68. ↑ De Vries, Hilary (2004-11-21). "Robert Downey Jr.: The Album", The New York Times. 
  69. ↑ Robert Downey Jr. Stands by Mel Gibson February 7, 2007
  70. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/movies/20carr.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&8dpc&oref=slogin

External links

Fan Sites
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Anthony Hopkins
for The Silence of the Lambs		 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1992
for Chaplin		 Succeeded by
Anthony Hopkins
for Shadowlands
Year Nominated work Award Result
2001 Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV ("Ally McBeal") Golden Globe Won