Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most popular and sought-after actors of our time. And it's hard to imagine that even 15 years ago, his career was in question.
The biography of Robert Downey (usually spoken with the prefix junior, or jr.) Is rich in various events. He is a typical representative of a man who made himself. But unlike many others, the actor did herself more than once: his ups and downs were dizzying and were often in the public domain. However, this did not stop him from becoming the highest paid Hollywood representative.
Robert's childhood
It would seem that the life of the golden boy was a foregone conclusion and planned for years to come. After all, he was born in a famous family. His father is the famous director and actor Robert Downey (he is already a senior with the prefix), his mother is actress and screenwriter Elsie Ann Downey. The boy was born on April 4, 1965 and became the second child of a famous couple - besides him, his parents had a daughter, Alison.
Robert's father was a one-off director, not a massive one - in the sphere of his interests was alternative cinema, or, as it is often called, underground. Accordingly, it was not necessary to count especially on Oscars or mass screenings. But in the bohemian and elite area where the family lived, almost half of the residents were engaged in a similar direction.
In Robert Downey, as the researchers of his work and biography note, many roots are mixed, which are, in fact, an explosive mixture. For example, on his father's side he is partly Jewish, on his mother's part Scot. In addition, (cheer fans from Russia) it also has Russian roots. At the same time, he himself refers to himself as Irish, but it is believed that this is more in terms of the world view.
Robert Downey Sr. often shot his wife and children in his films - this allowed him to save money. Therefore, baby Robert began his career at the age of 5, appearing on the screen as a puppy in an absurd comedy called "Corral". The essence of the film is a story about the life of dogs and cats living in a shelter and awaiting their fate. According to the director's idea, all the animals were played by ordinary human actors.
Further, Downey Jr.'s work only expanded and multiplied: he took part in the filming of 7 more pictures of his father. The last one is dated 1997. At that time, Robert was already famous and was even able to lead to his father for filming the first Hollywood stars, for example, Sean Penn.
Relationship with father
However, the father became for the young man not only the golden ticket to life that many dream of. He also became for him a guide to the world, which deprives him of personality. It was Robert Downey Sr. who made his son addicted to drugs. Thus, he contributed to the destruction of the life of his own son.
And he did it without waiting for the boy to be at least 18. The boy first tried weed at the age of 8. Naturally, at such a tender age, he could not appreciate the consequences of the addiction. Robert himself noted that “for his father, this was the only way to express his feelings.” When Robert Downey Sr. grew older, he noted that he extremely regretted his such behavior.
It is noteworthy that the mother was not aware of such a relationship between father and son. Otherwise, it would have become an earlier reason for the divorce, which took place in 1978.
Robert himself was able to interrupt the disastrous series of gatherings with his father, where there were not only illegal drugs, but also alcohol literally when he dropped everything and left for New York to start a theatrical career. However, such an experience did not become any important for him - the show in which he participated failed, the ratings were low. Therefore, the young man returned to Hollywood. And here he could not count on the help of his father - he was sure that the young man himself was talented enough to support him with connections or money.
Career at the start
Robert's education was seriously affected by his search for himself - the boy dropped out of school. But in his film career, in fact, this did not affect the word at all. In the 80s, he was called in rather dubious films - mainly youth dramas and strange comedies that did not promise any prospects. Moreover, these invitations were quite rare. However, that all changed after filming the 1987 movie "Below Zero". In fact, this film was about Robert himself, because was dedicated to the disenchanted generation X, escaping from reality into the world of dope and drug high. Critics believed that Julian's role was prophetic for Downey Jr. she was close to him, and he put a lot of personal into it. After filming the picture, the actor went to a drug treatment clinic to get rid of addiction. True, unfortunately, this was far from his last visit.
In this picture, he got the opportunity to reveal himself, after which he was noticed by both directors and critics. Now he was being offered tempting offers. So, in his biography appeared such films as "Air America" (Mel Gibson became Downey's partner), "Chaplin" and others.
Robert tries himself. So, for example, for filming in "Chaplin" he decided to master the world-famous Russian system "according to Stanislavsky". He almost completely turned into his character, even after learning to play tennis with his left hand, because Chaplin was left-handed. He managed to create such a convincing image that the film was even nominated for an Oscar.
At the same time, Downey Jr. decided to remain the same bad boy in life - drinking parties, drugs, and more difficult than just weed. He was also noted for driving naked, punishments and drives to the police for illegal possession of weapons, etc. It is clear that this fully influenced his career - no one wanted to call such an unreliable person to shoot. His wife left him, and the talent, it would seem, was buried deep and securely in the ground.
But then Downey Jr. was lucky. Friends took over. They dragged him to the shooting, acting as film producers. Thus, Downey Jr. ended up in the movie "Gothic". It was this film that completely turned his life upside down. Indeed, on the set, he met with producer Susan Levin and fell in love with her. She did not immediately accept his advances, pointing out that she was not ready to devote her life to a drug addict. This was a signal for the actor, and he embarked on the path of correction.
Personal life
Robert Downey's personal life is as varied as his career. In 1984, he met Sarah Jessica Parker, and feelings flared up between them. Then she was not yet a star, so she was often called just a girlfriend of a famous actor. However, this union was destroyed by the same drugs.
In 1992, the actor tried to start from scratch. He married Deborah Falconer. They even had a son, Indio. However, this union did not last long - his wife left Downey, unable to withstand the drug intoxication and constant drunkenness. He turned out to be a worthless husband.
He married Susan Levin in 2005 only after he was able to get rid of his addiction, replacing it with martial arts (it is believed that they allow Robert to stay clean). In 2012 and 2014, they became the parents of a son, Exton, and a daughter, Avery. “I am very grateful to Susan. With her, order appeared in my life: I do martial arts, tennis, Pilates, study Eastern philosophy - all this helps me to control the dark side of my nature. Susan lives a real life, and in order to be with her, I also had to learn how to live in the real world. And this is exactly what I have been trying to avoid for many years,”the actor himself notes in his interviews.
Robert Downey today
From the moment of parting with drugs, the actor's work has gone ahead. Today it is in great demand. At the moment, it is not for nothing that he is called one of the main heroes of the Marvel universe. The iconic roles of Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes have taken him to the next level - now he is an actor of action films and comics. At the same time, as Downey Jr. himself admits, he would gladly star in these films alternately.
He has a lot of proposals ahead. Therefore, at the moment we can say with confidence that now one of the main brawlers of Hollywood has settled down - he has become an excellent actor, an exemplary family man and the best father.
