Robert Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965 in New York City, New York, USA) is an American actor. Born in New York City, he is the son of director Robert Downey Sr.. Downey Jr.'s father was born with the surname Elias, and is of Jewish and Irish ancestry. Downey Jr.'s mother is of German and Scottish descent.

Biography

Having appeared in several small film roles from an early age, at 20 Robert Downey Jr. joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, but only appeared there for one season. He went on to star in The Pick-up Artist in 1987. The same year, he portrayed the drug-addicted rich boy in Less Than Zero, a role which came close to his later public life. In 1992 Downey starred as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin, a role which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other films include Only You, Natural Born Killers and lead role as a seventeenth-century doctor in Restoration, a film adaptation of Rose Tremain's novel of the same name.

In 2000, he became an acclaimed regular on the television series Ally McBeal. He won a Golden Globe award for his work on the show and was also nominated for an Emmy.

On November 23, 2004, he released his debut musical album "The Futurist" on Sony Classical.

On June 23, 1996, Robert Downey, Jr. was arrested for driving drunk and being in possession of Mexican Black Tar heroin, crack, cocaine and an unloaded .357 Magnum revolver.

On November 6, Malibu Municipal Judge Lawrence Mira sentenced Robert Downey Jr. to three years probation for weapons and drugs charges. However, just over one year later on December 8, 1997, Judge Mira sentenced Downey to six months in jail for violating parole. Eighteen months later, Downey returned to Corcoran State Prison to serve a three-year sentence for a parole violation again on July 16, 1999.

A California state appellate court ordered Downey released from his term in state prison due to a sentencing error made by his trial judge in August 1999. An appeals court panel ordered his immediate release. The appeals court said Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira did not take into account time Downey had spent in court-ordered rehab and ruled that the actor ended up serving more than enough time to fulfill his sentence.

Robert Downey Jr. was arrested again in a Palm Springs, California hotel for cocaine and Valium possession and being under the influence of a controlled substance on November 25, 2000.

On April 24, 2001, he was arrested in Los Angeles for being under the influence of a controlled substance after he was found wandering in an alley. He was not charged.

The charges from the November 2000 arrest were dismissed in July 2002 due to California's Prop. 36. The judge had determined that Downey had been drug free for 14 months.

Robert Downey Jr. has not had any more public incidents since that time and has allegedly remained clean and sober.

According to recent interviews and photos, Robert Downey Jr. looks, in the opinion of many, healthy and drug-free. He works on a regular basis again, with 5 movies slated for 2005 and 6 announced for 2006. They include "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" with Val Kilmer, "A Scanner Darkly" with Keanu Reeves", "Goodnight and Good Luck" with George Clooney and "Fur" with Nicole Kidman.

He has married twice:

• Actress Deborah Falconer on May 29, 1992, a marriage that ended in divorce on April 26, 2004. They have a son named Indio.
• Producer Susan Levin, (who he met on the set of Gothika) at Amagansett, New York, on August 27, 2005.

Trivia

• He practices Wing Chun Kung Fu.
• Appeared in Elton John video "I Want Love" in 2001.
• He is an artist. He designed the cover-art for his 2004 debut album "The Futurist".
• He was invited to open for Duran Duran in 2005. He had to decline the offer due to film commitments.
• He was a cast member of the 1985/86 season of Saturday Night Live.
• Dated Sarah Jessica Parker.
• Many people mistakenly believe he appears in To Live and Die in L.A.. The "Robert Downey" listed in the credits is his father, Robert Downey Sr..
• His first film role was playing a puppy in his father's film POUND
• He once owned a house that was claimed to have been occupied by Charlie Chaplin

Film List

• A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
• Zodiac (2006)
• Poe (2006)
• Fur (2006)
• A Scanner Darkly (2006)
• The Shaggy dog (2006)
• Lucky You (2005)
• Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
• Hubert Selby Jr: It'll Be Better Tomorrow (2005)
• Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (2005)
• Game 6 (2005)
• Eros (2004) -- segment "Equilibrium"
• Gothika (2003)
• The Singing Detective (2003)
• Whatever We Do (2003)
• Lethargy (2002)
• Wonder Boys (2000)
• Black and White (1999)
• Bowfinger (1999)
• Friends & Lovers (1999)
• In Dreams (1999)
• U.S. Marshals (1998)
• The Gingerbread Man (1998)
• Hugo Pool (1997)
• Two Girls and a Guy (1997)
• One Night Stand (1997)
• Danger Zone (1997)
• Restoration (1995)
• Home for the Holidays (1995)
• Richard III (1995)
• Only You (1994)
• Natural Born Killers (1994)
• Hail Caesar (1994)
• Short Cuts (1993)
• Heart and Souls (1993)
• Chaplin (1992)
• Soapdish (1991)
• Too Much Sun (1991)
• Air America (1990)
• Chances Are (1989)
• True Believer (1989)
• That's Adequate (1989)
• 1969 (1988)
• Rented Lips (1988)
• Johnny Be Good (1988)
• Less Than Zero (1987)
• The Pick-up Artist (1987)
• Back to School (1986)
• America (1986)
• Weird Science (1985)
• Tuff Turf (1985)
• Firstborn (1984)
• Baby It's You (1983)
• Pound (1970)
  

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This Robert Downey Jr. Biography Page is Copyright The Planets © 2004 - 2006 Chuck Ayoub