History Creator / RobertDowneyJr

** In [[CareerResurrection a weird way]], ''Film/IronMan1'' was also this for him. He had a popular career and was well-known before, but after his legal and substance abuse problems throughout the mid-late 1990s to early 2000s, he had become practically untouchable to the point of being considered a liability by film studios and was seen as something of a has-been and a tabloid fixture. Then he was hired to play Tony Stark, and since then he has been one of the highest-earning actors in the world, and is practically inseparable from the role to the point where people now know him as Tony Stark than his addictions and arrests.

* CareerResurrection: One of '''the''' most famous tales of career resurrection ever. Downey's drug addiction (and frequent arrests as a result thereof) in the 90s caused his career to stall. In the mid-2000s, he acted in critically lauded films such as ''Film/KissKissBangBang'', ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'', and ''Film/{{Zodiac|2007}}'' and returned to the realm of respected actors, but his appearance in ''Film/IronMan1'' cemented him as an A-lister.

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During the [[TheEighties 1980s]], he was a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Show/Saturday Night Live'' and had roles in a series of coming-of-age films associated with the Creator/BratPack. He was cast to read one of the letters in the 1987 film ''Film/Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam'' before his rise to fame. ''Film/LessThanZero'' is particularly notable, not only because it was the first time Downey's acting would be acknowledged by 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 ''Film/AirAmerica'' and ''Film/{{Soapdish}}''. These higher-profile roles eventually led to his being cast as Creator/CharlieChaplin in the 1992 {{biopic}} ''Film/{{Chaplin}}'', for which he gained an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor.

During the [[TheEighties 1980s]], he was a cast member on the NBC sketch show ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''[[note]]His uncle, Jim Downey, was a cast member on the show in the 1979-1980 season and, next to Rob Smigel (the voice of Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog and the man behind the TV Funhouse cartoons that aired on the short-lived sketch series ''Series/TheDanaCarveyShow'', ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', and the short-lived SubvertedKidsShow, ''TV Funhouse'') and Creator/LorneMichaels himself, is the longest-running writer this show has ever had. Jim Downey has since left the show in 2013)[[/note]] and had roles in a series of coming-of-age films associated with the Creator/BratPack. He was cast to read one of the letters in the 1987 film ''Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam'' before his rise to fame. ''Film/LessThanZero'' is particularly notable, not only because it was the first time Downey's acting would be acknowledged by 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 ''Film/AirAmerica'' and ''Film/{{Soapdish}}''. These higher-profile roles eventually led to his being cast as Creator/CharlieChaplin in the 1992 {{biopic}} ''Film/{{Chaplin}}'', for which he gained an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor.

* CareerResurrection: Downey's drug addiction (and frequent arrests as a result thereof) in the 90s caused his career to stall. In the mid-2000s, he acted in critically lauded films such as ''Film/KissKissBangBang'', ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'', and ''Film/{{Zodiac|2007}}'' and returned to the realm of respected actors, but his appearance in ''Film/IronMan1'' cemented him as an A-lister.

* ''Literature/AScannerDarkly'' (2006) as James Barris

--> ''[[Film/AvengersEndgame And I... am... Iron Man.]]''

In 2008, Downey started playing the Creator/MarvelComics superhero [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark / Iron Man]] in the adaptation ''Film/IronMan1'', which kickstarted the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. His lauded interpretation of the role turned that grade-B comic book character into a pop-culture icon, defined the tone of the MCU, made him its biggest star and practically became his most iconic role. Not counting Creator/SamuelLJackson's ComicBook/NickFury, Tony Stark/Iron Man is the superhero that has appeared in the biggest number of films in that setting. And somehow, playing a SuperHero with undeniable talent and a substance abuse problem seemed to be natural for him. He also went on to redefine Literature/SherlockHolmes for the big screen in Creator/GuyRitchie's film series, with martial arts, dry wit and quirkiness combined with Ritchie's flair for slow motion and detailing flashbacks. In 2015, the state of California pardoned his 1996 drug and weapons arrest.

* OldShame: He '''hated''' doing ''Film/USMarshals''.
-->"Possibly the worst action movie of all time, and that's just not good for the maintenance of a good spiritual condition. You've had a traumatic year, you've been practically suicidal – what do you think would be really healing for you? How about like twelve weeks of running around as Johnny Handgun? I think that if you talk to a spirit guide, they would say, 'That'll kill you.' ...I thought maybe there was something I was missing, and what I really needed to do was to be in one of those films that I love taking my kid to. It would end up being really depressing. I'd rather wake up in jail for a TB test than have to wake up another morning knowing I'm going to the set of ''U.S. Marshals''".

* Creator/GuyRitchie's ''Sherlock Holmes'' series as Literature/SherlockHolmes

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Just listen to his ''bizarre'' accent in ''Film/Dolittle'', which is mean to be Welsh, but dips in and out of Scottish, Irish, Afrikaner and Spanish.

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->''"Truth is... I am Film/IronMan."''

After one last stay in a court-ordered drug treatment program, Downey finally achieved lasting sobriety in 2003 and his career began to take off again. He appeared in semi-independent films such as ''Film/TheSingingDetective'', ''Film/AScannerDarkly'' and ''Film/KissKissBangBang''. He also had supporting roles in the mainstream films ''Film/{{Gothika}}'', ''Film/GoodNightAndGoodLuck'' and ''Film/{{Zodiac|2007}}''. In 2004, Downey released his debut studio album ''The Futurist'', although he was involved with music a little earlier; that's him walking around in the Music/EltonJohn video for "I Want Love."

* CareerResurrection: Downey's drug addiction (and frequent arrests as a result thereof) in the 90s caused his career to stall. In the mid-2000s, he acted in critically lauded films such as ''Film/KissKissBangBang'', ''Film/AScannerDarkly'', and ''Film/{{Zodiac|2007}}'' and returned to the realm of respected actors, but his appearance in ''Film/IronMan1'' cemented him as an A-lister.

Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer born in New York City, New York. The son of [[Film/PutneySwope film director Robert Downey Sr.]], Downey made his screen debut at the age of 5 when he appeared in one of his father's films, ''Film/{{Pound}}'' (1970), and has worked consistently in film and television ever since.

In the late 90s, Downey was frequently arrested on drug-related charges and went through several drug treatment programs, but had difficulty staying sober. In 1999, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison, although only served a year. After being released from the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in 2000, Downey joined the cast of the hit television series ''Series/AllyMcBeal'', playing the new LoveInterest of Calista Flockhart's title character. His performance was praised and he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Film, but his character was written out when Downey was fired after two arrests in late 2000 and early 2001.

-->"Possibly the worst action movie of all time, and that's just not good for the maintenance of a good spiritual condition. You've had a traumatic year, you've been practically suicidal -- what do you think would be really healing for you? How about like twelve weeks of running around as Johnny Handgun? I think that if you talk to a spirit guide, they would say, 'That'll kill you.' ...I thought maybe there was something I was missing, and what I really needed to do was to be in one of those films that I love taking my kid to. It would end up being really depressing. I'd rather wake up in jail for a TB test than have to wake up another morning knowing I'm going to the set of ''U.S. Marshals''".

* ScullyBox: He's just 5'8" (1.74 m), so his superhero movies at times require him to wear high heels (as even his love interest co-star Creator/GwynethPaltrow [[http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/images/celebritology/08/gwyn_morph.jpg can tower over him]] -- [[http://www.buzznet.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2013/04/msg-136692078643.jpg though when both have proper shoes...]]).