Starting off, he is nicknamed “Bob“.
Our article gives you full coverage of Robert Downey Jr Childhood Story, Biography, Family Facts, Parents and Early Life.
More so, Robert Downey Jr’s lifestyle, Personal Life and other notable events from when he was a child to when he became popular.
Yes, everyone knows him for his lead roles in movies- Iron Man, Avengers, etc. However, only a few consider Robert Downey Jr’s biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.
Robert Downey Jr Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, his full name is Robert John Downey Jr. Downey was born on the 4th day of April 1965 to his father, Robert Downey Sr and his mother, Elsie Ann in the city of Manhattan, New York. He was born as the younger of two children to his lovely parents.
As a child, Downey was “surrounded by drugs” and his world of drugs came, no thanks to his dad.
Did you know?… Robert John Downey Jr’s father, who a drug addict, allowed his poor son to use marijuana at the tender age of six.
It was an incident his dad later said he deeply regretted. Back then, while Robert Downey was a little child, drug use became a source of an emotional bond between him and his dad.
Speaking about his childhood experience, he once said, according to People and ABC News;
Thou we might not be accurate, but this Robert Downey Jr Childhood Photo (below) tells us a lot about his ordeal after being introduced to the world of drugs by his dad.
As observed above, Robert Downey Jr grew up mostly alongside his older sister Allyson in Greenwich village, a Neighborhood in New York City.
This part of New York is known for its bustling performing arts scenes. The village has over the years produced great actors and actresses as seen in Robert Downey’s family.
Robert Downey Family Background and Origin:
The fact that both of Robert Downey Jr’s parents were actors and actresses with his dad being a filmmaker tells a lot about his rich family background.
Speaking about Robert Downey Jr’s family origin, it would interest you to know that his father is HALF Lithuanian Jewish, ONE-QUARTER Hungarian Jewish, and ONE-QUARTER Irish descent.
On the other hand, Robert Downey Jr’s mother has Scottish, German, and Swiss family ancestry. Now pictured below is Robert Downey Jr’s parents- his look-alike dad and a beautiful mum.
Robert Downey Jr’s Education and Career Buildup:
Having both parents living their dreams by acting in movies, it was easy for little Robert to fall in love with the occupation. Early on, both his mum and dad began schooling him in Theatre arts.
Robert made his acting debut at the age of five, portraying a sick puppy in the film Pound. In addition, he also starred in the surreal Western Greaser’s Palace when he was seven.
Robert Downey Jr’s Education:
Moving on, Robert attended the Perry House School in Chelsea (a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States) for his basic education.
Because the love for acting was in his DNA, he progressed movically by attending the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center.
Subsequently, the young child actor then proceeded to Santa Monica High School in California.
Very important to note is that, at a restless stage in his youth life, Robert Downey Jr made the decision to drop out of school.
This decision was followed by his return to New York where he vowed to face his acting career full-time.
Robert Downey Jr Biography – Early Career Life:
Following the decision of dropping out of school, Robert began building himself personally in theatre arts.
In 1987, Downey played Julian Wells, a drug-addicted rich boy whose life rapidly spirals out of his control.
His performance was widely praised and he himself felt his drug habit role was an “exaggeration of his character” in real life.
Robert Downey Jr Early Years in Acting.
Sadly, the drug problems which he suffered in his childhood came calling and its ugly face came to hunt Robert in his middle years.
Robert Downey Jr Biography – Road to Fame Story:
The journey of becoming successful in his middle ages was not a smooth one for Robert.
Truth is, he was arrested numerous times on charges related to drugs including cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. As a result, the poor Robert went through drug treatment programs and painful rehabs.
Robert was arrested numerous times on charges related to drugs.
After five years of substance abuse, arrests, rehab, and relapse, Robert was ready to repent, this time, to work toward a full recovery from drugs.
The veteran actor’s resurgence of commercial success came after his close friend Mel Gibson paid his insurance bond.
Did you know?… Gibson’s gamble paved way for Robert’s comeback, making him return to mainstream filming in the mid-2000s.
Robert Downey got helped from his longtime friend, Mel Gibson and both co-starred in Air America.Robert Downey Biography – Rise to Fame Story:
Downey’s career began to flourish (Big Time) at the time he starred in two critically and commercially successful films, Iron Man and Tropic Thunder.
He gained wider recognition for starring as Tony Stark in Iron Man which was globally released in 2008. Pictured below, the film grossed over $585 million worldwide.
Subsequently, his next bigger movie came. Robert repeated the role of Tony Stark in The Avengers.
The film received positive reviews and was highly successful at the box office. Did you know?… The film became the third highest-grossing film of all time both in the United States and worldwide.
Robert Downey Jr pictured alongside others Avengers Hero.
Fast forward to the time of putting this together Robert Downey Jr’s Biography, the celebrity actor has moved from being a drug addict to becoming one of the highest-paid and most successful actors in Hollywood.
Did you know?… Robert Downey Jr has quite a number of awards to his name, among which include: Golden Globe Awards, MTV Movie Awards, People’s Choice Awards, Saturn Awards, and Teen Choice Awards, etc.