Robert Downey Jr. His character was terminated when Downey was fired after two drug arrests in late 2000 and early 2001. After his last stay in a court-ordered drug treatment program, Downey achieved sobriety. Downey's career prospects improved when he featured in the black comedy crime "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005), the mystery thriller "Zodiac" (2007), and the satirical action comedy "Tropic Thunder" (2008); for the latter he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Beginning in 2008, Downey began portraying the role of Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in several films as either
Robert Downey Jr. over US $4.9 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $11.6 billion, making Downey the third highest-grossing U.S. domestic box-office star of all time. Downey was born in Manhattan, New York on April 4, 1965, the younger of two children. His father, Robert Downey Sr., is an actor and filmmaker, while his mother, Elsie Ann (née Ford), was an actress who appeared in Downey Sr.'s films. Downey's father is of half Lithuanian Jewish, one-quarter Hungarian Jewish, and one-quarter Irish descent, while Downey's mother had Scottish, German, and Swiss ancestry. Downey and his older sister Allyson grew up in Greenwich Village. As a