Finally he has it. At the 96th Academy Awards, 58-year-old Hollywood veteran Robert Downey Jr. wins his first Oscar. He won the Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer,” the biopic about the father of the atomic bomb. In his acceptance speech he said: “I thank my terrible childhood and the Academy – in that order. And of course my vet, I mean: my wife Susan. She found me and saved me.”
The US entertainment news magazine Entertainment Tonight shared Downey’s speech on Instagram.
Hard road to success
But the road to this triumph was rocky. Downey’s chances of success weren’t bad at first. Born to actor Robert Downey Sr., it was almost destined that he would make acting his career. But no one could have predicted the dramatic turns his life would take.
Promising start
Downey’s career got off to a promising start. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he played a number of roles in Hollywood features that secured him a place in the industry. For example in the film “Chaplin”, a biopic about Charlie Chaplin, which brought the 58-year-old his first Oscar nomination for best actor. His chances seemed limitless. But behind the glitz and glamour, the actor was battling his own demons, he was addicted to heroin, cocaine and alcohol.
For Downey, the beginning of the 2000s was marked by numerous stays in rehab clinics and a fifteen-month prison sentence for drug abuse. This was also noticeable in his career. Imprisonment and deprivation led, among other things, to being kicked out of the legal series “Ally McBeal”.
With Iron Man to the top
It seemed like Downey’s career was over. But life had other plans for him. With a remarkable turnaround that is rare in Hollywood, he made a spectacular comeback. The defining moment came in 2008 when he took on the role of Tony Stark in Iron Man. The film was not only a box office hit, but also laid the foundation for one of the most successful franchises in cinema history – the Marvel Cinematic Universe. (MCU)
His breakthrough: the role of Tony Stark in “Iron Man” © AP / Zade Rosenthal
His portrayal of the charismatic and arrogant billionaire and genius gave his career a boost. Downey became the poster boy for a global phenomenon that made him one of the highest-paid actors in the industry. His roles in other blockbusters such as “Sherlock Holmes” cemented his status as a Hollywood icon.
Downey private
When he’s not working, his whole life revolves around his family, the Hollywood star said on the show “Extra” in 2015. He no longer goes to parties or goes out with friends. Downey is a father of three. He and his wife Susan (50), with whom he has been married since 2005, have two children. He also has a 30-year-old son, Indio, from his first marriage to actress Deborah Falconer (58). He is currently working on his own career, the singer released his first EP this January.
Downey regularly shares pictures and videos with his children on Instagram.
Downey is now also involved in film production. His own production company “Team Downey”, which he founded with his wife in 2010, produces series and films for major streaming services such as Netflix.