Robert Downey Jr.

Previously known to be a talented yet troubled actor because of his involvement with drugs, Robert John Downey Jr. fabulously has risen from his downfall to once more shine in the spotlight as one of the finest thespians of his generation. A son of independent filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. and actress Elsie Ford, acting inevitably has become an inseparable part in Robert's life from the day he was born on April 4, 1965 in New York City. Gradually getting familiar with show business supported by his mother's influence, surely it did not take a long time for him to develop a fascination in performing, even to begin his initial step in the field, thanks to his father's decision to include him in his 1970 effort of "Pound" at a mere age of 5. The fact that he had to live in different places like Connecticut, Paris, Woodstock, London, and California due to Downey Sr.'s profession apparently did not prevent him to nurture his interest for the boy then enthusiastically joined the Stagedoor Manor, a performing arts summer camp, to hone his skills in portraying characters, improvisation, also vocal technique.

Entering his early teen, Robert was forced to face the divorce of his parents in 1978, followed by the departure of his father also sister Allyson to California as he chose to remain with his mother in New York. However, the teen later decided to rejoin them four years later and entered the state's Santa Monica High School where he frequently was selected to perform in its stage productions. By this time, his desire to pursue an acting career had become really hard to resist so that he recklessly left his study earlier upon Downey Sr.'s approval before headed back to New York to start working his path in the entertainment world. After a handful of small parts in productions of either local or off-Broadway theaters, including those of "American Passion" and "Alms for the Middle Class", a good chance struck him when an agent who spotted his potentiality helped him to try out for film auditions in Los Angeles.