From A Drug Addict To The Highest Paid Actor In The World, Robert Downey Jr's Life Is Every Bit Inspiring

In 1997, scrubbing pizza pans in LA County prison’s kitchen, Robert Downey Jr. earned eight cents an hour. Fast forward to 2015, he rakes in $80 million per movie. After Sir Richard Attenborough’s 1992 biopic ‘Chaplin’, Robert Downey Jr. was touted the greatest actor of his generation. But little did he know that instead of ending up on the Walk of Fame, he will nosedive in the world of drug addiction.

Way before sky high stacks of dollars and success streak, Downey was an exceptional actor murdering his own career, all for the love of heroin, marijuana and cocaine. From 1983-95 Robert enjoyed a great run at the movies. Working with big names and getting finer with each character he played. With no shortage of money and fame in his corner, Robert’s drug addiction went through the roof.

The year 1996, brought to him what he was unconsciously working towards—a shattered acting career and uncontrolled addiction. Between 1996 and 2001, Downey was arrested numerous times on multiple drug charges. Cocaine, heroine, valium and almost anything you can name, Downey was doing it all. Crazy addiction not only brought along a bipolar disorder, but also kept him from taking up career-defining roles. In a hearing in 1999, Downey quoted "It's like I've got a shotgun in my mouth with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal." At various occasions, he also blamed his dad, also an addict, for feeding him with drugs since he was 8.

After spending almost 5 long years battling drug addiction, serving in and out of prison time and relapses, Downey finally decided to get a hold of his career. While most directors still feared his addiction and kept as much as 40 per cent of his pay as insurance against addictive behavior, Downey didn’t back out from taking up roles. Such clauses are still a standard part of his contracts. 2004 onwards, Downey starred in a number movies and was critically acclaimed for his acting prowess. While he still struggled to get major movies, he was completely off drugs.

Come 2008 and Downey blew up! ‘Iron Man’ (2008) was an international mega-hit and so was ‘Tropic Thunder’. The same year he signed a deal with Marvel Studios to star in Iron Man trilogy and appear in other Marvel movies that had Iron Man’s role. In 2009, he became a part of another mega-hit franchise Sherlock Holmes.

Today, Downey stands synonymous with Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes, two of the most beloved movie characters of our time. Throughout this roller coaster ride which nearly ended his career, Downey never gave up. He battled addiction, lost a lot of money, was labeled an outlaw but never stopped doing what he did the best—which was acting. And needless to say, for 3 years in a row now, Downey has topped the list of the highest paid actors in the world. But more than that, he rose as an inspiration to generations to come.