One of Downey Jr.’s first critical successes came in Oliver Stone’s ‘Natural Born Killers’ in 1994. Downey Jr. starred alongside Woody Harrelson (pictured), Juliette Lewis, and Tommy Lee Jones.
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Downey Jr. joined the cast of ‘Ally McBeal’ in 2000. The show became his most celebrated television role, winning him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and a Primetime Emmy nomination. Fox/20th Century Fox Television
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Robert Downey Jr. returned to in 2005 acting after five years in attempting to control his substance abuse. One of his first leading roles was in Shane Black’s ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.’ John Bramley / Warner Bros. Pictures
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In 2007, Downey Jr. starred in David Fincher’s ‘Zodiac,’ a thriller about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer in the 1960s. The film became renowned as one of Fincher’s best works. AP Photo/Reed Saxon
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Downey Jr. was cast as Iron Man in the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Iron Man” was a huge success at the box office, and kickstarted one of the highest grossing media franchises of all time. Zade Rosenthal/Paramount Pictures via Bloomberg News
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In 2009, Downey Jr. played the titular role in Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ alongside Jude Law as Dr. Watson. Downey Jr. won a Golden Globe for his performance. ALEX BAILEY/Warner Bros. Pictures
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Between 2008 and 2019, Downey Jr. reprised the role of Iron Man for eight Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Here, he is seen with costar Chris Evans in 2011’s ‘The Avengers.’ AP Photo/Disney, Zade Rosethal
