Happy birthday, Robert Downey Jr.: Acclaimed roles before 'Iron Man'
Actor Robert Downey Jr. means much to an entire generation, majorly kids who have grown up seeing him as the charming industrialist/Avenger Tony Stark aka Iron Man. However, much before he became a global rage due to his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey was already earning accolades for playing multilayered roles. On his 58th birthday, we revisit some of them.
'Chaplin'
Before he was Iron Man, Downey was Charlie Chaplin. Directed by Richard Attenborough, Chaplin (1992) recreated the life of the titular polymath and comedy pioneer Chaplin, covering his life from his impoverished roots in London to the triumphant global acclaim of his silent films. It earned RDJ an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA Award in the Best Actor category.
'Ally McBeal'
The legal comedy-drama series Ally McBeal, created by David E Kelley, ran on television between 1997 and 2002. The Iron Man actor was one of the protagonists of the show during its fourth season in 2000 and his performance as Larry Paul won him the coveted Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. The fourth season was reportedly viewed by 12M people!
'Weird Science'
Weird Science was directed by John Hughes and headlined by Anthony Michael Hall, Bill Paxton, and Kelly LeBrock. The fantasy buddy comedy film starred Downey as Ian, a notorious bully infamous for tormenting geeky kids. The 1985 film was critically loved and film criticism legend Robert Ebert said it was "funnier, and a little deeper than the predictable story it might have been."
'True Believer'
The 1989 courtroom drama True Believer was directed by Joseph Ruben (The Stepfather). It draws inspiration from an investigative series of articles written by Pulitzer-prize nominated Korean-American journalist KW Lee on the wrongful conviction of immigrant Chol Soo Lee in a murder case. Downey was seen as Roger Baron, a young legal clerk wanting to make it big in the legal world.
