Robert Downey Jr. served 15 months in state prison in California’s Corcoran State Prison. “You could just feel the evil in the air, and that was no trouble at all because it was kind of like just being in a really bad neighborhood,” he recalled in 2023 in an episode of the Armchair Expert podcast.
His legal troubles started in June 1996, when he was arrested for possession of an unloaded .357-caliber Magnum, cocaine, and heroin.
About two weeks later, Downey was arrested on suspicion of trespassing into a neighbor’s Malibu home and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Downey Jr. wandered into the home of neighbors Bill and Lisa Curtis. He actually passed out on a child’s bed, only to be revived by the paramedics.
“At no time was he doing anything the least bit threatening,” Bill Curtis said. “He was sitting up groggy, looking very white and gaunt.”
“Mr. Downey has a problem,” his attorney Charles English said at the time. “A treatment program is underway.”
Three days later, Downey was arrested after leaving a recovery center.
Sarah Jessica Parker and actor Robert Downey, Jr. attend the Starlight Founation Benefit Dinner on September 22, 1988 – @Getty
In 1997, Robert missed a mandatory drug test and was ordered to a LA County jail for 113 days. He received a furlough (temporary release) in January 1998 to finish work on the film U.S. Marshals.
In 1999, he again violated probation by missing another drug test.
On August 5, 1999, Downey was sentenced to three years in state prison for his 1996 cocaine possession case.
Robert Downey Jr. during his sentencing in Municipal Court in Malibu, 1999#robertdowneyjr pic.twitter.com/2FKbEBUiJE
— Brezhoneg & Bleck&Deter ♀️️ (@saulbey1) April 5, 2020
On August 25, 1999, he was transferred to the Corcoran facility. In prison, Robert was put on kitchen duty, where he earned eight cents an hour.
He only served one year, getting an early release in 2000 after posting bail.
On Thanksgiving Day 2000, police found cocaine and diazepam in his room in a hotel in Palm Springs.
In April 2001, Downey was arrested after the police found him wandering near Culver City under the influence of cocaine. The officer initially did not recognize the actor. The arrest ended his filming for the TV show Ally McBeal for that season.
In July 2001, the actor entered a plea deal.
He has remained sober since 2003 after his wife gave him an ultimatum to quit drugs.
Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr. attend the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 14, 2024 in Santa Monica – @Getty
Downey first portrayed Tony Stark in the 2008 film Iron Man
In 2006, Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark, and many remarked that the two had a lot in common.
“I realized that the character seemed to line up with Robert in all the good and bad ways,” Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, said. “And the story of Iron Man was really the story of Robert’s career.”
In December 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown pardoned Downey for the felony that sent him to jail.
His Father First Gave Him Drugs At Age 6
His father, Robert Downey Sr., was the one to introduce the Marvel actor to drugs when he was only 6 years old.
Robert Downey Jr seen in Tribeca on June 24, 2016 in New York City – @Getty
“When my dad and I would do drugs together, it was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew how,” he confessed in an interview.
In 2014, Downey Jr.’s son Indio was arrested for illegal substance possession.
“Unfortunately, there’s a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it,” Downey Jr said.
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I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.