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Born in New York City
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Downey made his film debut playing a puppy in his father's film, Pound (1970), in which actors played dogs
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Sadly, the story line and character rang especially true for Downey, who had been introduced to drugs at the age of eight by his father, and developed a full-fledged addiction as he headed into his 20s.
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By this time, the 27-year-old Downey had come to be seen as one of the most gifted actors of his generation, but he had also earned a reputation as a troubled and controversial figure in Hollywood.
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Downey had established a reputation as a critically acclaimed A-List actor. He earned praise for his comic turn as a shifty soap opera producer in Soapdish
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On April 24, 2001, Downey was arrested for allegedly being under the influence of an undisclosed "stimulant." Downey's personal life was in turmoil, too, as Falconer sued him for divorce in 2004.
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He married producer Susan Levin in 2005
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He played the wealthy industrialist-turned-crime fighter Tony Stark in the smash hit Iron Man (2008), which grossed more than $318 million.
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their first child together on February 7, 2012.
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The crime fighting picked up again in 2012, when Downey's Iron Man character was back in action in The Avengers, a movie that featured a bevy of Hollywood talent
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On November 4, 2014, Downey and Levin welcomed their second child, a daughter named Avri.
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In June 1996, the actor was stopped by police after driving naked in his Porsche on Sunset Boulevard, and found not only to be without clothes, but in possession of cocaine, heroine and a .357 Magnum.