Robert Downey Jr.

Published October 22nd, 2000 - 03:00 GMT

Robert Downey Jr.:

Do you remember that gorgeous teenager way back when… He pops up on tabloids once in a while; But, especially when a neighbor caught him passed out on her bed… Yep, it was drugs. It got so bad that the actor had to spend quite a while in jail.

Anyway, he’s well on his way to recovery and here’s a little info.

Currently Playing: Real-life parolee Robert Downey Jr. joins the legal eagles at the offices of Cage/Fish and Associates for a recurring role on Fox's Ally McBeal as Calista Flockhart's love interest, Larry Paul. The pair's chemistry has been strong enough for Ally's producers to ask Downey to stay beyond his eight-episode commitment.

Back in the Day: Downey got his start with smaller roles in '80s classics like Weird Science and Back to School. But his big break came as spoiled Beverly Hills brat Julian Wells, the kid with a big-time drug problem in Less Than Zero.

The Missing Years: Who hasn't heard all about Downey's drug problems and time spent in the state pen? But through it all, he's managed to keep working--even receiving an Oscar nod for his 1992 role in Chaplin. Incarceration didn't seem to slow Downey, as he filmed the soon-to-be re-released Wonder Boys while on probation. Now, let's hope he's as determined not to wear another standard-issue orange jumpsuit.