Robert Downey Jr: The Biography

by Martin Howden

From his first role as a cherubic five-year old through Iron Man 2 and the films yet to come, a look at the life and career one of Hollywood's most surprising leading men Robert Downey Jr. has become one of Hollywood's most shining, distinctive stars thanks to scene-stealing roles in films like Iron Man , Zodiac , and Sherlock Holmes . This book takes an in-depth, insightful look at his work in front of the camera as well as his life behind the spotlight. It reveals details of his film debut at age five playing a puppy in his father's underground cult film, his attempt at becoming a comedian during an ill-fated stint as a Saturday Night Live cast member, how he burst onto the scene with his moving performance in Less than Zero , and how he charmed Hollywood with his Oscar-nominated turn as troubled funny man Charlie Chaplin. With a life that has had more twist and turns than the plots of some of his acclaimed movies, Robert Downey Jr.'s journey from hellraiser to Hollywood royalty is shocking, moving, funny, and inspirational.

Genres: Biography, Audiobook, Nonfiction

282 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2010

Reviews

[Canette Arille · Rating 5 out of 5]

For each Iron Man fan. But also for someone who likes this actor and his movies. I think that each iron man fan should have this book in the collection. And if you want to take a closer look at this actor ,and learn something about him, read this book

[Lori Schiele · Rating 3 out of 5]

There seem to be a lot of different people who have many different opinions about this book, whether or not it was "officially authorized", whether certain parts of his life were discussed or not, or shouldn't have been... I honestly don't know and don't care. All of those comments seemed to be more of a battle of the uber-fans. I am sure there are better books, and worse books, out there covering the life of Robert Downey Jr, but I found this one to be just the right length.

For me, personally, I knew who Robert Downey Jr was and had seen him in a few movies back in the '80s (like "Weird Science") and they were okay or not, but I didn't think anything special about the movies or about him
... and then came "Iron Man"!
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who started actually taking notice of Robert Downey Jr again--or for the first time, really. So, I saw a few of his other movies like "Chaplin", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "The Singing Detective", "Sherlock Holmes" and "Tropic Thunder" and found that I did, in fact, enjoy many of his latter movies.
But I also sort of recalled him having some major drug issues or something, so I decided to read this book and see what was what.
And, all I can say, is that with all of the drug dependencies and the several years of incarcerations, and other issues in his personal life (as well as some horrible movies--*not* like the ones I listed above) to the changes I have now seen throughout all the Avenger Movies up to"End Game", I can say that he has truly come a helluva long way.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a super big fan of Robert Downey, Jr., but this wasn't the greatest book. It's obviously not an authorized bio, because it's evident that the writer gathered all of his information from other written sources. If I had it to do over again, I'd read Ben Falk's "The Fall and Rise of the Comeback Kid."

[Gayle Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a Robert Downey Jr. fan, but I was disappointed in this biography of his life. I can't decide which was worse, the writing or the narration (of the audiobook). A colorful subject deserves a colorful, talented author and this book did not deliver.

[Glenn Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

One quote from actor Mickey Rourke really captures the heart of this book for me, "I'm really happy for his (RDJ) success. He fell off really far and he came back." I picked up this book because I have been a fan of Robert Downey Jr. for many years. Granted, I knew very little about his personal life, but I thought this book might provide some background information and help me form a more well-rounded impression of this man I so respect. To that end, I must say that the book certainly did not disappoint. While the book seems to be more of a collection of snippets from various other media sources, it does a fantastic job of compiling them and interweaving them into the overall chronology. For example, not only does the author provide a solid overview of RDJ's various struggles with addiction, the attendant quotes from both Downey Jr. and others who were involved at the time make the story "come alive." The same can be said of later chapters that detail his various movies up until around 2010. Very captivating approach to telling the amazing story of this modern day phoenix. I found a lot of inspiration and personal encouragement in the pages of this biography, lessons from RDJ's life that are clearly applicable to my own current struggles and dreams. I highly recommend the book to anyone who is traversing through a difficult season in life right now. Despair and disappointment come to us all, but as RDJ's life demonstrates, it is quite possible that our best days are yet to come.

[Mary Clouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography of Robert Downey Jr. was solid and generally a satisfying read. It was a chronological telling of Downey‘s life and career from childhood up until approximately 2010 when the book was published. While interesting, and at times insightful beyond what I already knew, I fundamentally felt that the author lacked some depth and detail in his telling of Downey’s story. There were times when it felt like the author just moved from announcing Downey‘s role in one movie to announcing his role in the next. Additionally, I wonder if there could’ve been a different narrator. I often felt the voice of the narrator didn’t connect me to Downey as a person, which I believe good narration should.
Because of the incorporated quotations from both Downey and a slew of people in his life and career, it did get a bit confusing as it was narrated. This might be one book that actually would be a better read than audio listen.

[Karen Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Robert Downey Jr - and I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of movies of his I’ve wanted to see and haven’t yet. I would have liked to hear more about his inner journey - and this was clearly not a book he was involved in writing.

[Melissa Joyner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not nearly as interesting or well written as the memoirs penned by other celebraties.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. It's limited by it being a biography written by someone else, rather than an autobiography written by the actor.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning about people and how they grew up. This book was great, not a fan of the narrator who is very 'wooden' while reading.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

As biographies go, it's pretty superficial. There are several typos.

[Heather Strom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, interesting life events, and overcoming pretty big life challenges. I read it a couple times.

[Jonna]

Glad I am done with this book.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I randomly selected this audio book. I knew vaguely of his history, but damn!

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

I found the book interesting however I did not enjoy the style of writing or maybe the narration. Not sure. Because it was an audio book I found it harder to decipher if it was the narrator or someone else talking. I did not realize just how much time RDJ spent in jail, nor the extent of the beatings the prisoners gave him.
I also forgot that he was with Sarah Jessica Parker, yet she never joined him on his discovery of being a junkie.
But alas everyone loves a good come back story. So from Junkie to jail bird to huge grossing movies and a wife that wont keep him around if he even thinks about touching another drug. This book made me happy, sad, mad, I teared up and laughed.
I love the quirky that he brings to each of his parts and I even had to go back and watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang when I finished the book.
I truly hope that he can find happiness and live a nice clean life while providing me with hours of entertaining movies.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this audio book quite enjoyable and fascinating. The narrator did a wonderful job at keeping things interesting. I had my reservations at first but quickly found myself fully engrossed in the story--a testament to good narration.

I knew going into this book, that I would be in for a great story as I knew bits about him given all the gossip magazines I tend to pick up from time to time. Of course, these tend to highlight all things negative and leave out the more personal accounts of their subject matter. I thought this book did a wonderful job at letting the reader in on who Robert Downey Jr. is through his accounts as well as through various interviews from friends and family. His story is not only fascinating but also quite touching.

Highly recommend!

[Kekoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biography of Robert Downey jr. Was great at shedding light into the unknown areas of his life.
The element of the third person story telling was very nice for this kind of book it helped understanding what was going on a bit easier.
An example of this is when he was relapsing from the drugs he went to a club and the DJ offered Downey drugs so they went to his hotel room and did cocaine. The way Martin Howden describes what they did really helps you under stand what that does to someone like him.

[Opalgem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this two stars simply because I didn't feel anything as I was reading. It felt very cold, a series of comments and anecdotes.

[Alexis Mims · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book simply because I love Robert Downey Jr.

[Michelle Isler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told a great story about Robert Downey Jr. It did not leave out the bad parts. I really enjoyed it. I am more of an autobiographical person but this was okay.