Robert Downey Jr Birthday Special: From Chaplin to Tropic Thunder, 5 Best Movies of the Actor that You Need to Watch Right Away

Start singing Happy Birthday while reading this article for its RDJ's special day and we can't afford any typical celebration. Why? For he deserves the best. Period. The actor whose life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride emerged like a phoenix from the ashes. From being Hollywood's most neglected actor to one of the highest-paid celebrities, Robert Downey Jr has been an inspiration and his journey has been remarkable. Spider-Man 3: Robert Downey Jr to Return as Iron Man in the Tom Holland Starrer?

RDJ was a potential star in the making but his growing success was compromised by his years of struggle with drug abuse. Eventually, the star was able to get rid off his addictions and finally, Iron Man (2008) gave him the much-needed career boost. However, the actor had some brilliant performances registered under his kitty even before then. The Marvel movie was just the beginning of a new phase in his filmography and he hasn't looked back since then. But before that, he had releases like Chaplin which were Oscar-worthy.

As the actor gears up to celebrate his big day, we pick five of his best roles to date that are pure gold. Have a look and enjoy watching these movies if and when you can. Robert Downey Jr. Responds to Martin Scorsese's Comments About 'Marvel' Movies.

Chaplin

Chaplin has to come first while mentioning about Robert Downey Jr's brilliant works. The biopic revolving around this great legend was a tough test but Downey Jr managed to pass it with flying colours. He did look strikingly similar to Charlie Chaplin and also succeeded in getting his nuances right. The actor rightfully deserved an Oscar nom for his ingenious performance but he lost it to Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) that year.

Sherlock Holmes

Robert Downey Jr was phenomenal as this world-famous detective in Guy Ritchie's adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. The character is cunningly charming and supremely witty - the same qualities that we'd use to describe Downey Jr in real life. The actor justified Arthur Conan Doyle's intelligent character while shaping the arc of his great movie career. No, you still don't get to ask us if we like him more than Benedict Cumberbatch.

Tropic Thunder

This could have been controversial but thanks to Robert Downey Jr, it didn't. The actor plays Kirk Lazarus who's actually a blue-eyed Australian lad. However, he surgically darkens his skin to play the role of an African-American platoon leader. He skillfully navigates through his character while not hurting any sentiments and delivers a one of its kind action-comedy.

Iron Man

Iron Man has to find a mention in his list of career-best roles to date. The movie resurrected Downey Jr and his almost tanked career in Hollywood. He played the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark who constructs a high-tech armoured suit to escape a hostage situation and eventually takes up the mantle of being Iron Man. Downey Jr continued playing his character for 11 long years with finally bidding it adieu in 2019 release Avengers: Endgame.

Zodiac

David Fincher's Zodiac saw him play the role of a reporter who gets obsessed with the Zodiac Killer and ultimately becomes one of his targets. The movie based on a real story was intriguing with a powerful star cast that included Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards with Downey Jr.

Happy Birthday, RDJ!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2020 11:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).