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| April 4, 1965 |
| Robert John Downey Jr. is born in New York City to director Robert Downey Sr. and actress Elsie Downey. |
| 1978 |
| Robert Downey Sr. and Elsie Downey divorce. Robert Jr. then moves with his father to Los Angeles, California. |
| 1985 |
| Downey joins NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as a regular cast member for one season. He also appears in the teen movie comedy "Weird Science." |
| 1991 |
| Downey portrays a soap opera television producer in "Soapdish." |
| May 1992 |
| Downey marries actress Deborah Falconer. |
| 1994 |
| Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" is released. Downey portrays a journalist fascinated by the lives of two killers (played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis). |
| 1997 |
| Downey violates probation by skipping a drug test. He serves 113 days in jail. During the same year, Downey stars in "Two Girls and a Guy." |
| 1999 |
| Downey misses another drug test and ends up serving time in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and state prison in Corcoran, California. |
| November 25, 2000 |
| Nearly four months after being released from prison, Downey is arrested in a Palm Springs, California, hotel room on charges of cocaine and Valium possession and being under the influence of drugs. He is released on $15,000 bond the following day. He returns to the "Ally McBeal" set shortly thereafter. |
| April 24, 2001 |
| Downey is arrested in Los Angeles on a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Police find Downey wandering in an alley. "Ally McBeal" producer David E. Kelly lets the actor go after the arrest. Prosecutors later said they would treat the incident as a violation of Downey's parole from a prior string of drug convictions and send the matter to state corrections officials. |
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| 1970 |
| Downey makes his acting debut at age 5 in his father's film "Pound." He plays a puppy in the movie in which all the actors portray dogs. |
| 1982 |
After spending two years at Santa Monica High School, Downey drops out at age 16.
Downey moves back to New York to live with his mother. Soon after, he meets actress Sarah Jessica Parker. The two share a romance that lasts several years. |
| 1987 |
| Downey plays a drug addict in the film "Less Than Zero." His performance receives wide recognition. He also stars in "The Pick-up Artist." |
| 1992 |
| Downey plays the title role in "Chaplin," a film about the famous silent movie comedian. He receives a best actor Oscar nomination. |
| September 1993 |
| Downey's son, Indio, is born. |
| 1996 |
| Downey is arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded .357-caliber Magnum. He receives three years' probation and is required to undergo mandatory drug testing. |
| 1998 |
| Despite his drug problems and frequent brushes with the law, Downey has performed in more than 30 movies by 1998. The actor appears in three films that year -- "The Gingerbread Man," "U.S. Marshals" and "In Dreams." |
| August 2000 |
| Downey is released from a California state prison in Corcoran after serving nearly 12 months. The actor then receives an offer to play on the hit TV series "Ally McBeal." He agrees to a 10-show deal, earning $80,000 per episode. |
| January 2001 |
| Downey wins a Golden Globe for best supporting actor in a television show for "Ally McBeal." |
| March 20, 2002 |
| After nine months in a drug rehabilitation program, Downey receives a good probation report in court. Superior Court Judge Randall White tells Downey to "keep up the good work," and the actor's attorney boasts that Downey is set to begin shooting a new movie with Mel Gibson in April. |
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