Robert Downey Jr. finally won an Oscar on Sunday, marking a significant milestone for the veteran actor who received his first acting nomination three decades ago.
Downey secured the award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Rear Adm. Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer,” a role acclaimed as one of his finest performances in recent years.
This recognition comes as the third overall Oscar nomination for Downey, a versatile performer whose career has been punctuated by significant challenges.
“I’d like to thank my terrible childhood” Downey said in a light-hearted speech, pausing for the audience’s laughter, “and the academy — in that order.”
He also gave thanks to his wife, Susan.
“You loved me back to life and that’s why I’m here.”
Downey has candidly shared his battles with drug addiction, disclosing in his 2022 documentary “Sr.”—a tribute to his filmmaker father—that he struggled with drugs as early as age 8.
Following his initial Oscar nomination 30 years ago at the age of 28, Downey faced a string of arrests related to drug charges and served a year in prison.
Reflecting on his past, Downey expressed gratitude on “The View,” admitting relief that he didn’t win the 1993 Best Actor award for “Chaplin.”
“I was young and crazy,” he said. “It would have put me under the impression that I was on the right track.”
In 2008, Downey earned another Oscar nomination for his supporting role in “Tropic Thunder.”
His recent Oscar win further cements Downey’s frontrunner position this awards season. He also swept the top supporting actor awards at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Film Awards, SAG Awards, and Critics Choice Awards.
“Why me? Why now? Why do things seem to be going my way?” he said while accepting his SAG Award.
Downey won over strong contenders such as Sterling K. Brown for “American Fiction,” Ryan Gosling for “Barbie,” Mark Ruffalo for “Poor Things,” and Robert De Niro for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s extensive exploration of the atomic bomb’s development and impact during World War II, secured seven Oscars on Sunday.
This included Best Picture, Best Director for Nolan, and Best Actor for Cillian Murphy. With 13 nominations, the film entered the night as a frontrunner.
“What we do is meaningful,” Downey said onstage Sunday, “and the stuff we decide to make is important.”
