Talented, tragic, in trouble

Downey: Name on marquee, monkey on back

Downey was arrested early Tuesday after a police officer found him in an alley in a Los Angeles area suburb

In this story: From puppy to leading man Downey's Chaplin 'Utterly committed' to work RELATED STORIES, SITES

(CNN) -- Robert Downey Jr.'s latest arrest on drug charges and subsequent departure from "Ally McBeal" on Tuesday left Hollywood shaking its collective head ... again.

This time, however, things could be different for the actor whose travails with cops and controlled substances is well documented.

In the past, Downey's drug arrests were treated as hardly more than an inconvenience to his work and filming schedules. This latest arrest may put on hold what has been deemed a brilliant, if uneven, career.

MORE COVERAGE People.com: Downey's danger signs EW.com: Why celebs can't seem to shake their drug habits Note: Pages will open in a new browser window     GALLERY Robert Downey Jr. through the years     FILMOGRAPHY Robert Downey Filmography     VIDEOS 'Wonder Boys': featuring Downey as the editor Real 28K 80K 'Two Girls and a Guy': featuring Downey as an actor Real 28K 80K     ALSO Latest arrest could hurt Downey's other drug case     DOCUMENTS Robert Downey Jr.'s Aprril 24, 2001 Arrest, Booking, and Incident Report Documents in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing.

Downey, the son of independent filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., has taken roles in every major genre of film. Beginning his acting career at 5, he's wowed critics in roles ranging from drama to comedy, from serious to silly.

Downey also has managed to successfully traverse the TV landscape, winning a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for his part as Ally McBeal's love interest in the Fox TV series.

Those who have worked with him say he is one of a kind.

"The same reckless curiosity which has led him to court destruction has also elevated him to the highest level of creation," says James Toback, who wrote the screenplay for "Two Girls and a Guy," the 1997 film in which Downey starred.

From puppy to leading man

Downey was born April 4, 1965 in New York City. Five years later he debuted professionally, playing a puppy in "Pound," his father's 1970 film.

He attended Santa Monica High School in California, but left before graduating. According to some published reports, he already was involved with drugs and alcohol.

One of his early supporting roles came in "Firstborn" (1984), where he met and fell for co-star Sarah Jessica Parker. They remained together for seven turbulent years.

In 1985, at 20, he spent a season on TV's "Saturday Night Live." He had supporting parts in two comedies -- "Weird Science" (1985) and "Back to School" (1986). Then, in 1987, he landed a lead role opposite Molly Ringwald in "The Pick-up Artist."

That same year, Downey starred as the drug-addicted, L.A. hipster Julian Wells in "Less Than Zero." Industry buzz claimed Downey wasn't acting -- that he was the character. During the film's press tour, one published story had him heading to the hotel lobby for cigarettes and returning four days later.

Downey also was the bad boy of the so-called Brat Pack of '80s movie stars. Despite publicized interventions by friends and family, he continued to use drugs and drink heavily.

Downey's performance in "Chaplin" (1992) earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor

Downey's Chaplin

After starring in less-than-stellar films like "Air America" (1990) and "Soapdish" (1991), Downey found his masterpiece role in 1992's "Chaplin." Downey's uncanny portrayal of the life of the silent-screen legend elevated his work to Oscar caliber.

Also during this time, Downey took up with model Deborah Falconer, whom he married within six weeks of their first date. Their son, Indio, was born in 1993. This could have been the moment when Downey turned his life around, when he laid aside an unruly persona for that of family man and rising movie star.

Sources close to the star, including former manager Loree Rodkin, feared he would not. "Every day I look in the newspaper," Rodkin told People magazine in 1996, "and I think that I am going to read Robert's obituary."

Downey and Falconer divorced in April 1996. That August, Downey had his first reported brush with the law -- an arrest for drunken driving, possession of heroin and possession of an unloaded .357- caliber Magnum handgun found in his pickup truck.

Three weeks later, Downey was arrested again after wandering into a house in Malibu, California, that he thought was his own and passing out on a child's bed.

Downey checked into a detox center -- then bolted from it. He eventually received three years probation.

The two arrests were just a foreshadowing of legal woes to come.

Downey recently won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild trophy for his role on "Ally McBeal"

'Utterly committed' to work

Downey continued finding work. He starred in "Two Girls and a Guy" alongside Heather Graham and Natasha Gregson Wagner. The film, about an actor who has trouble being honest with his love interests and himself, seemed as custom-tailored to the troubled actor as had his part in "Less Than Zero."

"He came to us a few weeks out of rehab, and was utterly committed," Michael Mailer, producer of "Two Girls and a Guy," told People. "We would shoot 12 to 14 hours a day, and at the end of each day he would pee in a cup. He didn't complain about it once."

In 1998, he appeared in "The Gingerbread Man" (1998), then followed that with roles in the 1999 movies "Bowfinger" and "Black and White."

The year also found him in trouble again. In August 1999, Downey was sentenced to three years in prison for violating his probation by missing scheduled drug tests. He was released in 2000 on $5,000 bail.

The past year also saw the release of "Wonder Boys," in which Downey portrayed a gay book editor. His performance, while ignored at most awards ceremonies, was typical Downey. When on screen, his vitality, looks, and quick delivery drew the attention of the audience away from co-stars Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire.

But that charisma will be missing from movie screens in the near future. Downey was purportedly set to appear in "America's Sweethearts," the Julia Roberts film currently in production, but a 911 call last year stopped that.

Last November, police arrested Downey at a Palm Springs, California, hotel after getting a 911 call reporting someone in a room with guns and drugs. Officers found no weapons, but charged Downey with felony possession of cocaine and Valium and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Downey has been candid about his problems, and has displayed a unique clarity in how he is perceived.

"A lot of my peer group think I'm an eccentric bisexual, like I may even have an ammonia-filled tentacle somewhere on my body," he once said.

Colleagues like Toback have wondered if Downey will ever completely recover. "I think he can be productive and free of something that was hurting him," Toback told People. "But happy? Who knows?"

Downey at present has one role remaining -- as defendant. He's set to appear in court Monday to answer to last November's charges.

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