"There is unpanned gold in every soul you run into. No matter what walk of life they're from."
"I have to thank Burger King. It was such a disgusting burger I ordered. I had that, and this big soda, and I thought something really bad was going to happen.’" The actor then said that at that moment of clarity, he tossed all of the drugs in his car into the ocean and got cleaned up” (Kuban). Robert Downey Jr, a full blown drug addict at the time, claims that Burger King helped him with his addiction. Robert Downey Jr is the son of a pair of famous actors, his father Robert Downey and his mother Elsie Downey. Robert was born in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood basically in the middle of New York City. He’ll be 54 on April 4th this year. Robert started his acting career in the movie Pound at the age of five. The movie was written and directed by his father Robert Downey Sr. Born and raised in Manhattan, he’s a true city boy. Downey purchased his homes in Venice and Malibu, California, but recently, he purchased a home in the Hamptons, A wealthy neighborhood on Long Island. A hero must be caring and inspirational. Being caring means that you care about others and being inspirational means that you are able to make a difference in people’s lives. Robert Downey Jr is a true hero because he’s caring and inspirational.
Robert Downey Jr is inspirational because he inspires everyday people to donate and help people in need. For example; “We all know that Robert Downey Jr. is a genuinely great guy, as this is far from the first story we’ve heard that displays his kindness and generosity” (Pretzer). Robert inspires kids everyday to keep fighting and to never stop. He’s also a living example of a person that’s been in hard place and come out perfectly fine, and even prospering. The kids he visits and talks to are always super happy to be talking with Iron Man and they always get a picture and an autograph. Robert Downey Jr is an inspirational person because he inspires people to keep pursuing their dreams and he also inspires other stars to do the same with their fans.
Robert Downey Jr is caring because he loves all of his fans and makes them all feel special in any way. Whether it’s a visit to their home or a video gone viral on Instagram, he makes sure everyone feels loved. For example; “So far, the photo has spread all over the Internet with fans applauding the actor’s generosity, and many are impressed with Robert’s decision to check-in on Wilcox with no fuss” (Peters). Robert Downey Jr is inspirational because of his desire to check in with a fan that’s sick without the pressure of the media and the fans. He’s inspiring other actors to do the same with their fans in hospitals. He’s also inspiring the people he visits in hospitals to keep fighting and that there are people in the world that are rooting for you and to not give up. Also; "From donating to charities and visiting sick fans, Robert stands as one of Hollywood’s biggest heroes for more multiple reasons” (Peters). About 2 years ago, Robert Downey Jr made a FaceTime call to a boy named Ryan Wilcox. Robert and Ryan first met when Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Gwyneth Paltrow visited him in his home in El Cajon. Ryan has a certain type of cancer called MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome) which he’s now had two times before this. Robert made sure to check in every now and then without the pressure of the media. This was completely unexpected by everybody, even Ryan; “So this just happened...just in case you all needed a smile. Ryan and his pal Robert Downey Jr. facetiming. This definitely made us smile BIG. Joy is a very powerful medicine. Thank you RDJ....one of the kindest hearts in Hollywood.” Says his mother in a Facebook post.
In conclusion, Robert Downey Jr is one of the nicest and most sincere people you’ll ever meet. He makes sure everyone feels included and always watches out for the “little guys”. Robert Downey Jr is truly a hero because of his amazing kind heart and inspiring. He’s a hero in real life and on the big screen. He makes others feel wanted and he’s able to emphasize with people who’ve been addicted and how hard it is to come back from that. He’s able to say that you’re going to be alright, whereas not even their parents can say that. “Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That’s hard enough” (Downey). This quote by Robert Downey Jr about his son proves that he’s an inspiration to his children because even though he’s a multi-million dollar actor, he still wants to be “just their dad” not a celebrity to his kids. When Robert Downey Jr walks into a room, he has such a big presence that people often turn to stare. Because he’s such an inspiration to people, he’s able to influence people to, for example, pursue a career in acting, becoming a film director, or even getting good grades. He inspires people to work hard everyday, because eventually, you could get to where he’s standing.
Works Cited:
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drugabuse.com/robert-downey-jr-s-incredible-comeback-from-addiction/.
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Comicbookanime, Megan Peters. “Robert Downey Jr. Continues To Prove Himself A Hero.” WWG, ComicBook.com, 6 Sept. 2017,
comicbook.com/marvel/2016/08/19/robert-downey-jr-continues-to-prove-himself-a-hero/.
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Hilton, Perez. “Robert Downey Jr. Proves He's A Real Hero By Visiting Young Iron Man Fans At London Hospital!” Perez Hilton, 26 Apr. 2016,
perezhilton.com/robert-downey-jr-iron-man-children-hospital-captain-america-civil-war/.
K, Will. “Robert Downey, Jr.” Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki, 20 Apr. 2012, marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Robert_Downey,_Jr.
Sweeten, Julia. “Before & After: How Robert Downey Jr. Remodeled His ‘Windmill House.’” Hooked on Houses, 14 Nov. 2017,
hookedonhouses.net/2017/11/14/robert-downey-jr-windmill-house-hamptons/.
Meah, Asad. “40 Inspirational Robert Downey Jr Quotes On Success.” AwakenTheGreatnessWithin, 5 Dec. 2017,
awakenthegreatnesswithin.com/40-inspirational-robert-downey-jr-quotes-on-success/.
Pretzer, Evan J. “Robert Downey Jr. Sends Message To Avengers Fan Battling Brain Cancer.” We Got This Covered, 4 Nov. 2018,
wegotthiscovered.com/movies/robert-downey-jr-sends-message-fan-battling-brain-cancer-avengers/.
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Last edited 2/3/2019 8:39:46 PM
