Well, the Iron Man is free. No, not of his responsibilities to save people and fight Captain America in the next movie but the handsome actor who plays Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. has been pardoned by California Governor Jerry Brown from the drug and weapons offenses during the 1990s. The gesture is not legally concrete but is a genuine symbolic act. His criminal record might stay intact but this will give him a right to serve on a jury.
The Governor of California has pardoned Robert Downey Jr. for a 20 year old drug conviction. The Oscar-nominated actor was imprisoned for around a year following this case. Robert is among those 91 people who were granted pardons for criminal convictions after demonstrating they had rehabilitated themselves and been out of custody for at least 10 years. The pardon can be treated as a public proclamation that the person has remained out of trouble and has demonstrated exemplary behavior.
A major rehabilitation by Robert Downey Jr.
Downey, who was considered a bad boy during his early days, has revived his career after years of drug abuse and run-ins with the law. He was arrested in 1996 after Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies pulled him over in a traffic stop for over-speeding and found a concealed pistol and drugs in the car. Since the incident, Downey has showed some major signs of improvement and has completely transformed himself. His story is considered as one of the greatest success stories for career and addiction rehabilitation.
Following the incident, Downey pleaded no contest which was equivalent of a guilty plea in California. He was found possessing cocaine, heroin and was also charged guilty of driving under the influence. Following his conviction, Robert Downey Jr. served one year and three months in prison. His case was closed in 2002 after he bounced back from a number of probation violations and ultimately completed the terms of his sentence and parole. The actor was on his road to a promising career when he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as the legendary silent film star Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 movie “Chaplin”. But one thing led to another and everything got de-railed owing to his addiction to cocaine and heroin.
Pardoned for good behavior
But unlike most of the cases and being the fighter he is, he re-emerged in the last decade as one of the most popular and bankable stars in Hollywood. Son of filmmaker Robert Downey Sr., he has been adored for playing the title role of Iron Man, a billionaire who turned to a superhero. He also received a nomination at Oscars for his role in the 2008 comedy, “Tropic Thunder”. When asked after the movie, who was an inspiration for the role in the movie, he told the media, “Sadly, my sorry-ass self.”
In October, Downey obtained a Los Angeles court order that said, “evidencing that since his release from custody he has lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen,” and was pardoned. No comment has been made by Robert Downey Jr. or his representatives in these regards.
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