5. Robert Downey Jr
Seeing Robert Downey Jr riding high with the success of
Iron Man, The Avengers and
Sherlock Holmes, it's hard to tell that he once went off the rails and all but disappeared from the Hollywood map. He started strongly in the 80's, along with his contempories on this list, but drink and drugs soon took their toll - as did a tendency to be as reliable as Axl Rose. He broke out from such teen fare as
Johnny Be Good and
Weird Science with a critically acclaimed performance as Charlie Chaplin in the not very imaginatively titled:
Chaplin. After that though, the slush started - forgettable titles such as
Hearts and Souls, Danger Zone, Restoration, Hail Caesar and
Too Much Sun. And that was
before his career really tanked by being sent to prison! For the latter part of the 90's, Downey Jr struggled with addiction, being arrested and failing to complete rehabilitation programs. It was as if he was determined to self destruct, telling one judge:
'It's like I've got a shotgun in my mouth with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal'. On top of this, he admitted to being addicted to drugs since 8 years of age, caused by having a drug addict for a father. Repeated trespasses with drugs, reckless driving and firing .357 magnums soon led to him missing yet another mandatory drug test and incurring 4 months in jail. Things didn't get any better and before you could say
"I told you so', he was sentenced to 3 years at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison. Upon his surprise release a year later, he featured in more less than stellar projects like
Danger Zone, Hugo Pool and
The Gingerbread Man before beginning his ascent up the Hollywood ladder by nabbing a role on the hit show
Ally McBeal, followed by a hilarious turn in the Shane Black crime-noir
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the critically acclaimed George Clooney vehicle
Good Night and Good Luck, A Scanner Darkly and
Zodiac. Then came the big one -
Iron Man. And before you could say
'bloody hell!', he'd cemented his standing as Hollywood's latest leading man with
The Incredible Hulk, Tropic Thunder and
Sherlock Holmes. The rest, as they say, is history. Let's hope this short of stature (despite his 4 inch lifts) yet deeply charismatic A lister can stay at the top of the alphabet.