From Brat Pack to Iron Men: Robert Downey Jr. Through the Years

Remember that time Robert Downey Jr. dated Sarah Jessica Parker? Or when he had long, center-parted hair? In honor of this actor's 51st birthday today, take a look back at his most memorable moments, movies, and looks.

1985: SNL Days

At just 20 years old, Downey Jr. was cast on Saturday Night Live. Sadly, his days on the show were limited due to poor reviews (he was even ranked as the worst SNL cast member ever by Rolling Stone). He was taken off the show after just 18 episodes.

1985: Big Bully

Appearing in multiple movies with members of the '80s Brat Pack, Downey Jr. played a high school bully in the hit 1985 John Hughes film Weird Science.

1987: Man in the Mirror

Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Julian, a young, wealthy drug addict in the 1987 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' famous novel "Less Than Zero" was chilling for more than one reason. Not only did he play the tragic role with remarkable believability, he has noted that it was like meeting "the ghost of Christmas future" given his own struggles with drug addiction.

1989: Eighties Romance

After meeting on set in 1984, our favorite Sex and the City star, Sarah Jessica Parker, began dating Downey Jr. Their relationship lasted for six years, but Parker eventually broke it off in 1991 as a result of Downey's drug problems.

1992: Major Accolades

Proving his acting prowess goes far beyond teen roles, Downey Jr. prepared heavily for his role as the title character in the 1992 biopic Chaplin, even learning to play tennis and violin with his left hand — efforts that were rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor the following year.

1994: First Marriage

Downey Jr. became engaged to actress and singer Deborah Falconer in 1992, with the pair having a son in 1993. However, due to his drug addiction, rehab stints, and arrests, Falconer eventually separated from Downey Jr. in 2001.

2001: Cropped Cut

The early '00s were none-to-friendly to Downey Jr.'s style (to be fair, they were terrible to the rest of us, too), with the actor opting for an odd Julius Caesar-like haircut and ombre sunglasses.

2003: Comeback

In 2003, Downey Jr. experienced a career comeback after finally getting sober and appearing alongside Katie Holmes in The Singing Detective. "I just happened to be in a situation the very last time where I said, 'I don't think I can continue doing this'," Downey Jr. told Oprah regarding his arrests and eventual sobriety. "I reached out for help and I ran with it."

2004: True Love

Once his health and career were more stable, Downey Jr.'s love life improved, too. In 2002, Downey met producer Susan Levin on the set of Gothika. The pair became engaged in 2003, got married in 2005, and have lived happily ever after ever since. Their family has grown in the last few years — they welcomed their first son in February 2012 and their daughter in November 2014.

2008: Surprise Superhero

Downey Jr. was cast in the 2008 superhero flick Iron Man as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. The film was a massive success, relaunching his career and solidifying his spot among Hollywood's elite once more.

2011: Mother Dearest

It's no secret Downey Jr. loved his mother, actress Elsie Ford, very much, but he showed it more publicly than ever after her death in 2011, when he wrote a heartbreaking open letter to her about their relationship.

2011: Debonair Detective

On top of the wildly popular Iron Man franchise, Downey Jr. has starred in two successful Sherlock Holmes films as the title character alongside Jude Law, who portrays Dr. John Watson.

2015: Happy Days

These days, Downey Jr. is doing great. He's rocked the box office for nearly a decade in the Iron Man, Avengers, and Sherlock Holmes franchises, racked up nearly 13 years of sobriety, and grown his family — at 51, his life and career are better than ever.

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