The 50 Greatest Actors Alive: No. 38 Robert Downey Jr.

Every week through the remainder of 2014, Yahoo Movies is counting down Hollywood's 50 very best working actors and actresses. Come back to Yahoo Movies every Thursday to see who makes the cut.

Greatest Actor Alive (No. 38): Robert Downey Jr.

Age: 49

Stating the Case: After a bout with drug addiction nearly torpedoed his career, Robert Downey Jr. has emerged as one of the most respected — and bankable — movie stars in the world. RDJ is one of the most creative and versatile actors, and he's been terrific since his earliest credits ("Weird Science,""Back to School,""The Pick-Up Artist"). He spent a mostly unmemorable year as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" (1985-1986) before he seared the screen as drug-addled Julian in one of the top guilty pleasures of the '80s (and that's saying something), "Less Than Zero" (1987), and then became an official serious, Oscar-nominated thespian with his tour de force performance as The Tramp in "Chaplin" (1992).

Following several arrests and even some prison time later in the '90s, Downey crawled from the wreckage of his own life and booked several comeback gigs, including Shane Black's excellent action comedy "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005) and David Fincher's haunting true-crime thriller "Zodiac" (2007).

And then came 2008, the year in which he made his debut as billionaire industrialist-turned-crimefighting superhero Tony Stark in "Iron Man," and he became a full-fledged member of Hollywood's A-list. That same summer, he delivered what became his second Oscar-nominated performance as ultra-Method movie star Kirk Lazarus in "Tropic Thunder," which was followed in 2009 with the title role in another hit franchise-to-be, "Sherlock Holmes." A few hit sequels later and now 49, Robert Downey Jr. is at the top of his game.

Breakthrough Role: Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, "Less Than Zero" would be one of the most laughably bad melodramas ever made were it not for Downey's riveting, harrowing performance as Julian, a spoiled brat L.A. teen who develops a serious cocaine addiction — and an astounding amount of debt to a sleazy dealer/pimp (Downey's future "Avengers" co-star James Spader) — after graduating from high school. Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz struggle (to say the least) with their roles as the best friends desperately (well, sorta) trying to help, but Downey turns this troubled mess into something resembling a must-see.

The Best of the Best:

5. "Wonder Boys" (2000): Downey brought warmth and humor to his role as Terry Crabtree, the loyal but exasperated editor of lovable ne'er-do-well English professor/writer Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), in director Curtis Hanson's wonderful character drama.

4. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (2005): Downey's first major step on the comeback trail came in Shane Black's super-cool neo-noir action comedy as Harry Lockhart, a thief masquerading as an actor who teams up with a private eye named Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) to solve an L.A. murder mystery.

3. "Tropic Thunder" (2008): "I'm the dude playin' the dude disguised as another dude!" RDJ delivered his most outrageous — and quotable — performance to date as Kirk Lazarus, an Australian movie star who goes completely Method (and mental) when he's cast as an African American soldier in a Vietnam War film.

2. "Chaplin" (1992): The actor earned biopic cred and proved himself to be much more than just a fringe member of the Brat Pack with his turn as silent movie star and comedian Charles Chaplin, a man known almost as much for his off-screen romances as he was for his on-screen pratfalls.

1. The "Iron Man" Movies/ "The Avengers" (2008-13): RDJ is Tony Stark, and just like Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman and Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, it will be very, very difficult to see anyone else in the role, ever.

The BIGGEST Hit: Earth's Mightiest Heroes provided one of Earth's Mightiest Movies, with "The Avengers" breaking box-office records with a domestic haul of over $623 million and a worldwide take north of $1.5 billion. "Iron Man 3" is close behind with a domestic total of more than $409 million and $1.2 billion internationally.

With Honors: Downey received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in "Chaplin" (1992) and for Best Supporting Actor for "Tropic Thunder." He also received Golden Globe nominations for both performances and won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, Comedy or Musical for "Sherlock Holmes."

Fun Fact: RDJ lived with "Sex and the City" star Sarah Jessica Parker for seven years during the 1980s. He also buried the clothes he wore in "Less Than Zero" in the backyard of his house in 1991 as a symbolic gesture of breaking away from the decadent image of his Brat Pack years.

Trademark: Endearingly eccentric charm and charisma peppered with sly sarcasm and devilish wit.

Best Fan Tribute: The basement bargain price of $9, these Robert Downey Jr. post stud earrings can be yours from Etsy.

Most Underappreciated Achievement: Downey received critical raves but little audience love for the overlooked "The Singing Detective" (2003), director Keith Gordon's (Downey's "Back to School" roomie) adaptation of the British TV series in which a hospitalized writer suffering from a skin disease reimagines himself as crooning gumshoe traversing musical numbers and dastardly schemes.

Downey also deserved more attention for his sexy turn as Blake, a young actor confronted by his two girlfriends (Heather Graham and Natasha Gregson Wagner) who've just learned of each other's existence, in James Toback's one-set, three-character drama, "Two Girls and a Guy" (1997).

Catchphrase:

Nobody's Perfect: We'll file RDJ's unfortunate participation with "The Shaggy Dog" (2006), the movie in which Tim Allen occasionally turns into a sheepdog, under Probably Needed the Paycheck. And everyone involved with "Gothika" (2003), including Halle Berry and Penélope Cruz, could probably do without having that lame horror thriller on their resume (though the movie turned out to be a blessing for Downey; he met his future wife, Susan Levin, on the set).

Moonlighting: One of Downey's most acclaimed performances is his supporting role as Larry Paul, a hotshot attorney and love interest of Calista Flockhart's title character, during the fourth season of the legal/romantic drama series "Ally McBeal" (1997-2002). Due to Downey's struggles with drug addiction, his character was written out before the end of the season.

Downey also sings, and not just when he's playing a detective or crooning on the "McBeal" soundtrack. His studio album, "The Futurist," was released in November 2004 and contains the track "Broken," which can be heard over the closing credits of "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang." He's also got some serious graphic design skills, and recently created original posters for his new film, "Chef."

And for His Next Acts: RDJ will be reuniting with his "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" director and co-star Jon Favreau in the aforementioned comedy "Chef," opening May 9, and will work with Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga and Billy Bob Thornton in the courtroom drama, "The Judge," opening Oct. 10. He'll then suit up as Tony Stark/Iron Man for the fifth time (well, sixth, if you count his cameo in "The Incredible Hulk") in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," opening May 1, 2015.

See Who Else Has Made ‘Greatest Actors Alive’ List So Far:

#50 Brad Pitt | #49 Sigourney Weaver | #48 Joaquin Phoenix | #47 Paul Giamatti | #46 Forest Whitaker | #45 Matthew McConaughey | #44 Viola Davis | #43 Michael Douglas | #42 Jodie Foster | #41 Ben Kingsley | #40 Javier Bardem | #39 Sally Field

What qualifies actors for a slot on Yahoo Movies’ running list of the 50 Greatest Actors Alive? First, we limited the pool to actors who are still currently working. Other factors taken into consideration: Pure skill in the craft; their ability to disappear underneath the skin of the characters they portray; versatility and the range of their roles; ratio of strong performances to weak ones; quality of films acted in; strength of recent work; awards and accolades from peers.