A decades-old photograph of Robert Downey Jr handcuffed in jail clothes has gone viral online, after the actor's triumph at the 96th Academy Awards.
RDJ, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'Oppenheimer', where he played a villainous bureaucrat Lewis Strauss, who sought to destroy the acclaimed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Moments after his win, an old photo of the actor in his orange jumpsuit began doing the rounds on social media. The photo dates back to his early days in the film industry, when he battled with drug addiction.
Looking back at his journey from a felon to becoming an Oscar-winner, had the internet hailing it as one of the 'greatest comebacks' in Hollywood history.
Across social media platforms, fans of the 'Iron Man' actor rallied to celebrate his big win and his transformation. "Robert Downey Jr really made the greatest comeback of all time," wrote a fan.
Another said, "God, if you want to give me a comeback in life, then give me a comeback like Robert Downey Jr ."
See what others had to say in the tweet below:
In his Oscar acceptance speech, the actor acknowledged his past and thanked his wife for rescuing him. "I'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order," Downey joked before he saluted his wife Susan, who he said found him as a "snarly rescue pet" and "loved him back to life."
RDJ was arrested in 1996 for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded 357-caliber Magnum. The actor was given a three-year probation and required to undergo mandatory drug testing. A year later, he had to spend nearly four months in the Los Angeles County jail after he skipped a court-ordered drug test.
