Three decades after receiving his first Academy Award nomination, Robert Downey Jr. has won his first Oscar. It was the third career Oscar nomination for the veteran actor. He was previously nominated in 1993 for Best Actor for Chaplin and in 2008 for Best Supporting Actor in Tropic Thunder.
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Downey gave a light-hearted speech as he accepted his award.
“I'd like to thank my terrible childhood” he said, pausing for the audience's laughter, “and the Academy, in that order.” He also thanked his wife, Susan. “You loved me back to life and that's why I'm here.”
Robert Downey Jr. poses with his Oscar | Photo Credit: Carlos Barria
Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's three-hour deep dive into the development and fallout of the atomic bomb during World War II, led the Academy Awards with 13 nominations.
Downey beat Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, Ryan Gosling for Barbie, Mark Ruffalo for Poor Things and Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon.
The win solidified Downey's frontrunner status this awards season. He also took home the top honor for supporting actor at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Film Awards, SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards.
