Robert downey jr mother died
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According to her son, Elsie Ann Downey died Monday night at the age of 80, and today the actor took to Facebook to pen a touching.and yet signaturely quirky.tribute to the woman to whom he owes so very much.
"As promotion for The Judge kicks off this weekend, inom feel the need to run the risk of over sharing..." Downey's essay began as he delved into describing different stages of his mom's life, from her birth as Elsie Ann Ford nära Pittsburgh in April 1934, through her short but turbulent marriage to Downy's father, filmskapare Robert Downey Sr., her unremarkable acting career and her struggle with addiction, and onto how she helped him battle his own demons when he was at his worst, how she bonded with her grandchildren...
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Read Robert Downey Jr.'s Incredible Tribute To His Late Mother
Kristian Dowling/Getty Images
Robert Downey Jr. with (from left) his mother, wife, and mother-in-law in 2009.
The actor revealed intimate aspects of his mother's life, from her short-lived career as an actress to her struggle with alcoholism. After Elsie got clean, she would later help her son do the same.
"In the summer of 2004, I was in bad shape. She called me out of the blue, and I admitted everything. I don't remember what she said, but I haven't drank or used since," RDJ writes in his Facebook post. "She was my role model as an actor, and as a woman who got sober and stayed that way."
The full post is below and worth a read:
As promotion for "The Judge" kicks off this weekend, I feel the need to run the risk of over sharing…..
My mom passed away early this week….I wanna say so
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All About Robert Downey Jr.'s Late Mom, Elsie Ford
Robert Downey Jr. has been very public about the influence his father, Robert Downey Sr., had on him. But his mother, Elsie Ford, had just as big of an impact.
"She was my role model as an actor and as a woman who got sober and stayed that way," Downey Jr. wrote in a 2014 Facebook post, per Vanity Fair. "She was also reclusive, self-deprecating, a stoic Scotch-German rural Pennsylvanian, a ball buster, stubborn, and happy to hold a grudge. My ambition, tenacity, loyalty, 'moods,' grandiosity, occasional passive aggression, and my faith. ...That's all her ... and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Ford grew up in a suburb outside of Pittsburgh, where she remained until deciding to drop out of college and pursue her dreams of being a comedian. Those dreams took her to New York, where she met Downey Sr., an independent filmmaker known for his absurdist and satirical underground movies.
They married in 1962 and welcomed