The Real Reason Saturday Night Live Fired Robert Downey Jr.
In 1985, Robert Downey Jr. had already been on the movie scene for 15 years. At five years old, he had a role as a puppy in "Pound," a 1970 comedy directed by his father (via IMDb). After dropping out of high school, he did a few other films in the early 1980s before playing Ian in "Weird Science." Ians uncomfortable strangeness (see this clip on YouTube) helped Downey reach a new milestone. He joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1985.