Robert Downey Jr. Pardoned For 1996 Drug Conviction

Downey Jr. was one of 91 people to receive an official pardon from the governor this year, in what has become an annual Christmas Eve tradition.

“By completion of his sentence and good conduct in the community of his residence since his release, Robert John Downey, Jr. has paid his debt to society and earned a full and unconditional pardon”, reads the declaration.

Downey was convicted in 1996 for possession of heroin and cocaine, and for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle with a prior conviction, driving under the influence and use of a controlled substance.

Following his release from prison, Downey turned his life around and enjoyed a rather lucrative Hollywood comeback when he was cast in the role of Iron Man.

The Sherlock Holmes star, who was last seen in Marvel‘s Avenger’s: Age of Ultron, will be seen reprising the character of Tony Stark/Iron Man in 2016 in Captain America: Civil War. The pardon does not erase Downey’s conviction, but does restore his voting rights and publicly acknowledges his “exemplary behaviour”.

The 50-year-old actor is a two-time Oscar nominee for his roles in 1992’s “Chaplin” and 2008’s “Tropic Thunder“.

The state’s longest-serving governor has now issued 1,087 pardons, including 683 in the past five years and 404 during his first eight years in office from 1975-1983, according to his office.

To be eligible, individuals must have been out of prison for at least a decade, committed no new crimes and received a court-granted Certificate of Rehabilitation if they still live in California.

Former Republican Gov. Ronald Reagan granted almost 600, according to Brown’s office.