Robert Downey Jr. wins his first Oscar for supporting actor role in ‘Oppenheimer’

LOS ANGELES — Robert Downey Jr. became an Oscar winner on Sunday in a long-awaited victory for the veteran actor who received his first acting nod three decades ago. Downey won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Rear Adm. Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer,” hailed as one of his best performances in years. “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood” Downey said in a light-hearted speech, pausing for the audience’s laughter, “and the academy — in that order.” He also gave thanks to his wife, Susan. “It would have put me under the impression that I was on the right track.” Downey also received an Oscar nod in 2008 for a supporting role in “Tropic Thunder.” Sunday’s win solidified Downey’s frontrunner status this awards season. 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.” “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan’s three-hour deep dive into the development and fallout of the atomic bomb during World War II, won seven Oscars on Sunday, including best picture, best director for Nolan and best actor for Cillian Murphy.