Robert Downey Jr is arrested again

"He was conscious and conversed with the officers," Landry said. "He was very cooperative."

Downey, 34, was arrested for drug possession, being under the influence of a controlled substance and committing a felony while free on bail, Landry said.

The actor was released early Sunday on $15,000 bail. He is scheduled to face the charges in court within 30 days, Landry said.

Downey could not be reached for comment. Messages left by the Associated Press at the offices of his agent were not immediately returned Sunday.

Of his drug addiction, Downey told a judge in 1999: "It's like I've got a shotgun in my mouth, with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal."

Downey's legal troubles date to June 1996 when he was stopped for speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway and authorities found cocaine, heroin and a pistol in his vehicle.

A month later he was found passed out on a child's bed in a neighbor's home. Three days later, he was arrested for leaving a recovery center.

He was jailed in August 1999 after he admitted during a probation hearing that he was missing scheduled drug tests. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira sentenced him to three years in prison for violating his probation.

Downey was released from prison early last August on $5,000 bail after the California Second District Court of Appeal ruled he had served enough time to fulfill his three-year sentence. The panel determined he was entitled to receive credit for time served in drug rehabilitation facilities.

The son of film director Robert Downey earned an Oscar nomination for his work in the title role in "Chaplin," the 1992 screen biography of the famed comedian. Other film credits include "Less Than Zero," "Natural Born Killers," "One Night Stand," "Two Girls and a Guy" and "U.S. Marshals."

Since his August prison release, Downey has had a recurring role on the the Fox television series "Ally McBeal." He also planned in January to star in a Los Angeles stage run of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" to be directed by fellow actor Mel Gibson.