Actor Robert Downey Jr. has been pardoned by California Governor Jerry Brown for a 1996 drug conviction that the `Iron Man` star served jail time for.

The Christmas Eve pardon, which has become an annual tradition for the governor, was bestowed to 90 other people apart from Downey Jr. on Thursday, reports variety.com.

The pardons are issued to citizens who have shown `exemplary behavior and have lived productive and law-abiding lives following their conviction.`

The `Avengers` actor was busted on a highway here and convicted of felony drug possession after authorities found heroin, cocaine and a pistol in his vehicle. He spent nearly a year in prison in 1999 after violating his probation.