10 forgotten actors who made big comebacks
It’s rare, but Hollywood can be a forgiving place at times. Usually, when an actor fades from public consciousness, it stays that way. Sometimes, however, an actor will land a project that brings them back to the A-list.
Much of the success comes from when an actor finds a role that is well suited to his personality. A child star can find the perfect role as a child and then later find the perfect role as an adult. Other times he’s an actor who has done very well in one decade, only to see his popularity decline the next. The movie industry is unpredictable, but these players have managed to come back to the top, at least for a while.
ten Neil Patrick Harris – Harold and Kumar Go to the White Castle (2004)
Doogie Howser, MD Child star Neil Patrick Harris made a very successful transition to a career in the industry as an adult.
The starting point was a cannabis comedy. In Harold and Kumar go white Castle, Harris plays a hilarious fictional version himself. His retaliation for the playful biographical character in the sequels also felt organic in their absurdity. Only one year after the first Harold and KumarHarris scored big with his acclaimed roles as Barney Stinson on the hit sitcom how I Met Your Mother. Since then he has played Count Olaf in Netflix A series of unfortunate events series and has a role in the next Matrix resurrections.
9 Eddie Murphy – Dream Girls (2006)
Eddie Murphy’s career has had its ups and downs. He was very successful in the 1980s with films such as 48 hours. and Beverly Hills cop. The ’90s weren’t so nice to Murphy, with movies like Vampire in Brooklyn and Metro failing to impress.
His return came in the form of Dream girls. He even received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his intense and focused performance as James “Thunder” Early. Along with Jennifer Hudson, Murphy was considered one of the stars of the film. Her star then faded again to bounce back once more with the biopic Dolemite is my name.
8 Jason Bateman – Arrested Development (2003)
Jason Bateman had an admirable career as a late 1980s teenage star in a television series Little house in the meadow and Silver spoons. The 1990s weren’t so particularly prolific for the star, however.
Bateman started to really shine when he played the role of “the right man” in a comedy. Horrible bosses, Identity thief, Game night, Christmas party in the office and Extract all contain variations of this archetype, and these projects wouldn’t even serve as a complete list. But Bateman’s second career wind began with his role as reluctant and hilarious patriarch Michael Bluth in Development stopped. The series has shown that Bateman is the perfect foil for the freak surrounding events.
7 Burt Reynolds – Boogie Nights (1997)
Burt Reynolds was and always will be a Hollywood icon. With movies like Issuance, Smokey and the bandit, and The longest yard, Reynolds was one of the most knowledgeable and lucrative stars of the 1970s.
The 1980s did not produce such a result. Then, in the late 90s, Reynolds made a major comeback. His interpretation in Paul Thomas Anderson Boogie evenings is one of the best in the movie. Reynolds received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as determined pornographic director Jack Horner. While Boogie evenings would be his last revered film, Reynolds worked steadily until his death in 2018.
6 Drew Barrymore – Scream (1996)
As a former child star known primarily for starring in HEY, Drew Barrymore reinvented his Hollywood career with Poisonous sumac in 1992. Yet it was not until 1996 that she made a splash on the big screen as an adult.
Little role in Batman forever next to, Scream was Barrymore’s reintroduction to audiences, and she featured prominently in the film’s promotional material. Then, she died 15 minutes later. His good-natured charm was hard to lose so early on, but audiences got a lot more of it two years later with The wedding singer. As Casey Becker, Barrymore reminded moviegoers of her star power and has been recognized with success.
5 Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler (2008)
Mickey Rourke did a fantastic job in the 1980s and early 1990s (i.e. angel heart and Dinner) before disappearing from public consciousness. There’s an argument to be made that Mickey Rourke’s brief but astronomical comeback really started with Robert Rodriguez. City of sin. There, however, he was wrapped in prosthetics.
At Darren Aronofsky’s Wrestler, Rourke plays failed wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson. Her performance is so nuanced and shocking how true it is to the viewer. This is the role Rourke was born to play. The fact that his career resurgence only lasted about two years is a real shame.
4 John Travolta – Pulp Fiction (1994)
John Travolta made a name for himself in the 1970s by appearing in TV series Welcome back, Kotter and become an A-lister with awesome dance moves in Fat and Saturday night fever. He then faded from the limelight in the ’80s. And as Travolta’s star power once again waned, there was a time when he bounced off the A-list with a witty neo-noir.
pulp Fiction saved Travolta from its lull in the mid to late 1980s (culminating in the Look who’s talking trilogy). Quentin Tarantino’s second hit proved Travolta can do comedy and an intimidating gangster, and he can do both simultaneously. It was pulp Fiction which led to the adaptation of Elmore Leonard Get Shorty and the underrated film of the Clinton era, Primary colors.
3 Marlon Brando – The Godfather (1972)
The 1950s were essentially Brando’s decade: A streetcar named Desire, Julius Caesar, The Wild One, On The Waterfront, Guys and Dolls.
The 1960s did not produce quite the same results for the legendary actor. None of his films from the decade have become a classic. Then, in 1972, it rebounded in a major way. The Godfather is widely regarded as one (if not the) greatest film of all time. Brando played a big part in this reception with one of his most intimidating roles as Don Corleone. In addition, its performance in Last Tango in Paris that same year also received high praise (if not also controversy).
2 Matthew McConaughey – Killer Joe (2011)
Matthew McConaughey first made a name for himself in the rom-com genre: The wedding planner, How to lose a guy in 10 days, Launch error, Fool’s gold, Ghosts of girlfriends from the past. While no one could deny the actor’s charm, he was considered a one-trick pony in Hollywood.
2012 Lincoln’s lawyer is credited as the launch of McConassance, but in reality, McConaughey’s epic comeback has come in the form of Killer Joe. The film (which received very limited release due to an NC-17 rating) continued to be under-viewed. A decade later, he’s an example of how McConaughey can reverse his good old boy charm and take serious action. Two years later Killer Joeupon leaving, McConaughey will win the Oscar for Best Actor for his work in Dallas Buyers Club.
1 Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. experienced endlessly publicized disgrace after a prolific decade in the ’80s. His troubled personal life earned him more attention than his skilled work in the’ 90s, in films like Chaplin and Bow.
Iron Man was more than a comeback; it sounded like the real start of Downey’s career. For viewers around the world, he truly is Iron Man, and it’s very hard to imagine anyone else in the role. This film made him a name known around the world. His continued work with the character only solidified that stature.
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