Comebacks are quintessential Hollywood, and somemoviesare so good that they help put their stars back on the map after years of obscurity. Careers in entertainment are fickle, and even the best actors in the world can fall into a slump. Whether it’s a string of flops, or some other external factor, plenty of stars have faded.
However,the opportunity for a comebackis always on the horizon, and there are some notable names that have fallen and risen again in their impressive careers. These comebacks are often due to multiple movies, but they can often be chalked up to a single hit that revitalizes a sagging career.
All it takes is one great performance to reignite a star’s flame, and actors shine when they are able to stretch their range and do something new. Since the concept of movie stars has existed, the idea of a comeback has always fascinated viewers, and the momentum behind some great movies is enough to propel anyone back to the top.
Though he hadn’t completely faded into obscurity in the 2000s and 2010s, Michael Keaton’s career was entering a new phase where he spent a lot of time doing voice work. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’sBirdmanwas partially a send-up to Keaton’s time as Batman, butthe role offered so much more than mere parody.
Keaton’s performance as Riggan showed off all aspects of his diverse range, andthere was a touching vulnerability that was laid bare bythe movie’s one-shot style. The movie scored Keaton his first-ever Oscar nomination, and though not working frequently since 2014, he has begun appearing in a wider variety of live-action roles.
After a string of high-profile flops in the latter half of the 2000s,Keanu Reeves spent a few years appearing in obscure films, and his career was a bit rudderless. When he was cast as the vengeful ex-assassin, John Wick, in the titular film, few thought it would become his defining role.
John Wickwas a simple-but-effective action flick that emphasized all the most fun parts of going to the movies. Reeves was soft-spoken but intense, and his comeback was partially anchored bythe actor’s reputation as an all-around great guy. He’s done little else besides John Wick since, butReeves is never too far away from the Hollywood mainstream.
8Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962) - Bette Davis
Showbusiness was even more fickle in the past, and majorstars like Bette Davis were discarded by a studio system that was apathetic to women of a certain age.Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?was a movie unlike anything she had made before, but it began the final chapter of her storied career on a good note.
The critically acclaimed horror film cast Davis as the evil title character, and it partially launched the so-called “psycho biddy” subgenre. The real-life drama between Davis and co-star Joan Crawford made things even more interesting, andshe scored her 11th and final Oscar nomination. Davis would work consistently until her passing in the late 1980s.
Even though he was one of the biggest stars of the ’90s and 2000s,Eddie Murphy began to quietly fade away throughout the 2010s. He came back in a big way with 2019’sDolemite is My Name, where he brought Blaxploitation icon Rudy Ray Moore to life. Though funny,the movie also showed off Murphy’s dramatic chops.
Unlike other stars who faded, Murphy’s decline wasn’t really because of flops or bad movies, and even afterDolemite is My Name, he hasn’t been too busy. However, the biopic did kick off something of a nostalgic run for Murphy, and he has starred in two sequels to his classic movies in the years since 2019.
Besides being one ofthe greatest films of all time,Sunset Boulevardis also one of the first major comeback moviestoo. Gloria Swanson was a silent star who faded into obscurity at the dawn of the sound era. This made her perfect to play the role of faded actress Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder’s noir masterpiece, and she delivered.
Swanson was joined by several other faded Hollywood icons like Buster Keaton and Erich von Stroheim, andthe movie is a love-letter to Hollywood’s past. Swanson earned an Oscar nomination, and it was her first movie in nearly 10 years. Sadly, Swanson would only make a few more film appearances throughout the remaining decades of her life.
Mickey Rourke’s years as a gruff leading man were already drawing to a close by the turn of the new millennium, but he continued to work consistently throughout the decade. However,2008’sThe Wrestlerput him back on the map as a dramatic powerhouse, and the Darren Aronofsky film eerily echoed Rourke’s own real-life struggles.
The critically-acclaimed sports drama was a return to form for Rourke, and his comeback peaked with 2010’sIron Man 2. Just as quickly as Rourke returned, he began to fade away. He soon began starring in direct-to-consumer films, and he has not stopped working in the years since. Very publicscandals likely mean Rourke won’t have another big comeback again.
John Travolta was one of the hottest stars of the 1970s, butthe 1980s and early 1990s were unkind to theGreasestar. A few hits broke up a chain of flops, and Travolta’s filmography was too inconsistent to build any momentum. That changed when he took a chance on Quentin Tarantino’sPulp Fiction, and a new Travolta was born.
Being allowed to cut loose helped show another side of the actor, and it opened the door for new kinds of roles. Big financial hits likeFace/Offreversed his worrying box office trend, and he stayed consistently busy until the 2010s. While he’s mostly stuck to “geezer teaser” movies since then, Travolta’s turn inPulp Fictionis still revered.
ThoughIron Manusually gets credit for being Robert Downey Jr.’s big comeback movie,it’s actuallyKiss Kiss Bang Bangthat marked the beginning of his return. Having bottomed-out in the early 2000s due to personal issues like addiction, Downey Jr. was soon due for a return, and director Shane Black saw the potential in him immediately.
The off-the-wall thriller gave RDJ a chance to be humorous, and his turn as Harry Lockhart has a lot of the same energy that he would bring to Tony Stark a few years later.Unlike many other Hollywood returns, Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t gone anywherein the two decades sinceKiss Kiss Bang Bang, and his career continues to hit new heights.
Ke Huy Quan made a name for himself as a child actor in the ’80s and early ’90s, andThe Gooniesis a certified classic. However,Quan disappeared from the spotlight for two decades, making his one of the longest-awaited comebacks in history. When he appeared inEverything Everywhere All at Once,he left a lot of audience members floored.
Quan didn’t just come back,he burst on the scene with a vengeance, and won an Oscar for his work. Quan’s return is only just getting started, and he has appeared in a handful of major projects since 2022. Unlike others who have faded away quickly, the Oscar-winner is likely here to stay.
Brendan Fraser’s return to the spotlight was perhaps one of the most welcome sights in recent memory, but his return movie was certainly challenging. Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation ofThe Whalewas met with controversy from the start, but it allowed Fraser to turn ina harrowing performance that was the strongest of his entire career thus far.
Fraser’s newfound goodwill blossomed into a deserved Oscar win, and the movie itself is a contentious but strong addition to Aronofsky’s filmography. Fraser had dropped out of view after a string of flops, but the actor’s continued popularity proves they weren’t his fault. He hasn’t appeared in too manymoviessince, but audiences are ready for more from him soon.
