25 Hollywood A-list stars who made improbable comebacks

The former Baywatch star and ex-husband of Tommy Lee, Anderson, actually has done well for herself during the first half of the 2020s, with her Broadway role starring in  Chicago (2022) and the documentary Pamela, a Love Story (2023). However, in 2024, the former Baywatch siren earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, for her role as veteran showgirl Sally, who's looking to maintain a career, in Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl. In addition, Anderson took her renewed fame to plug the healthy, often makeup-free lifestyle she's living these days.

Barrymore came from one of Hollywood's most famous families and enjoyed a rather infamous childhood after earning fame at age 7 for her role as the precocious little sister "Gertie" in the 1980s blockbuster E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Grown up and sober, Barrymore  followed those troubled adolescent and young adult years by blossoming into a Hollywood mogul juggling acting (Never Been Kissed, Boys on the Side, The Wedding Singer), producing, directing and talk-show host gigs. While Drew Barrymore is still not afraid to have fun, it's more controlled these days. 

Bateman has gone from child orphan (Little House on the Prairie) to conniving friend (Silver Spoons) to teen idol (The Hogan Family). However, after a bit of dry spell, at least in terms of being a leading man, he's become an even bigger star as an adult thanks to his role as Michael Bluth, Arrested Development's voice of reason within the famed dysfunctional family. He's also enjoyed film success with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Horrible Bosses, starred in the Netflix hit Ozark and become quite the popular podcaster and pitchman.

A child star during the 1990s while starring in the 1990s' hit Blossom, Bialik stepped away from Hollywood for a time. She attended UCLA and earned her PhD degree in neuroscience. Bialik officially returned to acting in a major way as Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS smash sitcom The Big Bang Theory. For her work as Sheldon Cooper's forceful girlfriend and eventual wife, Bialik earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

One of the great actors of the 1950s, Brando won an Academy Award for his work in On the Waterfront (1954), and also starred in classic pictures in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Viva Zapata! (1952), Julius Caesar (1953) and Sayonara (1957). However, in the years that followed, Brando achieved various levels of movie success, but was also branded a box-office risk. Then, he took the role of mob king Vito Corleone, in The Godfather, for which he won his second Oscar. Brando followed with small, but notable roles in Superman (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979).

Brody might forever be known as the lovably funny and sweet Seth Cohen from The O.C., and while he has not disappeared from Hollywood (he appeared in 2020's Promising Young Woman, which won the Academy Award), he wasn't a mainstream staple for some time. But, in 2024, Cohen regained prominence and showed why he's easy to like on screen with the popular Netflix hit Nobody Wants This.  Cohen earned a Golden Globe nomination and Critics' Choice Award for his role as Noah Roklov, a modern and contemporary rabbi, who begins a relationship with an outspoken sex/dating podcaster, played by Kristen Bell .  

To those Gen Xers, Cryer will forever be celebrated as Duckie, the lovable slacker from the John Hughes-penned classic Pretty in Pink (1986). And, while Cryer continued to act after that breakout role, he never came near to earning similar acclaim. That was until he took the role of Alan Harper, the seemingly always down-on-his-luck single dad from the hit CBS comedy Two and a Half Men  (2003–2015). Starring opposite Charlie Sheen for most of the show's stellar run, Cryer won two Primetime Emmy Awards.

When the legendary Davis left Warner Bros. near the end of the 1940s, the move capped a career lull and a disappointing professional stretch for Davis, who had already won two Academy Awards by that point. However, in 1950, she earned her ninth Oscar nomination for her role as Margo Channing in All About Eve. Davis would be nominated two more times by the Academy, and further solidified her comeback with another acclaimed performance in 1955's The Virgin Queen.

In what could arguably be the greatest comeback in Hollywood, Downey went from nearly succumbing to substance abuse to becoming one of the biggest stars on the planet. He's portrayal of a well-off junkie from the 1987 film version of Less Than Zero, mirrored Downey's own personal struggles. After earning acclaim for the title role in 1992's Chaplin, Downey eventually entered a rehab facility and returned ready to get serious about his life. He won a Golden Globe Award while starring on Ally McBeal, then started getting regular work and ultimately earned his career-defining role as Iron Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The star of Encino Man and School Ties, both from 1992, but consistently away from the spotlight after starring in The Mummy trilogy (1999-2008), Fraser proved he could still deliver on-screen with his performance in 2021's Sudden Move. Then his days as a leading man returned in his emotionally impactful, Academy Award-winning effort in The Whale (2022). Fraser donned prosthetics for his role as a 600-pound online English professor, who is trying to find his purpose, have a relationship with his estranged daughter, and find something to feel good about.

Star of the 1970s blaxploitation films such as Foxy Brown , Grier's characters don't take any lip from anybody while playing ough female roles. However, the 1980s were relatively quiet, in terms of consistent big-screen exposure. However, Grier, who made a resurgence in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 hit thriller  Jackie Brown  -- her first notable starring role in almost 30 years. Grier has long been an influence on many young female Black actresses who laud her strength and empowerment.

Harris was one of the most popular actors around in his early teens on Doogie Howser, M.D., but his professional success was significantly elevated as an adult -- after spending a great deal of time out of the limelight. He resurfaced via a brilliant cameo in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004). In addition to his role as babe-hound Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother, Harris has won multiple prime-time Emmy awards and a Tony award. He's also hosted both award shows and the 2015 Academy Awards. 

The great Katharine Hepburn won an Oscar for 1933's Morning Glory. However, she followed that with a string of poorly received, box-office flops that delivered a hit to her career. It also didn't help that Hepburn was not a fan of Hollywood, going against the establishment within the business, which left her as somewhat of a pariah. But, Hepburn regained her credibility and fame when she starred in a successful stage version of The Philadelphia Story. She eventually got the film rights for the movie version (1940), which she starred and earned a third Oscar nomination. From there, Hepburn reinforced herself as Hollywood legend, one of the most versatile actors ever to grace the big and small screen.

Perhaps the best entertainment comeback story in recent memory-- or two decades -- is that of Ke Huy Quan, the now-grown-up former child star best known as Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data from The Goonies. Quan delivers a strong performance in 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once , opposite star Michelle Yeoh, the disenchanted Chinese-American immigrant and laundromat owner Evelyn. Who finds herself traveling through parallel universes to save the multiverse in this quirky, creative and touching comedy-drama. And in true Hollywood feel-good fashion, Ke Huy Quan won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

A regular leading man in the 1980s and '90s, Keaton filled that role off and on over the past two decades. However, Keaton proved he can still deliver an A-list performance with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Like his character, Riggan Thomson, the actor who played an iconic screen superhero (which continues to consume his psyche), Keaton was looking for that leading-man resurgence. He certainly got it.

Focused and seemingly grounded, Lohan was back in the spotlight from 2024. She had parts in three movies released last year. A cameo in the musical film version of Mean Girls, and drew raves with a pair of Netflix rom-coms, the Irish Wish and Our Little Secret. Lohan hit the talk show circuit in full force, but is genuinely ready to resurge when Freakier Friday is released in Summer 25, where she joins Jamie Lee Curtis  in the sequel to their beloved 2003 hit Freaky Friday.

A member of the famed "Brat Pack," from the 1980s, Lowe was a pin-up dreamboat seemingly destined for consistent Hollywood success. However, the late 1980s and early '90s proved different for most of those young adult stars from the '80s, and Lowe wasn't spared. It didn't help that Lowe was also embroiled in scandal during the late 1980s. However, he drew raves for his supporting role in the Chris Farley classic Tommy Boy (1995) and officially re-announced his presence by joining the cast of The West Wing (1999-2003), where he received Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. He then enjoyed more success, this time in a comedic environment, as the happy-go-lucky, health-conscious Chris Traeger on the NBC hit Parks and Recreation.

Lyonne becoming a budding young star while appearing in acclaimed indie movies such as Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), and even greater success through the American Pie movie franchise. However, after basically blending into the Hollywood landscape, Lyonne, who usually played tough, confident characters, jump-started her career while appearing in the popular series Orange Is the New Black (which began in 2013). She then returned to the small screen with award-nominated performances in streaming favorites Russian Doll (2019–2022), and Poker Face (2023–present).

A frequent co-star of Rob Lowe during the 1980s and fellow Brat Packer. Speaking of the latter, Moore appeared in the 2024 Andrew McCarthy documentary Brats, and delivered a brutally honest moment of the entire era and aftermath. However, she was back in the spotlight for her role in the Golden Globe Award-nominated satirical picture The Substance. In keeping with the spirit of Brats, Moore was hailed for playing once-popular Hollywood actress Elisabeth Sparkle, who was shunned from a role due to her aging appearance and opted to do something drastic about it all. 

One of the biggest stars in the business during the 1980s, '90s, and the first decade of the 2000s. Yet there was a decent run of poorly received films by the legendary funny man that left many wondering if Murphy could still be relevant. He answered that with a rather resounding "YES." He returned to prominence with his role in Dolemite Is My Name (2019), and reprised previously beloved characters for Coming 2 America (2021) and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024). In 2020, Murphy also won his first Primetime Emmy Award for hosting Saturday Night Live.

A late 1980s and early '90s star (thanks to the likes of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, My Own Private Idaho and Point Break), Reeves endured disappointing box-office efforts for a stretch. That changed when he took on the role of Neo in The Matrix (1999), and was back in the spotlight through that series of films. Following more lackluster movies, Reeves again found massive success while starring in John Wick (2014), which spawned another successful franchise of films.

One of Hollywood's biggest stars during the 1980s, thanks to movies like Diner (1982), Rumble Fish (1983), The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), and Barfly (1987). Following a stint as a boxer, Rourke, who has endured his share of off-screen troubles, struggled in Hollywood for some time. Then returned to acclaim in Robert Rodriguez's neo-noir thriller Sin City (2005). But three years later with The Wrestler, Rourke truly re-established himself. His Randy 'The Ram' Robinson tried to recapture his ring success from the 1980s in order to simply survive in the present. Rourke's physical transformation was another memorable aspect of this enthralling and heartbreaking movie that earned him an Academy Award nomination.

Ryder has never officially run away from acting (1980s and '90s fav was part of the Stranger Things phenomenon). But, she returned to the mainstream spotlight in 2024, with her appearance in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-anticipated sequel to the 1988 favorite Beetlejuice,  Ryder reprised her role as Lydia Deetz, who is now the mother of a teenage daughter. Though Ryder's press appearances for the show proved a little distant at times, she seemed to fit right in with today's Hollywood. And, was more than happy to team with co-star and screen daughter Jenna Ortega  to promote the film. 

It can be argued that Travolta had multiple comebacks to his now-legendary acting career. Rising to fame with Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Welcome Back, Kotter, Travolta rebounded from some questionable roles to hit it big again with the Look Who's Talking film franchise during the 1980s and '90s. Then after those movies wore out their welcome, Travolta ended another professional lull by starring as the iconic Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. Since then, Travolta has remained relevant, while becoming somewhat of an action star, in the process.

The multiple Golden Globe Award winner, Zellweger earned her A-list status with roles in Jerry Maguire (1996), One True Thing (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001),  to kick off that franchise, musical film version of Chicago (2002) and won an Academy Award for her part in 2003's Cold Mountain. However, following a hiatus from acting, Zellweger truly returned in 2019, earning acclaim while starring in Netflix's What/If, and played Judy Garland in Judy, for which she won her second Oscar.