History CareerResurrection / Film

* '''Creator/KeHuyQuan''' with ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce''. Quan was a notable child actor in TheEighties, notably playing Short Round in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' and Data in ''Film/TheGoonies''. However, he struggled to find roles in adulthood and eventually retired from acting in TheNineties. After graduating from film school at USC, he moved to behind the camera work in various production positions. Inspired by the massive success of ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'' in 2018, Quan decided to return to acting right around the time Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka DANIELS) were casting ''Everything Everywhere All at Once''. He was later announced as part of the film's cast in January 2020, with the film later being released in March 2022 to astounding success. Quan's performance as a husband navigating the multiverse garnered particularly favorable attention, with reviews noting that it's a genuine comeback performance after decades of obscurity. He won and got nominated for numerous awards, including the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actor. He was quickly cast in further high-profile projects, including the second season of ''Series/{{Loki|2021}}'' and the Creator/DisneyPlus series ''American Born Chinese''.

* '''Creator/BrendanFraser''' in ''Film/TheWhale''. Fraser was a rising star in the 1990's to mid 2000's, with hits such as ''Franchise/TheMummy'' and ''Film/SchoolTies'', before his career was derailed with ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' and several other bombs. In the late 2010's, his career started to regain traction and critical acclaim on the small-screen with ''Series/{{Trust}}'' and ''Series/DoomPatrol2019''. A younger generation sympathized with his CreatorBreakdown, after finding out that his mother had died, and he had been sexually assaulted. In 2022, he won his first Oscar for ''The Whale'', with more key roles in major-studio films in the pipeline.

* '''Creator/NicoleKidman''' first became famous in the '90s through a variety of performances in acclaimed films, the most notable being 1999's ''Film/EyesWideShut'' (where she co-starred opposite her then-husband Creator/TomCruise). Further successes came with ''Film/MoulinRouge'' and ''Film/{{The Others|2001}}'' in 2001, which culminated with a Best Actress Oscar win for her role in 2002's ''Film/TheHours''. Starting around 2004, however, she began falling into a slump with flops like ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', ''Film/{{Australia}}'', and ''Film/JustGoWithIt''. Her sole saving grace during this time was the 2010 adaptation of the play ''Theatre/RabbitHole'', which was an AcclaimedFlop that still earned her another Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Kidman's lowest point came in 2014 with ''Grace of Monaco'', a film with a rather TroubledProduction that was critically derided (with a glaring 9% on Website/RottenTomatoes) and had its theatrical release revoked in the U.S. (ultimately being shunted to a debut on Creator/{{Lifetime}}). After that debacle, however, Kidman's luck began to turn for the better. First, she appeared as the main antagonist in the well-received children's film ''Film/Paddington2014''. Her next notable role was in 2016's ''Film/{{Lion}}'', which was a financial SleeperHit that received multiple Oscar nominations (including another acting nomination for Kidman, this time in the Best Supporting Actress category). She branched out into television with HBO's ''Series/BigLittleLies'' the following year, for which she won Primetime Emmy Awards for acting in and producing the miniseries. She then had three theatrical releases in 2018: ''Film/{{Destroyer|2018}}'', ''Film/BoyErased'', and most notably, the superhero film ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' as the titular character's mother, which became her biggest financial success. In 2021, she portrayed Creator/LucilleBall in the Creator/AaronSorkin drama ''Film/BeingTheRicardos''. While the film itself got mixed reviews, Kidman earned raves (and a Golden Globe) for her work. Her performance has once more put her into the contest for Oscar glory and she did get nominated for Best Actress, alongside Javier Bardem (see above) portraying Ball's husband Creator/DesiArnaz (for which he got an Oscar nomination too).

* '''Creator/WillemDafoe''' with ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire'' and ''Film/SpiderMan1''. Dafoe initially was one of the most notable up-and-coming actors of TheEighties, having attained an Oscar nomination for his supporting performance as Sgt. Elias in Creator/OliverStone's ''Film/{{Platoon}}'' and further critical praise for his role as UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist''. His trajectory dipped down, however, when he starred opposite Music/{{Madonna}} in the critically reviled erotic thriller ''Film/BodyOfEvidence'', which was deemed one of the worst films of TheNineties and was nominated for six UsefulNotes/{{Golden Raspberry Award}}s (with Dafoe being nominated for Worst Actor). While Madonna was able to retain success with her music, Dafoe spent the next few years in relative anonymity. He kept popping up sporadically in supporting roles (most notably in ''Film/ClearAndPresentDanger'' and ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', with Dafoe rarely mentioned in those films' plaudits despite their success), before his portrayal of silent film star Max Schreck in the 2000 film ''Shadow of the Vampire'' netted him rave reviews and another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later, he portrayed the ComicBook/GreenGoblin in Creator/SamRaimi's ''Spider-Man'', which became his first big financial success in years. Since then, Dafoe garnered two more Oscar nominations for ''Film/TheFloridaProject'' and ''At Eternity's Gate'', became a member of Creator/WesAnderson's ProductionPosse, appeared in the $1B dollar-grossing ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'', and appeared in many other critically acclaimed films (''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', ''Film/TheFaultInOurStars'', ''Film/JohnWick'', ''Film/TheLighthouse'', etc.), re-affirming his place on Hollywood's A-List. He would later reprise his role as the Green Goblin in the MCU-set ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', which eclipsed the first ''Spider-Man'' and ''Aquaman'' as his highest-grossing film ever. Despite its 2021 release amid the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, ''No Way Home'' scored over $1 billion dollars during its first two weeks in theaters. It became the first film since the start of the pandemic to do so and broke many other box office records in the process. Reviews were positive as well, with Dafoe's performance considered a standout for the manic energy he brought to the role while also being game to do his own stunts despite being '''in his sixties'''.

* '''Creator/JimCarrey''' in ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020''. He seemed to fade from the limelight after 2014's ''Film/DumbAndDumberTo'', the sequel to ''Film/DumbAndDumber''. Due to various legal issues surrounding that film against the crew responsible for making it, it marked the end of Carrey's reign as a box office heavyweight after he had been the biggest for a time. Carrey mainly appeared in smaller art-house releases and direct-to-video fare after that flop, becoming better known for controversial paintings critical of former president UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump among several others. He also suffered from severe depression and coped with his ex-girlfriend's suicide. However, 2017 saw things begin to turn around: the Netflix documentary ''Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond'' (about his experiences making ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'') was highly acclaimed, he had a modest success with the Showtime series ''Series/{{Kidding}}'' (which ran two seasons), and he got the role of Dr. Robotnik in a film adaptation of the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' video game series. When the film was released in 2020, it not only was the film the second video game-based live-action film to see critical and box office success after ''Film/DetectivePikachu'', but it also was Carrey's first big-budget movie in 6 years. From there his well-reviewed debut novel (with Dana Vachon) ''Memoirs and Misinformation'' sold well, and guest performances as the presidential candidate and later president UsefulNotes/JoeBiden on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' garnered viral fame and some acclaim. Come 2022, ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2'' managed the biggest opening weekend of his career (slightly outperforming ''Film/BruceAlmighty''). Meanwhile, his voiceover work on Music/TheWeeknd's ''Dawn FM'' was widely regarded as a highlight of the album. These successes also point to his now having a multigenerational fanbase.

* Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer and Creator/UnitedArtists seem to be making a comeback as of the start of TheNewTwenties. United Artists merged with MGM after the failure of ''Film/HeavensGate'' in 1980, and MGM itself went bankrupt in 2010, which meant that its films had to be distributed by other studios. However, MGM and UA would resume self-distribution of their films in 2018 starting with ''Creed II'', which was considered a worthy successor to the original film. In 2019, the company changed its name ''United Artists Releasing'' and managed to put out hits such as ''Booksmart'', ''The Hustle'', and ''The Addams Family''. Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic shaking things up for the company and the rest of Hollywood in 2020, the studio had a surprisingly decent 2021, with the only true failure being ''Respect'' - ''No Time To Die'' became one of the highest-grossing films of 2021. ''House of Gucci'' became the highest-grossing drama film of the year. ''Licorice Pizza'' became an Oscar contender. ''Wrath of Man'' and ''The Addams Family 2'' also increased profits. With ''Dog'' turning into a surprise comedy hit the following year, it seems that MGM is slowly but surely returning to its former glory. In March 2022, Creator/{{Amazon}} completed its purchase of the studio for $8.45 billion.
* Creator/{{Paramount}} has not had the best of times during the latter half of the 2010s and early 2020s, thanks to a volatile combination of high-profile and costly bombs, leadership turnovers, and toxic industry politics. 2022 has seen a change for the better, as the studio released two acclaimed franchise movies that made back their small budgets many times over - ''Film/{{Scream|2022}}'' and ''Series/{{Jackass}} Forever'', with the former even getting a sequel green-lit a month after its release and the latter getting a second revival series. They also experienced a mid-budget hit with the adventure rom-com ''Film/TheLostCity'', which became the first non-IP film post-pandemic to open with more than $30m worldwide. Then ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022'' opened to better reviews than its predecessor and made $71 million dollars in its opening weekend, confirming that the studio is a new franchise to rely on. Paramount's good luck also extended to ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', which opened at the Cannes Film Festival to stellar reviews, became the first film from the studio to open over $100m in its opening weekend since 2014, and topped ''Film/Titanic1997'''s long-standing record as the studio's highest-grossing domestic title. Their streaming service, Creator/ParamountPlus, has also seen major growth, thanks to such hits as ''Series/{{Halo}}'', ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', etc.

* '''Creator/HughGrant''' is a two-folded self-inflected example - after gradually losing his boyhood looks and starhood status in the mid-naughties, he retired from acting to pursue more significant parts behind the camera as a producer and outspoken political activist. This worked well for him until ''Film/FlorenceFosterJenkins'' was offered to him, in part because the opportunity to work opposite Creator/MerylStreep was just too good to pass up. The film was a flop, but the acting bug bit him hard and he would soon appear as the BigBad in ''Film/Paddington2'', a delightfully [[MetaCasting Meta Casted]] LargeHam part that leapfrogged him into future {{One Scene Wonder}}s.

* '''Creator/KristenStewart''' in ''Film/{{Spencer}}''. Just as it was for her co-star (and [[RomanceOnTheSet boyfriend]]) Creator/RobertPattinson, ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' was a double-edged sword that made her rich and famous but seemed to limit her career prospects afterwards, earning her a reputation for DullSurprise performances. ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'' in 2012 knocked her off the A-list, especially after she was caught cheating on Pattinson with the film's director Rupert Sanders, which caused ''Twilight'' fans to [[YokoOhNo turn against her]]. However, she responded to her exile from Hollywood by, like Pattinson, going indie and demonstrating that [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct she could actually act]]. With her performance in ''Film/CloudsOfSilsMaria'', she became the first American actress to win a César Award (the French version of the Oscars). Stewart also did a 180 on her public image from TheIngenue to a bisexual, semi-butch GoodBadGirl that turned out to be a much better fit for her. Whereas in 2012 she was one of the most disliked young actresses in Hollywood, by the end of the decade it seemed as if all was forgiven. In 2021, she played Princess Diana in ''Spencer''. Her performance has been acclaimed as her finest work yet, and she even earned an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actress.

* '''Creator/JohnTravolta''' in ''Film/PulpFiction''. His career started with iconic roles in ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' and ''Film/{{Grease}}'', a respectable run on the very successful sitcom ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'' and even critical acclaim with ''Film/BlowOut''. He spent most of TheEighties in hiding, reemerging briefly in the {{narm}}ish ''Film/LookWhosTalking'' (which was a hit) and its two sequels (the first which was only a minor success and the second which failed). However, Travolta made his comeback with the iconic Creator/QuentinTarantino Academy Award-nominated hit and followed up with ''Film/GetShorty'', cementing him as an A-list actor for the next few years. Then, of course, came ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', a passion project based on the works of Creator/LRonHubbard that was a StarDerailingRole that left his career in ruins. After a decade of flop after flop, he's fallen into DirectToVideo hell.

* '''Zach Cregger''''s directorial debut was the ''very'' poorly-received ''Film/MissMarch'', which he co-directed alongside his fellow ''Series/TheWhitestKidsUKnow'' cast member Trevor Moore. The film was heavily criticized for its over-reliance on crass, crude humor, leading him to [[OldShame disown the final product]]. Thirteen years later, he finally got a win in the form of the [[CreatorsOddball horror]] movie ''Film/{{Barbarian}}'', a critical and financial success that earned praise for Cregger's direction and screenplay.

* '''Creator/DavidORussell''' with ''Film/TheFighter''. His first three films were relatively successful. But in 2004, he made ''Film/IHeartHuckabees'', which got mixed reviews, didn't make a profit, and Russell's [[PrimaDonnaDirector difficult on-set behavior]] became more famous than the actual movie. His next project, ''Nailed'', suffered from so much delay, that production was shut down because the crew was not getting paid. However, in 2010, Russell made ''Film/TheFighter'', which received critical acclaim, was a commercial success, and brought him Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Picture. His next [[Film/SilverLiningsPlaybook two]] [[Film/AmericanHustle films]] followed suit. However, the Sony email hacks would eventually expose Russell was back to his old tricks on the set of ''Film/AmericanHustle'', with Amy Adams eventually revealing all the abuse she suffered during filming. Not helping matters was the revelation that the film's female leads had been paid drastically lower wages than their male co-stars. Russell's follow-up film ''Film/Joy2015'' got mixed reviews and quickly faded from public consciousness, after which he wouldn't make a film for seven years. That film, ''Film/Amsterdam2022'', was released to poor financial and critical reception, which combined with more allegations of controversial behavior becoming known following the Weinstein effect and [=#MeToo=] movement, seems to have put his career six feet under.

* '''Creator/WoodyHarrelson''', although pretty much always cast as a sidekick or character actor, had a solid run on ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' for nearly a decade. During and after its run he turned in a steady string of solid performances in fairly successful films (''Film/LAStory'', ''Film/DocHollywood'', ''Film/WhiteMenCantJump'', ''Film/IndecentProposal'', ''Film/NaturalBornKillers''), and even earned several award nominations (among them an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward) for his performance as "Hustler" magnate Larry Flynt in ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt''. He sort of vanished after that, turning up in bit parts in major films or as a guest star on a television series (including a memorable stint on ''Series/WillAndGrace''). However, his career began to pick up in the mid-2000s; first, he obtained a minor but noteworthy role in ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen'', which revived the careers of Josh Brolin (see above) and the Coen brothers (see below in Directors). In 2009, he turned a memorable performance in ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' as a gun-toting, redneck, Twinkie-seeking Tallahassee; that same year, he also got critical acclaim and another Academy Award nomination for his supporting performance in ''Film/TheMessenger2009''. Harrelson was eventually cast as Haymitch Abernathy in ''Film/TheHungerGames'', and stayed for [[Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire all]] [[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart1 three]] [[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjayPart2 sequels]]. These hits put Harrelson back on the A-List, often in a first- or second-billed role. He later starred alongside Creator/JulianneMoore in ''Film/GameChange'' and alongside old friend Matthew [=McConaughey=] in ''Series/TrueDetective'', and received UsefulNotes/EmmyAward nominations for his work in both. Later on, ''Film/ThreeBillboardsOutsideEbbingMissouri'' netted Harrelson a third Academy Award nomination.

* '''Creator/MichaelKeaton''' in ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance''. Known for comedic roles in TheEighties, Keaton first hit it big playing the title role in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/Batman1989''. However, his career fell into a slump once he left after the [[Film/BatmanReturns sequel]] and was finally destroyed by ''Film/JackFrost1998''. The 2000s saw Keaton pursuing a number of secondary roles in lesser films, though he still managed to do some good voice work for Pixar in ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'' and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3''. ''Birdman'', in which Keaton plays [[ActorAllusion a washed-up actor known for a superhero role twenty years ago]], earned him a Golden Globe win and an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor, setting him on the path to becoming a leading man once more. His following films, ''Film/{{Spotlight}}'' and ''Film/TheFounder'', also opened to excellent reviews (with ''Spotlight'' winning the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture), before starring as the Vulture in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''. His performance was hailed by fans and critics as one of the best villain performances in not just the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, but superhero movies in general. He then joined the ensemble cast of ''Film/TheTrialOfTheChicago7'' with Creator/SachaBaronCohen (see above), and played the lead in the Creator/{{Hulu}} miniseries ''Series/{{Dopesick}}''. Both projects were praised, with ''Dopesick'' winning him an UsefulNotes/EmmyAward in 2022. Keaton will later, finally don the Batman cowl again, this time in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse film ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}''.

* '''Creator/MickeyRooney''' started his acting career at just 17 months, and even in his teens continued his career as the "hyperactive, girl-crazy" Film/AndyHardy, often together with Creator/JudyGarland. Rooney's enlistment in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII saw his career decline, making a few TV and film appearances after that (most notably in ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld'' and ''Film/BreakfastAtTiffanys''). Eventually, in 1979, the 59-year-old Rooney made a comeback with the Broadway play ''Sugar Babies'' to rave reviews. After that, he worked often on both screen and stage till his death in 2014.
* '''Creator/MickeyRourke''' in ''Film/TheWrestler''. His career started with high critical praise and success for roles in ''Film/{{Diner}}'', ''Film/NineAndAHalfWeeks'' and ''Film/AngelHeart''. However, much like Downey, his substance abuse problems (and a bizarre decision to get into boxing) would drag him down. He made a series of small, low-budget films for 20 years, until Creator/RobertRodriguez dusted him off to play Billy in ''Film/OnceUponATimeInMexico'' and Marv in ''Film/SinCity''. Rourke then had a supporting role in box office bomb ''Film/{{Domino|2005}}'' before being cast in a "very close to home" role as a washed-up former pro wrestler in ''The Wrestler'', which netted him an Oscar nomination and a part opposite Downey in ''Film/IronMan2''. However, after the failure of ''Film/{{Immortals}}'', [[StarDerailingRole he has fallen back out of stardom]], now mainly appearing in DirectToVideo films.

* '''Creator/MichelleYeoh''' in ''Film/CrazyRichAsians''. Yeoh moved from her homeland Malaysia to China so she could try acting after establishing herself prior as a model. She quickly became a major figure of Hong Kong action cinema who frequently did her own stunts. Yeoh then made her Hollywood debut as Wai Lin opposite Creator/PierceBrosnan in the Franchise/JamesBond flick ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', with her performance and role praised as a good {{foil}} to his 007. Her biggest role came when Creator/AngLee cast her in his ''wuxia'' epic ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'', which truly established her in the eyes of international audiences. Yeoh's screen career afterwards, however, sagged with a string of failures like ''Film/MemoirsOfAGeisha'' (which got mixed reviews, especially for casting non-Japanese actors like Yeoh and Creator/ZhangZiyi in Japanese roles, perpetuating the racist perception in Hollywood that Asians are interchangeable), ''Film/TheMummyTombOfTheDragonEmperor'' (which became both the lowest-grossing and worst-received entry in the Creator/BrendanFraser series), ''Film/BabylonAD'', and ''Film/{{Morgan}}'', with her sole hit for almost a decade being a voice role in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2''. Her popularity, fortunately, recovered around the tail end of TheNewTens, starting with ''Series/StrikeBack'', ''Series/MarcoPolo'', and ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' on TV. She then got her first major Hollywood role in years via the film adaptation of ''Literature/CrazyRichAsians'', playing the imperturbable matriarch Eleanor Young. The film was notable for being the first American film in nearly 25 years to feature a predominantly Asian cast, following ''Film/TheJoyLuckClub'' in 1993. It received widely positive reviews and was a surprise box office success in 2018, later on becoming the highest-grossing {{romantic comedy}} of the decade. Yeoh's performance was particularly hailed, with talk of her possibly nabbing an Oscar nomination circulating which ultimately didn't come to fruition. Yeoh eventually went back to her action movie roots with a supporting role as Ying Nan in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse film ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'' [[note]]following a cameo as a different character in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2''[[/note]], which was a decent hit in 2021. In 2022, she finally played another lead role as multiversal traveler Evelyn Wang in ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' (which co-starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan, who have been previously listed on this page above). The film surpassed expectations to become the biggest financial success of indie studio Creator/{{A24}} and got even better reviews than ''Crazy Rich Asians'', while Yeoh's performance in it has been described as her finest yet. She ultimately won an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for it, making history as the first Asian actress to be nominated and win in this category.

* Creator/{{Paramount}} has not had the best of times during the latter half of the 2010s and early 2020s, thanks to a volatile combination of high-profile and costly bombs, leadership turnovers, and toxic industry politics. 2022 has seen a change for the better, as the studio released two acclaimed franchise movies that made back their small budgets many times over - ''Film/{{Scream|2022}}'' and ''Series/{{Jackass}} Forever'', with the former even getting a sequel green-lit a month after its release and the latter getting a second revival series. They also experienced a mid-budget hit with the adventure rom-com ''Film/TheLostCity'', which became the first non-IP film post-pandemic to open with more than $30m worldwide. Then ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022'' opened to better reviews than its predecessor and made $71 million dollars in its opening weekend, confirming that the studio is a new franchise to rely on. Paramount's good luck also extended to ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', which opened at the Cannes Film Festival to stellar reviews, and became the first film from the studio to open over $100m in its opening weekend since 2014. Their streaming service, Creator/ParamountPlus, has also seen major growth, thanks to such hits as ''Series/{{Halo}}'', ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'', etc.

* '''Creator/RalphFiennes''' shifted from Shakespearean theatre to a film career in TheNineties with UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated roles in ''Film/SchindlersList'' and ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', and he seemed to be on the way to being a star. However, the massive critical and financial failure of ''Film/TheAvengers1998'' killed his career for several years. Although Fiennes kept working sporadically in minor parts, it was only in 2005 that he truly had a resurgence with six releases that year. The most successful of those films were ''Film/TheConstantGardener'' and ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', with Fiennes playing [[Characters/HarryPotterLordVoldemort Lord Voldemort]] in the latter and returning for [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix later]] [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows films]] that rank as some of his career's biggest hits. He later on joined the Franchise/JamesBond series starting with ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' as Gareth Mallory/[[Characters/JamesBondM M]], returning for later entries ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' and ''Film/NoTimeToDie''. Outside that and the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' franchise, Fiennes affirmed his repute as an actor when films like ''Film/InBruges'', ''Film/TheGrandBudapestHotel'', ''Film/HailCaesar'', and ''Film/TheMenu'' were critically acclaimed, particularly for his performances.

* '''Creator/MorganFreeman''' in ''Film/MillionDollarBaby''. Gaining momentum in the late 1980s to early-mid 1990s, mostly for his role as a pimp in 1987's ''Street Smart'', he grew to become a household name for African-American cinema and was known for his award-winning performances in ''Film/{{Glory}}'', ''Film/DrivingMissDaisy'', ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'', and ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', until he was derailed with the flops of ''Literature/MollFlanders'' and ''Film/ChainReaction''. For the next several years, he would only play roles as narrators and other supporting roles until a shed of light appeared, when he was praised for his performance as {{God}} in ''Film/BruceAlmighty''. When he won an Academy Award for his role as a former boxer in ''Film/MillionDollarBaby'', he once again returned to A-list status, and it seems he still is not looking back.

* '''Creator/MatthewMcConaughey''' in ''Film/DallasBuyersClub''. He was [[HollywoodHypeMachine a hot young talent]] in TheNineties, starring in such acclaimed films as ''Film/DazedAndConfused'', ''Film/ATimeToKill'', ''Film/{{Amistad}}'', etc. However, his [[WalkingShirtlessScene perpetual shirtlessness]], plus poor choice of film roles, mostly in middling {{romantic comed|y}}ies, made him a walking punchline over the course of the [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]], with critics lamenting his squandered potential as a serious actor. Then he got critical acclaim in 2011 for his roles in ''Literature/TheLincolnLawyer'' and ''Film/KillerJoe'', and went on to astonish critics everywhere over the next few years with his turns in ''Film/{{Mud}}'', ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'', Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', the TV series ''Series/TrueDetective'', and ''Film/DallasBuyersClub'', which won him an Oscar in 2014. [=McConaughey=]'s seeming overnight turnaround from rom-com pretty boy to one of the brightest stars in Hollywood was dubbed "The [=McConaissance=]", but it was unfortunately nullified with a downslide since 2015. Most of his live-action films after that year haven't been successful, with his one major hit being ''Film/TheGentlemen'' (which was also a mild success for its director Guy Ritchie; see below). Luckily, he's cultivated a good career as a CelebrityVoiceActor with his work in ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'' ([[AcclaimedFlop which opened to critical acclaim, but flopped]]); ''WesternAnimation/{{Sing}}'', which got decent reviews and did fine at the box office, becoming his biggest hit domestically; and ''WesternAnimation/AgentElvis'', with [=McConaughey=] voicing the title character.

* '''Creator/JoshBrolin''' in ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen''. After being deemed a rising star in TheEighties following ''Film/TheGoonies'', a number of barely released films and short-lived television series derailed him. Brolin spent several years in obscurity in films like ''Film/{{Mimic}}'' and ''Film/HollowMan'' until turning it around in 2007 with supporting roles in three films: ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'', ''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'', and ''Film/AmericanGangster'', before playing the main protagonist in ''No Country for Old Men''. The role got him much praise despite an AwardSnub, although the next year he received more acclaim and an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for his supporting role in ''Film/{{Milk}}''. He hasn't looked back since then, with roles in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse as ComicBook/{{Thanos}} and in ''Film/Deadpool2'' as ComicBook/{{Cable}}. Beyond franchise work, Brolin soon reunited with ''No Country for Old Men'' directors the Coen brothers (mentioned below in Directors) with widely praised performances in ''Film/TrueGrit'' and ''Film/HailCaesar'' He also appeared in ''Film/{{Sicario}}'' with Creator/EmilyBlunt (listed above), and returned for its sequel ''Film/SicarioDayOfTheSoldado''.

* '''Creator/JohnKrasinski''' in ''Film/AQuietPlace''. He established himself in the mid-2000s with his role as Jim Halpert in ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', and the success of that sitcom convinced studios to push him as a leading man in film comedy. That swiftly ended when he headlined the critically mauled ''License to Wed'' in 2007, which also hurt the rising film career of Creator/MandyMoore (see Live-Action TV). Although he remained on ''The Office'' all the way until its run ended in 2013, Krasinski's film career was limited to supporting roles for the next ten years. Then he directed and headlined ''Film/AQuietPlace'' (co-starring opposite his wife Emily Blunt, mentioned above), which was praised as one of the scariest horror films of 2018. Krasinski received much critical acclaim for his performance while emerging as a promising filmmaker. The film's financial success ensured [[Film/AQuietPlacePartII a sequel]] was greenlit with Krasinski returning as a director. He also returned to television with ''Series/JackRyan'' that same year, which was a huge hit on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video.
* '''Creator/MatthewMcConaughey''' in ''Film/DallasBuyersClub''. He was [[HollywoodHypeMachine a hot young talent]] in TheNineties, starring in such acclaimed films as ''Film/DazedAndConfused'', ''Film/ATimeToKill'', ''Film/{{Amistad}}'', and ''Lone Star''. However, he became a walking punchline over the course of the [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]], with critics savaging his [[WalkingShirtlessScene perpetual shirtlessness]] and his poor choice of film roles and lamenting his squandered potential as a serious actor. Then in 2011, he earned big critical acclaim for his role in ''Literature/TheLincolnLawyer'' and ''Film/KillerJoe'', and went on to astonish critics everywhere over the next few years with his turns in ''Film/{{Mud}}'', ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'', Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', the TV series ''Series/TrueDetective'', and ''Film/DallasBuyersClub'', which won him an Oscar in 2014. Even the failure of ''The Paperboy'' couldn't slow him down. His seeming overnight turnaround from rom-com pretty boy to one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, and his comeback has been dubbed "The [=McConaissance=]". Unfortunately, [=McConaughey=] has been on a downslide since 2016, with only a few bright spots: ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'' ([[AcclaimedFlop which opened to critical acclaim, but flopped]]); ''WesternAnimation/{{Sing}}'', which got decent reviews and did well at the box office, becoming his biggest hit domestically; and ''Film/TheGentlemen'', which was also a moderate success for its director Guy Ritchie (see below).

* '''Creator/RobertPattinson''' in ''Film/TheBatman2022''. The ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' films, despite making him a TeenIdol, also made him into a target of ridicule, with his detractors, particularly those who never liked ''Twilight'' to begin with, believing that he [[DullSurprise couldn't act]]. The series ending in 2012 seemed to kill his career prospects... at least until he, his meal ticket paid for by those teen vampire movies, realized that he was free to do whatever the hell he wanted and proceeded to go indie. He recovered when ''Film/GoodTime'', ''Film/TheLostCityOfZ'', and ''Film/TheLighthouse'' were critically acclaimed, particularly for his performances, [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct surprising critics]] who wrote him off before. Director Creator/MattReeves later cast him as [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} the title role]] in ''The Batman'', a casting decision that met [[WTHCastingAgency the typical reaction]] at first but which died down considerably once his defenders pointed out his entire post-''Twilight'' career. Not only was this film critically acclaimed as well, it also became Pattinson's largest box office success ever since his ''Twilight'' days. This is no mean feat, given its release just as the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic was easing up.

* '''Creator/RobertDowneyJr''' in ''Film/IronMan1''. One of the biggest examples of this in modern Hollywood. He played a few roles in his Brat Pack years before receiving high critical praise in the biopic ''Film/{{Chaplin}}'' as Creator/CharlieChaplin, and the sky was the limit. Then his well-documented substance abuse problems eventually landed him in state prison in California as well as being in and out of rehab. He landed a recurring role on ''Series/AllyMcBeal'' (which he got fired from due to his last arrest) and would surface in a big-budget A-list film like ''Film/USMarshals'' with Creator/TommyLeeJones or ''Film/{{Gothika}}'' with Creator/HalleBerry, but never as the first-billed star. He would invariably be seen on the cover of some tabloid and being carted back to rehab shortly thereafter. Heck, his addiction and arrests were referenced on shows such as ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''. Downey Jr. rehearsed a comeback with critically praised roles in ''Film/KissKissBangBang'' and ''Film/AScannerDarkly''. Then ''Iron Man'' hit, his next film (''Film/TropicThunder'') netted him an Oscar nomination, ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009'' won him a Golden Globe, and ''Film/IronMan2'' was a smash hit at the box office. He also got top billing in the AllStarCast of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', once again reprising what's now recognized as his signature role, Tony Stark[=/=]ComicBook/IronMan, a character he has gone on to portray throughout the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. He became so well known for his role as Iron Man that the public eventually forgot about his arrests in TheNineties, and he was even pardoned by the state of California in 2015. As of now, he's considered one of the highest-paid male actors of all time alongside Creator/TomCruise and Creator/SamuelLJackson (whom he has worked with in multiple [=MCU=] films.)

[[/folder]]

* '''Creator/NicoleKidman''' first became famous in the '90s through a variety of performances in acclaimed films, the most notable being 1999's ''Film/EyesWideShut'' (where she co-starred opposite her then-husband Creator/TomCruise). Further successes came with ''Film/MoulinRouge'' and ''Film/{{The Others|2001}}'' in 2001, which culminated with a Best Actress Oscar win for her role in 2002's ''Film/TheHours''. Starting around 2004, however, she began falling into a slump with flops like ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', ''Film/{{Australia}}'', and ''Film/JustGoWithIt''. Her sole saving grace during this time was the 2010 adaptation of the play ''Theatre/RabbitHole'', which was an AcclaimedFlop that still earned her another Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Kidman's lowest point came in 2014 with ''Grace of Monaco'', a film with a rather TroubledProduction that was critically derided (with a glaring 9% on Website/RottenTomatoes) and had its theatrical release revoked in the U.S. (ultimately being shunted to a debut on Creator/{{Lifetime}}). After that debacle, however, Kidman's luck began to turn for the better. First, she appeared as the main antagonist in the well-received children's film ''Film/{{Paddington}}''. Her next notable role was in 2016's ''Film/{{Lion}}'', which was a financial SleeperHit that received multiple Oscar nominations (including another acting nomination for Kidman, this time in the Best Supporting Actress category). She branched out into television with HBO's ''Series/BigLittleLies'' the following year, for which she won Primetime Emmy Awards for acting in and producing the miniseries. She then had three theatrical releases in 2018: ''Film/{{Destroyer|2018}}'', ''Film/BoyErased'', and most notably, the superhero film ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' as the titular character's mother, which became her biggest financial success. In 2021, she portrayed Creator/LucilleBall in the Creator/AaronSorkin drama ''Film/BeingTheRicardos''. While the film itself got mixed reviews, Kidman earned raves (and a Golden Globe) for her work. Her performance has once more put her into the contest for Oscar glory and she did get nominated for Best Actress, alongside Javier Bardem (see above) portraying Ball's husband Creator/DesiArnaz (for which he got an Oscar nomination too).

* '''Creator/EmilyBlunt''' with ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow'' and ''Film/IntoTheWoods''. After her breakout role in ''Film/TheDevilWearsPrada'', Hollywood saw her as the next best thing. Unfortunately, her career, after making many errors in film choices, the comedy flop ''Film/GulliversTravels2010'' becoming the most notorious (which her commitment to forced her to decline the part of Black Widow in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse), appeared as if it would be perpetually restricted to small indies or supporting roles, such as in ''Film/{{Looper}}''. But then, 2014 had both ''Edge Of Tomorrow'' and ''Into the Woods'' catapult her back onto the A-list. Blunt has since enjoyed a nicer profile: with hit films like ''Film/{{Sicario}}'', ''Film/AQuietPlace'', ''Film/MaryPoppinsReturns'' and ''Film/JungleCruise''.
* '''Creator/MarlonBrando''' in ''Film/TheGodfather''. Brando was a major star in TheFifties with classic hits such as ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' and ''Film/OnTheWaterfront'', and he had won an Oscar for Best Actor for the latter. By TheSixties, however, Brando's failed movies outweighed his successes, partly due to his temper on set, and most movie studios considered him a risk. Flash forward to 1972, when Creator/FrancisFordCoppola was adapting Mario Puzo's novel onto the big screen, and he wanted the 47-year-old Brando to play the patriarch of a Mafia family. Creator/{{Paramount}} finally gave in after Coppola gave Brando a screen test, and ''The Godfather'' became an instant classic. Brando won a second Oscar for his performance as Don Vito Corleone, and high-profile roles in ''Film/LastTangoInParis'', ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' and ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' soon followed.
* '''Creator/JoshBrolin''' in ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen''. After being deemed a rising star in TheEighties following ''Film/TheGoonies'', a number of barely released films and short-lived television series derailed him. Brolin spent several years in obscurity in films like ''Film/{{Mimic}}'' and ''Film/HollowMan'' until turning it around in 2007 with supporting roles in three films: ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'', ''Film/InTheValleyOfElah'', and ''Film/AmericanGangster'', before playing the main protagonist in ''No Country for Old Men''. The role got him much praise despite an AwardSnub, although the next year he received more acclaim and an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for his supporting role in ''Film/{{Milk}}''. He hasn't looked back since then, with important roles in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse as ComicBook/{{Thanos}} and in ''Film/Deadpool2'' as ComicBook/{{Cable}}.

* '''Creator/BenAffleck''' with ''Film/GoneBabyGone'' and ''Film/TheTown''. After ''Film/{{Gigli}}'' infamously bombed, his career hit rock bottom. Then in 2007, he made his directorial debut with the critically and commercially successful ''Gone Baby Gone''. He followed that up in 2010 with the equally successful ''The Town'', which he acted in too. He won his second Oscar [[note]]having prior won for co-writing ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' with Creator/MattDamon[[/note]] as a producer in 2013 when his third film ''Film/{{Argo}}'' won Best Picture. Affleck's profile further increased when he was cast as ComicBook/{{Batman}} in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse, while starring in ''Film/GoneGirl'' netted more acclaim. While his follow-up directorial effort after ''Argo'', ''Film/LiveByNight'', garnered middling reception and profits in 2016, he quickly recovered his esteem when ''Film/Air2023'' earned stellar reviews.

* '''Creator/WillemDafoe''' with ''Film/ShadowOfTheVampire'' and ''Film/SpiderMan1''. Dafoe initially was one of the most notable up-and-coming actors of the 80s, having attained an Oscar nomination for his supporting performance as Sgt. Elias in Creator/OliverStone's ''Film/{{Platoon}}'' and further critical praise for his role as UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in Creator/MartinScorsese's ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist''. His trajectory dipped down, however, when he starred opposite Music/{{Madonna}} in the critically reviled erotic thriller ''Film/BodyOfEvidence'', which was deemed one of the worst films of TheNineties and was nominated for six UsefulNotes/{{Golden Raspberry Award}}s (with Dafoe being nominated for Worst Actor). While Madonna was able to retain success with her music, Dafoe spent the next few years in relative anonymity. He kept popping up sporadically in supporting roles (most notably in ''Film/ClearAndPresentDanger'' and ''Film/TheEnglishPatient'', with Dafoe rarely mentioned in those films' plaudits despite their success), before his portrayal of silent film star Max Schreck in the 2000 film ''Shadow of the Vampire'' netted him rave reviews and another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Two years later, he portrayed the ComicBook/GreenGoblin in Creator/SamRaimi's ''Spider-Man'', which became his first big financial success in years. Since then, Dafoe garnered two more Oscar nominations for ''Film/TheFloridaProject'' and ''At Eternity's Gate'', became a member of Creator/WesAnderson's ProductionPosse, appeared in the $1B dollar-grossing ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'', and appeared in many other critically acclaimed films (''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', ''Film/TheFaultInOurStars'', ''Film/JohnWick'', ''Film/TheLighthouse'', etc.), re-affirming his place on Hollywood's A-List. He would later reprise his role as the Green Goblin in the MCU-set ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'', which eclipsed the first ''Spider-Man'' and ''Aquaman'' as his highest-grossing film ever. Despite its 2021 release amid the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, ''No Way Home'' scored over $1 billion dollars during its first two weeks in theaters. It became the first film since the start of the pandemic to do so and broke many other box office records in the process. Reviews were positive as well, with Dafoe's performance considered a standout for the manic energy he brought to the role while also being game to do his own stunts despite being '''in his sixties'''.
* '''Creator/BetteDavis''' pulled this off twice. After transitioning from Broadway to the silver screen, she became one of Hollywood's most respected leading ladies of the 1930s and 40s. But after she had a failed lawsuit against her [[Creator/WarnerBros studio]], she found herself doing smaller and smaller films. Then came her famous performance as Margo Channing in ''Film/AllAboutEve'' and the following Oscar nomination. After the buzz from that had died down, she went radically against type as a psychotic WhiteDwarfStarlet in ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' - and that ensured that she was still working steadily until her death.
* '''Creator/DanielDayLewis''' in ''Film/GangsOfNewYork''. Day-Lewis was considered one of the top stars of the early 90s, thanks to his Oscar-winning role in ''Film/MyLeftFoot'' and hits like ''Film/TheLastOfTheMohicans''. Afterwards, due to his infamous selectiveness, he decided to retire from acting due to not liking the roles offered to him. Scorsese convinced him to return for OneLastJob. His iconic performance as Bill the Butcher and his second collaboration with his favorite director[[note]]Lewis always cited ''Film/TaxiDriver'' as the film that inspired him to become an actor[[/note]] revived his passion for his craft, and Lewis went on to the second stretch of his career which lasted fifteen years between this and ''Film/PhantomThread'' (which led to his second retirement). During this period, he won two more Best Actor Oscars for ''Film/ThereWillBeBlood'' and ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'', establishing himself as the best film actor of his generation and putting him in the pantheon with Creator/MarlonBrando and Creator/RobertDeNiro.

* '''Creator/LauraDern''' was a critical darling in the early 90's, appearing in such acclaimed films as ''Film/BlueVelvet'', ''Film/{{Mask|1985}}'', ''Film/WildAtHeart'' and ''Rambling Rose'' - as well as her prominent role in ''Film/JurassicPark''. She faced some backlash in her career when she starred in ''{{Series/Ellen}}'''s infamous "The Puppy Episode" and claims that she didn't work for a full year afterwards because of her role (though she claims she'd still do it all over again). Dern maintained a low profile in the 2000s but slowly returned to prominence in TheNewTens. It started with an appearance in the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward-nominated ''Film/TheMaster'' and aided by the SleeperHit ''Literature/TheFaultInOurStars''. She got an Academy Award nomination for ''{{Film/Wild}}'', and later was cast the star-studded miniseries ''Literature/BigLittleLies'' as well as ''Film/TheLastJedi''. She finally won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Film/MarriageStory'' in 2019, and returned in the summer of 2022 to the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' series with ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion''.

* '''James Fox''' with ''Literature/APassageToIndia''. He was a prominent star of the British New Wave in the '60s with prominent roles in films like ''Film/TheServant'', ''Literature/KingRat'', and ''Film/{{Performance}}'', while becoming recognizable among American audiences for his role in ''Film/ThoroughlyModernMillie''. However, Fox became heavily involved in drug culture, which (along with his father's death) precipitated a physical and mental breakdown. Fox left the film industry in 1970, became a born-again Christian, and disavowed his earlier career. In 1984, Fox appeared in the Creator/DavidLean epic ''A Passage to India'' and experienced a major comeback, both as a leading man and as a popular character actor, appearing in films as varied as ''Film/PatriotGames'', ''Film/TheRemainsOfTheDay'', ''Film/SexyBeast'', ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and ''Film/SherlockHolmes2009''.

* '''Creator/DennisHopper''' in ''Film/ApocalypseNow''. Although it seems impossible looking back at his career over the past twenty years, there was a time when Hopper was anathema to studios and audiences. After a meteoric rise to the top in the 1950s with appearances in ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'' and ''Film/{{Giant}}'' as well later appearing alongside Creator/JohnWayne in ''Film/TheSonsOfKatieElder'' and ''Film/TrueGrit'', and after his directorial debut ''Film/EasyRider'' in 1969, Hopper was on top of the world. However, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol and had a dissolving marriage to boot. In 1971, Hopper released his second film as a director, ''Film/TheLastMovie'', which was a complete flop with audiences and critics. Hopper would disappear into obscurity for years afterwards by hiding out in New Mexico and appearing in a number of low-budget films in the 1970s, often as a "tormented maniac", an archetype that landed him a role in 1979's ''Film/ApocalypseNow''. After a failed "suicide" attempt in the early 1980s (it ended up being a stunt), though, he went into rehab and subsequently started a run of critically-acclaimed performances, culminating in 1986 with his career-defining role as Frank Booth in David Lynch's ''Film/BlueVelvet'' and an Oscar-nominated one in ''Film/{{Hoosiers}}''.

* '''Creator/NicoleKidman''' first became famous in the 90's through a variety of performances in acclaimed films, the most notable being 1999's ''Film/EyesWideShut'' (where she co-starred opposite her then-husband Creator/TomCruise). Further successes came with ''Film/MoulinRouge'' and ''Film/{{The Others|2001}}'' in 2001, which culminated with a Best Actress Oscar win for her role in 2002's ''Film/TheHours''. Starting around 2004, however, she began falling into a slump with flops like ''Film/{{Bewitched}}'', ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'', ''Film/{{Australia}}'', and ''Film/JustGoWithIt''. Her sole saving grace during this time was the 2010 adaptation of the play ''Theatre/RabbitHole'', which was an AcclaimedFlop that still earned her another Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Kidman's lowest point came in 2014 with ''Grace of Monaco'', a film with a rather TroubledProduction that was critically derided (with a glaring 9% on Website/RottenTomatoes) and had its theatrical release revoked in the U.S. (ultimately being shunted to a debut on Creator/{{Lifetime}}). After that debacle, however, Kidman's luck began to turn for the better. First, she appeared as the main antagonist in the well-received children's film ''Film/{{Paddington}}''. Her next notable role was in 2016's ''Film/{{Lion}}'', which was a financial SleeperHit that received multiple Oscar nominations (including another acting nomination for Kidman, this time in the Best Supporting Actress category). She branched out into television with HBO's ''Series/BigLittleLies'' the following year, for which she won Primetime Emmy Awards for acting in and producing the miniseries. She then had three theatrical releases in 2018: ''Film/{{Destroyer|2018}}'', ''Film/BoyErased'', and most notably, the superhero film ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'' as the titular character's mother, which became her biggest financial success. In 2021, she portrayed Creator/LucilleBall in the Creator/AaronSorkin drama ''Film/BeingTheRicardos''. While the film itself got mixed reviews, Kidman earned raves (and a Golden Globe) for her work. Her performance has once more put her into the contest for Oscar glory and she did get nominated for Best Actress, alongside Javier Bardem (see above) portraying Ball's husband Creator/DesiArnaz (for which he got an Oscar nomination too).

* '''Creator/EddieMurphy''' went through this twice. Murphy was one of the biggest comedy stars of the 1980s, but as time went on, films like ''Film/TheGoldenChild'' and ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'' tainted his reputation with critics. In the early [[TheNineties 1990s]], they disappointed financially too (the vanity project ''Film/HarlemNights'', ''Film/VampireInBrooklyn'', etc.). He might have gone down as something of a relic of the '80s if not for his multiple-role performance in ''Film/{{The Nutty Professor|1996}}'', which was a huge hit. Since then, the quality and financial success of his work has been wildly hit and miss, ranging from ''Film/{{Bowfinger}}'' to ''Film/TheAdventuresOfPlutoNash''. He has a RatedGForGangsta reputation now (due to doing many family films, most famously the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' franchise), but he was still an A-lister for much of the 2000s, even receiving an Oscar nomination for ''Film/{{Dreamgirls}}''. Unfortunately, in the late 2000s/early 2010s another string of financial and/or critical flops (''Film/MeetDave'', ''Film/{{Norbit}}'', ''Film/AThousandWords''), combined with the end of the ''Shrek'' franchise, put him back on the scrap heap, outnumbering hits like ''Film/TowerHeist''. But then Murphy hit Creator/{{Netflix}} starring as Rudy Ray Moore in the biopic ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'', which was acclaimed as a long-awaited return to the R-rated comedy that made him a star in the 80s as well as the prestige material that he was previously praised for in ''Dreamgirls''. Earning a Golden Globe nomination, he followed this up with a well received return to ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' that boosted the show's ratings to their highest in a decade.

* '''Creator/KeanuReeves''' in ''Franchise/JohnWick''. During the 1990s and early '00s, Reeves made the successful transition from [[Film/BillAndTed comedy]] to action, playing the lead roles in ''Film/{{Speed}}'' and ''Film/TheMatrix'' series. However, a rising criticism was his [[DullSurprise lack of acting range]], which got worse when the mid-late '00s saw him ruthlessly typecasted as TheStoic ActionHero, and his acting became the butt of many jokes by critics. His role as the BigBad in ''Film/ManOfTaiChi'', which also served as his directorial debut, showed promise for him to finally break free of this typecasting, but he suffered a StarDerailingRole in ''Film/FortySevenRonin'' shortly after. Initially expected to do poorly, the low-budget revenge thriller ''Film/JohnWick'' was instead a critically acclaimed, commercially successful SleeperHit, with critics and fans alike [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct praising Reeves's performance]] as the titular hitman and for [[NoStuntDouble performing the action scenes himself]]. The film was successful enough to [[Franchise/JohnWick spawn a franchise]], and the summer of 2019 was dubbed the "Keanussance", launched by the release of ''Film/JohnWickChapter3Parabellum'' (which quickly became the biggest hit of the franchise, immediately greenlighting a fourth installment upon its release), followed by turns in ''Film/AlwaysBeMyMaybe'' (AdamWesting as himself) and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' (as the voice of Canadian action figure Duke Caboom), as well as the announcement of him portraying a character in the anticipated video game ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' at that year's UsefulNotes/{{E3}}.

* '''Creator/MickeyRourke''' in ''Film/TheWrestler''. His career started with high critical praise and success for roles in ''Diner'', ''9 1/2 Weeks'' and ''Film/AngelHeart''. However, much like Downey, his substance abuse problems (and a bizarre decision to get into boxing) would drag him down. He made a series of small, low-budget films for 20 years, until Creator/RobertRodriguez dusted him off to play Billy in ''Film/OnceUponATimeInMexico'' and Marv in ''Film/SinCity''. Rourke then had a supporting role in box office bomb ''Film/{{Domino|2005}}'' before being cast in a "very close to home" role as a washed-up former pro wrestler in ''The Wrestler'', which netted him an Oscar nomination and a part opposite Downey in ''Film/IronMan2''. However, after the failure of ''Film/{{Immortals}}'', [[StarDerailingRole he has fallen back out of stardom]], now mainly appearing in DirectToVideo films.

* '''Creator/JohnTravolta''' in ''Film/PulpFiction''. His career started with iconic roles in ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' and ''Film/{{Grease}}'', a respectable run on the very successful sitcom ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'' and even critical acclaim with ''Film/BlowOut''. He spent most of the 1980s in hiding, emerging briefly in the narmish ''Film/LookWhosTalking'' (which was a hit) and its two sequels (the first which was only a minor success and the second which failed). However, Travolta made his comeback with the iconic Creator/QuentinTarantino Academy Award-nominated hit and followed up with ''Film/GetShorty'', cementing him as an A-list actor for the next few years. Then, of course, came ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', a passion project based on the works of Creator/LRonHubbard that was a StarDerailingRole that left his career in ruins. After a decade of flop after flop, he's fallen into DirectToVideo hell.

* '''Creator/BenAffleck''' with ''Film/GoneBabyGone''. After ''Film/{{Gigli}}'' infamously bombed, his career hit rock bottom. Then in 2007, he made his directorial debut with the critical and commercial success ''Gone Baby Gone''. He followed that up with ''Film/TheTown'' in 2010, which also received critical and commercial success. He won his second Oscar [[note]]after having prior won for co-writing ''Film/GoodWillHunting'' with Creator/MattDamon[[/note]] as a producer in 2013 when his third movie ''Film/{{Argo}}'' won Best Picture.

* '''Creator/JodieFoster''' in ''Film/TheAccused''. After becoming a child star in TheSeventies, she was left shaken in 1981 by one of the most infamous LoonyFan [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Ronald_Reagan moments]] in history, which caused her to go off to college and only do a handful of films. Her career dried up as a result, and by the late '80s Foster was desperate to get a role in a mainstream film, hence why she had no reservations about this film's graphic content, the reason why Creator/KimBasinger, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/JenniferBeals, Creator/MegTilly, Creator/RosannaArquette, and Creator/KristinDavis all turned it down. Even then, she almost wasn't cast, partly because they felt she didn't have enough sex appeal (in a film about a rape victim, mind) or box office clout. It was only until Creator/KellyMcGillis, at the height of her stardom from ''Film/{{Witness}}'' and ''Film/TopGun'', came on board to play District Attorney Kathryn Murphy that they let Foster play the lead role of Sarah Tobias. The subsequent Oscar win helped get her career back on track, and after another win three years later for ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', she was on her way to becoming Hollywood royalty.

* '''Creator/JodieFoster''' in ''Film/TheAccused''. After becoming a child star in TheSeventies, she was left shaken in 1981 by one of the most infamous LoonyFan [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Ronald_Reagan moments]] in history, which caused her to go off to college and only do a handful of films, leading her career to dry up. By the late '80s, Foster was desperate to get a role in a mainstream film, hence why she had no reservations about this film's graphic content, the reason why Creator/KimBasinger, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/JenniferBeals, Creator/MegTilly, Creator/RosannaArquette, and Creator/KristinDavis all turned it down. Even then, she almost wasn't cast, partly because they felt she didn't have enough sex appeal (in a film about a rape victim, mind) or box office clout. It was only until Creator/KellyMcGillis, at the height of her stardom from ''Film/{{Witness}}'' and ''Film/TopGun'', came on board to play District Attorney Kathryn Murphy that they let Foster play the lead role of Sarah Tobias. The subsequent Oscar win helped get her career back on track, and after another win three years later for ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', she was on her way to becoming Hollywood royalty.

* '''Creator/JodieFoster''' in ''Film/TheAccused''. After becoming a child star in TheSeventies, she went off to college in 1981 (in no small part due to being shaken by one of the most infamous LoonyFan [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Ronald_Reagan moments]] in history) and only did a handful of films, causing her career to dry up. By the late '80s, Foster was desperate to get a role in a mainstream film, hence why she had no reservations about this film's graphic content, the reason why Creator/KimBasinger, Creator/DemiMoore, Creator/JenniferBeals, Creator/MegTilly, Creator/RosannaArquette, and Creator/KristinDavis all turned it down. Even then, she almost wasn't cast, partly because they felt she didn't have enough sex appeal (in a film about a rape victim, mind) or box office clout. It was only until Creator/KellyMcGillis, at the height of her stardom from ''Film/{{Witness}}'' and ''Film/TopGun'', came on board to play District Attorney Kathryn Murphy that they let Foster play the lead role of Sarah Tobias. The subsequent Oscar win helped get her career back on track, and after another win three years later for ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', she was on her way to becoming Hollywood royalty.

* '''Creator/JulieAndrews''' with ''Film/ThePrincessDiaries''. She had been an icon from TheSixties till TheEighties for popular hits like ''Film/MaryPoppins'' and ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic''. She, frustrated at such typecasting, sought to break away from it, notably in the 1970 flop ''Film/DarlingLili''. Though she later succeeded in 1982 with ''Film/VictorVictoria'', a botched throat surgery damaged her singing voice. It wasn't until ''The Princess Diaries'' that she truly returned to the public eye in 2001 by returning to her Disney roots. Andrews now possesses a different CoolOldLady image by slightly AdamWesting her previous sweet persona. She also enjoys a lot of success as a CelebrityVoiceActor in the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' and ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' franchises, later voicing a sea monster in 2018's ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' as well as providing the narration for Lady Whistledown in ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}''.

* '''Creator/EmilyBlunt''' with ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow'' and ''Film/IntoTheWoods''. After her breakout role in ''Film/TheDevilWearsPrada'', Hollywood saw her as the next best thing. Unfortunately, after making several errors in film choices, the 2010 comedy flop, ''Film/{{Gullivers Travels|2010}}'' (her commitment to which forced her to turn down the role of Black Widow in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse), being the most notorious, it seemed her career was going to be perpetually restricted to small indies or supporting roles. But then 2014 had both ''Edge Of Tomorrow'' and ''Into the Woods'' catapult Blunt back onto the A-list, and she has enjoyed a much higher profile afterwards in films like ''Film/{{Sicario}}'', ''Film/AQuietPlace'', ''Film/MaryPoppinsReturns'' and ''Film/JungleCruise''.

* '''Creator/JamieLeeCurtis''' found her career slowing down in the 2000s and announced that she was going into retirement after ''Film/ChristmasWithTheKranks'' flopped. She returned properly to the public eye with a starring role in ''Series/ScreamQueens2015'', which got her a Golden Globe nomination. She also returned to the series that made her famous with ''Film/Halloween2018'', which became the biggest financial success of the franchise and some critics called it her best work in years. She later joined the ensemble casts of ''Film/KnivesOut'' in 2019 and ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' in 2022. In addition to getting massive critical praise and shockingly good box office returns, the latter got Curtis her first UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination, and win, in her career.

* '''Creator/RichardGere''' with ''Film/InternalAffairs'' and ''Film/PrettyWoman''. He first gained notice in 1978 as a supporting actor before winning the lead role in Creator/TerrenceMalick's ''Film/DaysOfHeaven'', which made him a star overnight. Gere soon became a recognizable leading man in the early '80s, with ''Film/AmericanGigolo'' and ''Film/AnOfficerAndAGentleman'' being his biggest successes. Unfortunately, his career was then battered badly by the consecutive failures of ''Film/TheCottonClub'' and ''Film/KingDavid''. ''The Cotton Club'' was notorious for being an extremely TroubledProduction and eventual BoxOfficeBomb, which overshadowed its muted acclaim (see [[TroubledProduction/FilmSerialOffendersCreators Francis Ford Coppola's section on that page for more details]]). ''King David'', on the other hand, flopped badly, with critics, in particular, noting how Gere was woefully miscast in the title role. The latter film's critical and financial failure led to Gere being passed over for many sought after roles for the next few years until 1990, when the consecutive successes of ''Internal Affairs'' and ''Pretty Woman'' put him back on the A-list.

* '''Creator/MichaelBJordan''' in ''Film/{{Creed}}''. Jordan was already doing quite well for himself until hitting the brick wall that was ''Film/FantasticFour2015''. Unlike his cast mates, Jordan suddenly hit his revival so soon after with ''Creed''. In this ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' spin-off/follow-up, he played the illegitimate son of the late Apollo Creed who was trained to follow in his footsteps by his father's former rival Rocky Balboa. This resurgence allowed him to take up the role of the villain [[Characters/MCUErikStevens Erik Killmonger]] in ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', which redeemed him from his earlier comic book failure.

* '''Creator/MichelleYeoh''' in ''Film/CrazyRichAsians''. Yeoh moved from her homeland Malaysia to China so she could try acting after establishing herself prior as a model. She quickly became a major figure of Hong Kong action cinema who frequently did her own stunts. Yeoh then made her Hollywood debut as Wai Lin opposite Creator/PierceBrosnan in the Franchise/JamesBond flick ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', with her performance and role praised as a good {{foil}} to his 007. Her biggest role came when Creator/AngLee cast her in his ''wuxia'' epic ''Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon'', which truly established her in the eyes of international audiences. Yeoh's screen career afterwards, however, sagged with a string of failures like ''Film/MemoirsOfAGeisha'' (which got mixed reviews, especially for casting non-Japanese actors like Yeoh and Creator/ZhangZiyi in Japanese roles, perpetuating the racist perception in Hollywood that Asians are interchangeable), ''Film/TheMummyTombOfTheDragonEmperor'' (which became both the lowest-grossing and worst-received entry in the Creator/BrendanFraser series), ''Film/BabylonAD'', and ''Film/{{Morgan}}'', with her sole hit for almost a decade being a voice role in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2''. Her popularity, fortunately, recovered around the tail end of TheNewTens, starting with ''Series/StrikeBack'', ''Series/MarcoPolo'', and ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' on TV. She then got her first major Hollywood role in years via the film adaptation of ''Literature/CrazyRichAsians'', playing the imperturbable matriarch Eleanor Young. The film was notable for being the first American film in nearly 25 years to feature a predominantly Asian cast, following ''Film/TheJoyLuckClub'' in 1993. It received widely positive reviews and was a surprise box office success in 2018, later on becoming the highest-grossing {{romantic comedy}} of the decade. Yeoh's performance was particularly hailed, with talk of her possibly nabbing an Oscar nomination circulating which ultimately didn't come to fruition. Yeoh eventually went back to her action movie roots with a supporting role as Ying Nan in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse film ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'' [[note]]following a cameo as a different character in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2''[[/note]], which was a decent hit in 2021. In 2022, she finally played another lead role as multiversal traveler Evelyn Wang in ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce'' (which co-starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan, who have been previously listed on this page above). The film surpassed expectations to become the biggest financial success of indie studio Creator/{{A24}} and got even better reviews than ''Crazy Rich Asians'', while Yeoh's performance in it has been described as her finest yet. She ultimately won an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for it, making history as the first Asian actress to be nominated in this category.

* '''Creator/SidneyLumet''' also had several throughout his decades-long career. After making a spectacular debut with ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'' in 1957, Lumet sustained a good career for the rest of TheFifties and into the following decade with acclaimed adaptations of the stage plays ''Theatre/AViewFromTheBridge'' and ''Theatre/LongDaysJourneyIntoNight''. Then after ''Film/FailSafe'' in 1964, he suffered a decline lasting the rest of TheSixties while his next films didn't nab critical or audience attention. Upon ''Film/{{Serpico}}'' becoming a big hit in 1973, his career promptly rebounded when his following films in TheSeventies like ''Film/{{Murder on the Orient Express|1974}}'', ''Film/DogDayAfternoon'', and ''Film/{{Network}}'' collectively received his best reviews ever since ''12 Angry Men''. His luck lasted into the early '80s with ''Film/PrinceOfTheCity'' and ''Film/TheVerdict'', only to sink in the latter half of the decade as his input from the time premiered to indifferent and sometimes harshly negative reception. Lumet occasionally had hits like ''Film/RunningOnEmpty'' and ''Film/QAndA'', but most of his films for the next few decades (''Film/FamilyBusiness'', ''Film/AStrangerAmongUs'', the 1999 remake of ''Film/{{Gloria}}'', etc.) tanked. It wasn't until 2007 that he found new success with ''Film/BeforeTheDevilKnowsYoureDead'', which got his best reviews since ''The Verdict'' and was a decent financial hit. It also was his final film before his death from lymphoma in 2011.

* '''Creator/MNightShyamalan''': Once hailed as the next Creator/StevenSpielberg with ''Film/TheSixthSense'', Shyamalan's reputation went into the gutter as he became more and more known for being a self-absorbed and pretentious filmmaker with the increasingly ridiculous uses of his Main/TwistEnding that was one of the reasons why he was successful in the first place. Then came the quadruple bogey of ''Film/LadyInTheWater'', ''Film/TheHappening'', ''Film/TheLastAirbender'', and ''Film/AfterEarth'' which bombed critically and/or commercially with most of the film industry thinking his career was over. There was talk of a comeback when, with his back to the wall and $5 million of his own money invested, he made ''Film/TheVisit'' and received mixed-to-positive acclaim. However, with the release of ''Film/{{Split}}'', his career seems to be back in full force, as the movie not only received glowing reviews, but also ended up making four times its budget on its opening weekend. Despite the follow-up ''Film/Glass2019'' not critically meeting up to the expectations set up by ''Split'', ''Glass'' was a CriticProof box office hit that grossed 12 times its own budget. His next film, 2021's ''Film/{{Old}}'', was a modest box office success despite getting mixed reviews and being released amidst the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic.

* '''Creator/JulieAndrews''' with ''Film/ThePrincessDiaries''. She had been an icon from TheSixties till TheEighties for popular hits like ''Film/MaryPoppins'' and ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic''. She, frustrated at such typecasting, sought to break away from it, notably in the 1970 flop ''Film/DarlingLili''. Though she later succeeded in 1982 with ''Film/VictorVictoria'', a botched throat surgery damaged her iconic voice. It wasn't until ''The Princess Diaries'' that she truly returned to the public eye in 2001 by returning to her Disney roots. Andrews now possesses a different CoolOldLady image by slightly AdamWesting her previous sweet persona. She also enjoys a lot of success as a CelebrityVoiceActor in the ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'' and ''Franchise/DespicableMe'' franchises, later voicing a sea monster in 2018's ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' as well as providing the narration for Lady Whistledown in ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}''.

* '''Creator/BrendanFraser''' in ''Film/TheWhale''. Fraser was a rising star in the 1990's to mid 2000's, with hits such as ''Franchise/TheMummy'' and ''Film/SchoolTies'', before his career was derailed with ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' and several other bombs. In the late 2010's, his career started to regain traction and critical acclaim on the small-screen with ''Series/{{Trust}}'' and ''Series/DoomPatrol2019''. In 2022, he won his first Oscar for ''The Whale'', with more key roles in major-studio films in the pipeline.

* '''Creator/KeHuyQuan''' with ''Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce''. Quan was a notable child actor in TheEighties, notably playing Short Round in ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' and Data in ''Film/TheGoonies''. However, he struggled to find roles in adulthood and eventually retired from acting in TheNineties. After graduating from film school at USC, he moved to behind the camera work in various production positions. Inspired by the massive success of ''Film/CrazyRichAsians'' in 2018, Quan decided to return to acting right around the time Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka DANIELS) were casting ''Everything Everywhere All at Once''. He was later announced as part of the film's cast in January 2020, with the film later being released in March 2022 to astounding success. Quan's performance as a husband navigating the multiverse garnered particularly favorable attention, with reviews noting that it's a genuine comeback performance after decades of obscurity. He won and got nominated for numerous awards, including the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actor. He was quickly cast in further high-profile projects, including the second season of ''Series/{{Loki}}'' and the Creator/DisneyPlus series ''American Born Chinese''.

** The second time was in 1989 with ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', a tribute to classic Disney films after some stiff competition from Creator/DonBluth and the failure of ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' almost sank the company’s animation division entirely.

* '''Creator/MichaelKeaton''' in ''Film/BirdmanOrTheUnexpectedVirtueOfIgnorance''. Known for comedic roles in TheEighties, Keaton first hit it big playing the title role in Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/Batman1989''. However, his career fell into a slump once he left after the [[Film/BatmanReturns sequel]] and was finally destroyed by ''Film/JackFrost1998''. The 2000s saw Keaton pursuing a number of secondary roles in lesser films, though he still managed to do some good voice work for Pixar in ''{{WesternAnimation/Cars}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3''. ''Birdman'', in which Keaton plays [[ActorAllusion a washed-up actor known for a superhero role twenty years ago]], earned him a Golden Globe win and an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor, setting him on the path to becoming a leading man once more. His following films, ''Film/{{Spotlight}}'' and ''Film/TheFounder'', also opened to excellent reviews (with ''Spotlight'' winning the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture), before starring as the Vulture in ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming''. His performance was hailed by fans and critics as one of the best villain performances in not just the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, but superhero movies in general. He then joined the ensemble cast of ''Film/TheTrialOfTheChicago7'' with Creator/SachaBaronCohen (see above), and played the lead in the Creator/{{Hulu}} miniseries ''Series/{{Dopesick}}''. Both projects were praised, with ''Dopesick'' winning him an UsefulNotes/EmmyAward in 2022. Keaton will later, finally don the Batman cowl again, this time in the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse film ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}''.

** Again in the 2000s. After the runaway success of ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou,'' they followed it up with the commercially unsuccessful ''Film/TheManWhoWasntThere2001,'' the less distinctive ''Film/IntolerableCruelty,'' and the coolly received ''Film/TheLadykillers2004.'' Critics had begun to believe that the brothers had lost their touch and they didn't make another film until three years later. That movie? ''Film/NoCountryForOldMen,'' which [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome won the Oscars for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay]].

* '''Creator/BrendanFraser''' in ''Film/TheWhale''. Fraser was a rising star in the 1990's to mid 2000's, with hits such as ''Franchise/TheMummy'' and ''Film/SchoolTies'', before his career was derailed with ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'' and several other bombs. In the late 2010's, his career started to regain traction and critical acclaim on the small-screen with ''Series/{{Trust}}'' and ''Series/DoomPatrol2019''. In 2022, he won his first Oscar for ''The Whale'', with more key roles in major-studio films.

* '''Creator/HughGrant''' is a two-folded self-inflected example - after gradually losing his boyhood looks and starhood status in the mid-naughties, he retired from acting to pursue more significant parts behind the camera as a producer and outspoken political activist. This worked well for him until ''Film/FlorenceFosterJenkins'' was offered to him, in part because the opportunity to work opposite Creator/MerylStreep was just too good to pass up. The film was a flop, but the acting bug bit him hard and he would soon appear as the BigBad in ''Film/Paddington2'', a delightfully [[MetaCasting Meta Casted]] LargeHam part that leapfrogged him into future OneSceneWonder bit-parts.