History Main / CareerResurrection

* Vincent Chase (of ''{{Entourage}}'') in ''TheGreatGatsby''. ''{{Aquaman}}'' was the biggest film in history (in the show's fictional universe), but ''Medellin'' flopped and Vince thought his career was over. MartinScorsese called and gave Chase the title role in his adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic.

* '''DrewBarrymore''' with ''{{Scream}}''. After starting off as a child actress in the blockbuster ''{{ET}}'' as well as ''{{Firestarter}}'' and ''Irreconcilable Differences'' during the 1980s, Barrymore's pre-adolescent drug and alcohol problems and her {{stage mom}} overshadowed her career. By the early '90s, Barrymore was getting by in low budget, independent movies (which most of the time, seemed to typecast her as a promiscuous, rebellious and/or out-of-control youth) like ''Doppleganger'', ''Poison Ivy'', and ''Gun Crazy'' or small roles in major movies like ''BatmanForever''. After ''Scream'' in 1996, came more and more A-list friendly roles (beginning with ''TheWeddingSinger'') for Barrymore, most often in the romantic comedy variety.

* '''DrewBarrymore''' with ''{{Scream}}''. After starting off as a child actress in the blockbuster ''{{ET}}'' as well as ''{{Firestarter}}'' and ''{{Irreconcilable Differences}}'' during the 1980s, Barrymore's pre-adolescent drug and alcohol problems and her {{stage mom}} overshadowed her career. By the early '90s, Barrymore was getting by in low budget, independent movies (which most of the time, seemed to typecast her as a promiscuous, rebellious and/or out-of-control youth) like ''Doppleganger'', ''Poison Ivy'', and ''Gun Crazy'' or small roles in major movies like ''BatmanForever''. After ''Scream'', came more and more A-list friendly roles for Barrymore, most often in the romantic comedy variety.

* '''Chris O'Donnell''' in ''NCIS: Los Angeles''.

* '''BenAffleck''' with ''GoneBabyGone''. After having done the SoBadItsHorrible ''{{Gigli}}'' and the messy break-up with JenniferLopez his career was in the bottom. But in 2007 he made his directional debut with the critical and commercial success ''GoneBabyGone''. He followed it up with ''Film/TheTown'' in 2010 and with the great reviews so far, he's again proven to be a very good director who has a real shot at earning a ''second'' Oscar.

* '''BobDylan''': Was very popular in TheSixties and maintained this until the mid-Seventies, but by the end of the decade he had basically lost his fans ([[BrokenBase what little he had]]) with his Christian albums. ''Saved'', released in 1980, is often considered to be Dylan's worst album (other than ''Dylan''). Because of the backlash against him, had a rather low profile in TheEighties and in the early Nineties. Then came an album called ''Time out of Mind'', which was released to glowing reviews and won the Grammy for Album of the Year, restoring his place in the league of rock gods. All of his studio albums since ''Time out of Mind'' have '''debuted at''', let alone reached, #1 on the Billboard album charts.

* '''SylvesterStallone''' in ''{{Rocky}} Balboa''. Technically, his first resurrection was with ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'', that helped him WinBackTheCrowd after two horrible comedies. But then his career choices were rather unfortunate (besides the critically acclaimed ''CopLand'' and a voice acting role in ''{{Antz}}''). After some [[AdamWesting self-parodying]] in ''SpyKids 3D'', he decided to go back to what started his career. ''Rocky Balboa'' was a critical and commercial hit, and allowed Stallone to finally make a fourth ''{{Rambo}}'', and follow it with the action film with a [[AllStarCast dream cast]] ''TheExpendables''.
* '''JohnnyDepp''' in ''[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl]]''. He started off as [[NightmareOnElmStreet Freddy's]] first victim and later gained notice on ''21 Jump Street'' before breaking through in ''EdwardScissorhands''. After that, his resume is a bit spotty, mixing dubious films (like ''DonJuanDeMarco'' and ''Nick of Time'') and some hidden gems (''DonnieBrasco'' and ''FearAndLoathingInLasVegas'') along with a lone blockbuster (''SleepyHollow''... like Edward, with TimBurton). Then he turns up in "''Pirates''", earns an Oscar nomination, signs on for the sequels and renews his partnership with TimBurton to fantastic results in ''SweeneyTodd'' and ''Film/AliceInWonderland''.

* '''{{Rick Astley}}''': Faded to obwscurity in the nineties, after his big hit ''Never Gonna Give You Up''(Also known as the {{Rickroll}}). When the song reached the internet and [[MemeticMutation quickly hit critical mass and exploded even beyond the scope of the internet]], Rick Astley was starting to get back in gear. He has since recorded his first single in 17 years, ''Lights Out'', making him probably the first musician to have his career solely resurrected by the power of the internet.

* Troy [=McClure=] in ''TheSimpsons'' undergoes one in the episode "A Fish Called Selma"; his career was ruined by rumors about his fish fetish, so he starts dating Marge's sister, Selma for publicity reasons, and gets a starring role in the stage musical adaptation in ''PlanetOfTheApes''.

* Troy [=McClure=] in ''TheSimpsons'' undergoes one in the episode "A Fish Called Selma"; his career was ruined by rumors about his fish fetish, so he starts dating Marge's sister, Selma for publicity reasons, and gets a starring role in the stage musical adaptation in ''ThePlanetOfTheApes''.

* '''BenAffleck''' with ''GoneBabyGone''. After having done the SoBadItsHorrible ''{{Gigli}}'' and the messy break-up with JenniferLopez his career was in the bottom. But in 2007 he made his directional debut with the critical and commercial success ''GoneBabyGone''. He followed it up with ''Film/TheTown'' in 2010 and with the great reviews so far, he's again proven to be a very good director.

* '''BenAffleck''' with ''GoneBabyGone''. After having done the SoBadItsHorrible ''{{Gigli}}'' and the messy break-up with JenniferLopez his career was in the bottom. But in 2007 he made his directional debut with the critical and commercial success ''GoneBabyGone''. He followed it up with ''TheTown'' in 2010 and with the great reviews so far, he's again proven to be a very good director.

* '''Jackie Earle Haley''' may be one of the defining examples of this trope. Known for his early role in ''The Bad News Bears'', Haley's movie career was sidelined by a reputation as a child star. He was forced to take menial work over the years (including a stint as a limo driver) until he started directing TV commercials in Texas. He was noticed by fellow actor Sean Penn, who landed him a role in the remake of ''All The King's Men''. It was followed by ''Little Children'', which was critically-acclaimed and gave Haley an Oscar nomination. And then Haley virtually became a [[AndTheFandomRejoiced fan icon]] overnight after landing the role of Rorschach in 2009's ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'', and he has since become the go-to actor for portraying disturbing anti-heroes and villains. He also reinvented Freddy Krueger in the remake of ''ANightmareOnElmStreet''.

[[caption-width:250:[[{{Understatement}} 2008 was a good year for Robert Downey Jr.]]]]

* '''Leslie Nielsen''' had a long career in Hollywood, playing mostly bit parts with the occasional leading role in a low-budget film. Before 1980, he was probably best remembered for his leading role in ''ForbiddenPlanet''. After 1980, he was best known as Dr Rumack in ''[=~Airplane!~=]'', where his deadpan performance made him one of the funniest things in the film. He would go on to play similar roles in an assortment of other, mostly similar comedies, notably Frank Drebin in ''PoliceSquad'' and the ''NakedGun'' film trilogy as well the lead roles in ''SpyHard'' and ''DraculaDeadAndLovingIt''.

* '''Johnny Depp''' in ''[[PiratesOfTheCaribbean Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl]]''. He started off as [[NightmareOnElmStreet Freddy's]] first victim and later gained notice on ''21 Jump Street'' before breaking through in ''EdwardScissorhands''. After that, his resume is a bit spotty and filled with some dubious films (like ''Don Juan DeMarco'' and ''Nick of Time'') and some hidden gems (''DonnieBrasco'' and ''FearAndLoathingInLasVegas''). Then he turns up in "''Pirates''", earns an Oscar nomination, signs on for the sequels and renews his partnership with Tim Burton to fantastic results in ''Sweeny Todd'' and ''Alice In Wonderland''.

* '''[[strike:James T. Kirk]] er... {{William Shatner}}'''. For a while it seemed he was destined to remain forever the [[StarTrek famed captain of the Enterprise]] and never leave that shadow. Then, it seems he decided to lampshade his own over-the-top persona and played not-quite against type as the CrazyAwesome attorney Denny Crane on ''BostonLegal'' a ton of critical acclaim and couple Emmys later, his career seems to be as strong as ever, and he's now getting the lead in CBS's ''ShitMyDadSays''.

* '''[[strike:James T. Kirk]] er... {{William Shatner}}]]'''. For a while it seemed he was destined to remain forever the [[StarTrek famed captain of the Enterprise]] and never leave that shadow. Then, it seems he decided to lampshade his own over-the-top persona and played not-quite against type as the CrazyAwesome attorney Denny Crane on ''BostonLegal'' a ton of critical acclaim and couple Emmys later, he career seems to be as strong as ever, and he's now getting the lead in CBS's ''ShitMyDadSays''.

This is what happens when an major star fights off the ill effects of the HollywoodHypeMachine. So they debuted hot and fizzled out. Maybe they were a [[HypeBacklash victim of their own hype]]. Maybe they [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously made some unfortunate role selections]]. Maybe they [[RealLifeWritesThePlot were injured or ill]], or [[DrugsAreBad had some demons they couldn't conquer]].

* '''Mickey Rourke''' in ''TheWrestler''. His career started with high critical praise and success for roles in ''Wild Orchid'', ''9 1/2 Weeks'' and ''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 Robert Rodriguez dusted him off to play Marv in ''SinCity''. Rourke then had a supporting role in box office bomb ''Domino'' 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 ticket back to the A-list. Oddly enough, he stars opposite Downey in ''Iron Man 2''.

* '''RobertDowneyJr.''' in ''Film/IronMan''. He played a few second-string roles before receiving high critical praise in the biopic ''Chaplin'' as CharlieChaplin, and the sky was the limit. Then his well-documented substance abuse problems pulled him into obscurity for about 15 years. He would occasionally surface in a big-budget A-list film like ''U.S. Marshals'' with TommyLeeJones or ''{{Gothika}}'' with Halle Berry, but never as the first-billed star. He would invariably be seen on the cover of some tabloid (most infamously for his L.A. shootout with members of the police force) and being carted back to rehab shortly thereafter. First he rehearsed a comeback with ''KissKissBangBang''. Then ''Iron Man'' hit, his next film (''TropicThunder'') netted him an Oscar nomination, ''Film/SherlockHolmes'' won him a Golden Globe, and ''Iron Man 2'' was a box-office smash.

* '''Mickey Rourke''' in ''TheWrestler''. His career started with high critical praise and success for roles in ''Wild Orchid'', ''9 1/2 Weeks'' and ''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 Robert Rodriguez dusted him off to play Marv in ''Film/SinCity''. Rourke then had a supporting role in box office bomb ''Domino'' 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 ticket back to the A-list. Oddly enough, he stars opposite Downey in ''Iron Man 2''.

The bottom line is, the next big thing didn't pan out. Or the big star did something dumb and he faded out, having to take bit roles and second billing to [[MoneyDearBoy pay the bills]]. Maybe they made an ill-fated switch to another medium, like going from TV to movies, or movies to music. Either way, their career has bottomed out. And then, suddenly, they're back! They landed a hot role, signed on to a sleeper hit, broke back into the industry as an EnsembleDarkhorse or what have you. They've resurrected their careers.