17 Famous Celebrity Actors Who Had Amazing Ultimate Comebacks

We all have favorite actors that we love to see on-screen. Many actors have disappeared and others have ultimate comebacks. The entertainment industry is very hard for an actor. At a point in one’s career it can go very well, but making bad film choices can make an actor disappear from the A-list. Ultimate comebacks are difficult when the actor is no longer sought after. Some actors will take any kind of job, but others hold out for good roles and revitalize their career.

17. Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck received an Academy Award for the Best Original Screenplay in 1997 for the movie Good Will Hunting. After Good Will Hunting, his career took a dive, and he didn’t become popular until recently. He was in Chasing Amy, Shakespeare in Love, Armageddon, Dogma, Boiler Room and Gigli. When appearing in these films, some received good reviews and others didn’t get good reviews. After bombing in Gigli that same year he played Matt Murdoch in Daredevil, which was a hit at the box office. A few years passed, and he made another comeback in Argo in 2012. Soon after, he was playing Bruce Wayne in a few Batman movies. People agree that Ben is a great actor and a phenomenal producer.

16. Jason Bateman

Jason Bateman started his career on Little House on the Prairie. He went on and did roles in Silver Spoons, and The Hogan Family. His career slowed down in the 90s. After appearing in other movies and television shows, his career took a dive. In 2001, he landed a part as Michael Bluth in the popular sitcom Arrested Development. At the beginning, Jason didn’t attract many fans, but as this show grew he became popular. As a result, he won an Emmy. Since then, he has been in the films Juno (2007), Hancock (2008), Up in the Air (2009), The Switch (2010), Paul (2011), Horrible Bosses (2011), The Change-Up (2011), Identity Thief (2013), Bad Words (2013), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), The Gift (2015), and Zootopia (2016), as well as the 2017 Netflix series Ozark.

15. Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando, considered one of the best movie actors ever, started his career in the 40s. Brando’s career began to slow down in the 1960s. His role in the Godfather (1972) is one of the best films of our generation. After a few more films he became one of the top 10 as a box office star that put him on the cover of Time magazine. Known for being one of the highest paying actors in motion pictures, Brando was in demand and had a good career up until the time of his death.

14. Julia Roberts

In the 90s, Julia Roberts had a strong name in Hollywood. Roberts was one of the most sought-after and highest-paid actresses in the world. You could see her on many magazine covers and all the movies she was in they were instant hits. She took a break from acting and came back to play in the film the Pelican Brief. This is when she had an ultimate comeback. Two years later she won an Academy award.

13. John Travolta

John Travolta’s career is constantly rising and falling. Travolta stayed on top of the Hollywood lifestyle but continues to fall after a big success. John has had many career comebacks. The actor’s career skyrocketed in the 70s, then he had a pivotal break in the movie Carrie. This entertainer’s role in Saturday Night Fever and his role in Grease made him the most successful star in Hollywood. Afterward, he took many film roles that didn’t benefit his career. His first comeback came in Look Who’s Talking in 1989. Pulp Fiction and Face Off really put his career back on track.

12. Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone started a career bang with Rocky. Subsequently, after Rocky was a success, Rambo took another place in the actor’s life and made him more popular. When Cliffhanger finished, Stallone’s career started going downhill. The actor always returned to his role as a boxer by putting out sequels to Rocky. After his comeback with Rocky, he wrote and directed The Expendables. He is on track to make another career comeback in Rocky 7 and continues to write, direct and produce movies.

11. Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton made a big splash on-screen through many comedies in the 80s. After starring in the movie Mr. Mom, Michael Keaton was suddenly on the A-list. No good roles were on the horizon until 2014, when Bird Man won Best Picture. His portrayal in the movie The Founder was another movie that kept him in the spotlight. Appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming, really boosted his career.

10. Teri Hatcher

Teri Hatcher, well-known for playing Lois Lane in the TV series The New Adventures of Superman, made an ultimate comeback when she played Susan on Desperate Housewives. She won a Golden Globe Award and a SAG Award before the first season was even over. Since the show, she has been on Supergirl and The Odd Couple.

9. Martin Landau

Martin Landau recently passed away, and he didn’t become a well-known actor until later in his career. Movies that brought this star to becoming a legend was North by Northwest. He was also their original cast member of Mission: Impossible from 1966 to 1969. He won an Oscar nomination for the best supporting actor in Tucker: The Man and His Dream. This was when his career really started to take off. A while later he played the lead in Woody Allen’s movie Crimes and Misdemeanors. Martin went on to win an Oscar for the best supporting actor in Ed Wood. He remained popular until the time of his death.

8. Jackie Earle Haley

Everyone recalls Jackie in The Bad News Bears and Breaking Away. He was a huge hit in those movies but disappeared and no one thought he would ever make a comeback to the screen. Haley made a splash in All the Kings Men and also in Little Children. His next incredible role was in the Watchmen. Since then, he still is busy on television and in the movies.

7. Michael J. Fox

Michael’s career started off with a bang when he played Alex on the American sitcom Family Ties. When the show ended, his career had a resurrection when he played Marty McFly in the Back to the Future Trilogy. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he still continues to work in the entertainment industry and is in a high demand for his voice-over roles.

6. Patrick Dempsey

Patrick was extremely popular in the 80s when he hit big in Loverboy. A decade later he became a splash on the silver screen with Sweet Home Alabama. He disappeared for a couple of years. In 2005, he was popular in the hit show Grey’s Anatomy. Killed off in Grey’s Anatomy was not the end for the actor. His last known hit was in Bridget Jones’s Baby playing Jack. There are rumors that he might be written back into Grey’s Anatomy, but nothing has been set in stone yet.

5. Ellen DeGeneres

In the 1990s, Ellen was in a very successful television series entitled Ellen. Yet, when she came out of the closet stating she was gay, she dropped in her popularity. Canceled, the show Ellen, in the fifth season, DeGeneres decided to do something different. It wasn’t until 2003 she made her mark. She started the daytime talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show and became popular. Other roles that put her on the map was her voice in Nemo. Since then, she became a spokeswoman for American Express and Cover Girl.

4. Matthew McConaughey

Matthew really hasn’t had a bad slump in his acting career. Some years were just a little bit better than others. At 23 he picks up her role in Dazed and Confused. Afterward, he plays a defense lawyer in A Time to Kill with Kevin Spacey and Samuel L Jackson. He had the world by the tail and took roles in The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days and Failure To Launch. Soon he won an Oscar and was now on the A-list commanding top dollar. Today his acting career is stronger than ever.

3. Neil Patrick Harris

Neil, popular at the beginning of his career, gain popularity when he landed a role in Clara’s Heart. He repeated the performance with the starring role in Doogie Howser MD. Afterward, he never acquired TV or movie spots that compared to his earlier career. In 2004, he had a career resurrection in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Another role that kept him in the limelight was How I Met Your Mother.

2. Robert Downey Jr.

Robert’s career started off strong in the 80s when he was in Tuff Turf and then again in Weird Science. The actor also did well in Only You, Natural Born Killers, Two Girls and a Guy, Black and White, and Short Cuts. But, in the 1990s, Downey had problems with drugs in his career went downhill. He cleaned up his act and landed in Iron Man 1, 2, and 3, The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes, and Tropic Thunder. Currently is one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood.

1. Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson has always been a superstar, but a DUI charge caused his career to make a turn for the worst. The star made some derogatory remarks caught by the press of which he apologized for later. After many disappointments, it didn’t seem like we’d see Mel Gibson back up on the screen. Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ put Mel Gibson back on the map where he had an incredible comeback.

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