We're all suckers for a comeback story. I mean, just look at the structure of any hollywood movie: there's a flawed protagonist, who faces adversity and then overcomes it in the most spectacular fashion. And much of the same applies to Hollywood, too. The industry, which is known for being notoriously difficult to survive within, has broken its fair share of actors and actresses. However, there are also the stars who just couldn't be kept down, the ones who nearly made it to the brink of collapse, but managed to bounce back up again to even greater heights.
Robert Downey Jr. has certainly seen a lot during his time in Hollywood. After showing promise as a member of the brat pack during the 80's, he won his first Oscar nomination in 1992 for his performance in Chaplin. However, in the mid 90's, the actor was arrested numerous times on drug charges and was subsequently treated for addiction. While he made a small comeback in 2000, with a recurring role in law-drama, Ally McBeal, he relapsed and lost that role, as well as several others.
After a successful stint in rehab, though, Downey Jr managed to get his career back on track with roles in Gothika, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and 2007's Zodiac. It was only in 2008, however, when he starred in Iron Man and Tropic Thunder that he truly became someone to watch. And the rest is history - Robert Downey Jr. is now one of the most bankable and beloved actors in Hollywood.
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The former child star's issues with addiction are well documented. Drew Barrymore was smoking at 9, drinking by 11, doing drugs at 12, and in rehab at age 14. She even managed to emancipate herself from her parents, and live in her own apartment at 15.
However, the late 90's saw the start of her comeback - with roles in Scream and Charlie's Angels. It was her role in the saccharine sweet The Wedding Singer, though, that made her America's sweetheart once more. She later tried her hand at directing, with the film Whip It, which was produced by her own production company, Flower Films.
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Rourke was considered a heart-throb in his early career, with rough and tumble roles in films including, Diner, Rumblefish, 9 1/2 Weeks and Angel Heart. However, his return to boxing, which he'd done as an amateur, left with with serious facial injuries and brain damage.
Reconstructive surgery, which according to him left his face "a mess" affected the roles he was given and by the 90's he considered himself "a has-been". His comeback came with the role of Marv in Robert Rodriguez's Sin City, and he followed this up with an Oscar nomination for The Wrestler. Several years later, he's starred in The Immortals, The Expendables and Iron Man 2 - all of which have helped push him back into the public eye.
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Known for roles in eclectic movies such as Beetlejuice, Heathers, Mermaids and Edward Scissorhands, everything went downhill after Ryder was charged with shoplifting in the early 2000's and went on a four year hiatus.
Parts in A Scanner Darkly, Star Trek and Black Swan saw her star rise again, but this was really consolidated when she took on the role as neurotic single mother, Joyce Byers in Netflix's hit television series, Stranger Things.
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The renowned actor started out as a child, in Parenthood and To Die For. He later progressed to iconic roles in Gladiator and Walk the Line, and then appeared to have a very public meltdown in 2008, when he announced that he was quitting acting to become a rapper.
While he didn't actually have a breakdown, and was starring in Casey Affleck's mock-documentary, I'm Still Here, which critiqued the media's obsession with celebrity, we were all a little worried. Now, however, he's back on top, having starred in The Master, Her and Inherent Vice.
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Well, there you have it. There's hope for all the mavericks in the entertainment industry after all -
Justin Bieber - I hope you're taking note.
