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Celebrity Careers That Have Risen From The Dead
It's Easter weekend, so it feels fitting to take a look at some actors that, while going through a bit of a dry spell, had their careers rise from the dead -- what a miracle!
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Brendan Fraser
Anyone not living under a rock has heard of Brendan’s iconic work in “The Mummy” series, or his hilarious comedy “George of the Jungle,” but the actor suddenly seemed to go radio silent, despite working on a few projects here and there – later claiming he was sexually assaulted and blacklisted in Hollywood. But the “Brenaissance” kicked off when he returned to the spotlight as Charlie in “The Whale” … taking home numerous roles for his work, including the Oscar.
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Robert Downey Jr.
RDJ was killing it as an actor for years, even getting an Oscar nomination for his work in “Chaplin” … but his career came to a screeching halt in the mid-to-late 90s when he was arrested numerous times for drug-related charges. His luck later turned around, thanks to a superhero named Iron Man.
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Drew Barrymore
Drew got her fame as a child star in “E.T.,” but had an addiction problem early on in her career. After struggling to make it as an actress while trying to clean up her act, she reached out to Adam Sandler in the late 90s for help building back her acting empire, which is when he agreed to cast her in “The Wedding Singer,” rebooting her career.
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Natasha Lyonne
Natasha started off as a child actor, first portraying Opal in 1986 on “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” and getting her first big break in Woody Allen’s “Everyone Says I Love You.” She went on to appear in a number of films and shows over the years, but struggled with addiction and eventually pulled herself back from the limelight. She later made a comeback in 2013 on Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black,” and she’s gone on to work in a plethora of projects -- not only acting but also writing, producing, and directing.
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Ke Huy Quan
Ke was only 12 years old when he kicked off his career as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” following it up by playing Data in “The Goonies.” He went into the 90s playing a few roles here and there, but decided to work behind the camera after noticing there weren’t enough roles out there for guys like him. He revealed the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” is what got him inspired to act again, and went on to win the Oscar for his role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” – the same year as his “Encino Man” co-star Brendan Fraser.
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Winona Ryder
Winona stepped away from the spotlight after her 2001 shoplifting arrest – following decades of working in films like “Beetlejuice” and “Edward Scissorhands.” She went on to appear in smaller projects here and there, but her career really picked back up again after staring as Joyce Byers in Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
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Michael Keaton
Michael was one of the most iconic actors of the 80s and 90s, playing titular characters like Batman and Beetlejuice … but that all started to slow down in the 2000s. Thankfully, he was front and center in 2014’s “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” getting a Golden Globe for his work. He’s since worked on huge projects like “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Hulu’s “Dopesick” – which he scored an Emmy for.
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Neil Patrick Harris
Neil was known to the world as child doctor Doogie Howser, and had a hard time shaking that character for years … until making a new name for himself in the “Harold & Kumar” series, and even more so as NYC ladies man Barney Stinson in “How I Met Your Mother.”
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Laura Dern
Laura was crushing it in the entertainment biz for a long time, staring in a lot of David Lynch’s works like “Blue Velvet” and “Wild at Heart," as well as Spielberg's “Jurassic Park.” She faced a shutout after appearing in Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom in 1997 -- specifically the episode where the comedian comes out as gay. While many turned their anger for the episode onto Laura personally, she experienced a bit of a renaissance by working on “Big Little Lies” and “Marriage Story,” which she won the Academy Award for.
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Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer was riding HIGH in Hollywood, staring in comedic films like “American Pie” and “Legally Blonde” … but it simply seemed like her time in the spotlight was slowing down. She starred in Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” music video in 2019 and now attributes the singer for helping revive her career – and as you know, she went on to projects like “Promising Young Woman” and “The White Lotus.”
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Mickey Rourke
Mickey took a turn from acting and boxing, hitting rock bottom in his career – it wasn’t until appearing in the 2005 movie “Sin City” that his acting gigs started to pick back up again. He followed it up as a washed-up has-been in 2008’s “The Wrestler,” which he won the Golden Globe for.
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Christian Slater
Christian held some serious stardom in the 80s and 90s with flicks like “Heathers” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” but the brakes seemed to be pumping for him soon after. However, he made a MASSIVE comeback in 2015 with his incredible work in USA’s “Mr. Robot” – playing the hacking leader of the same name.
