Everybody loves a comeback!

February 24, 2008 10:53 PM

Celebrity comebacks with single artistic turning point?

I'm looking for examples of celebrities who were has-beens until a certain movie, play, or tv show brought them back to celebrity stardom. Along the lines of John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, he had been doing crappy movies like Look Who's Talking and then was suddenly a serious actor again. That may not be the best example, but it might clarify what I'm looking for, and I'm having a really hard time thinking of anything more!

I'm thinking along the lines of if I were a producer trying to secure a semi-washed up once-great actress to star in my "genius but rather unknown" writer's movie. This is for a short story. Thanks!

posted by wuzandfuzz to society & culture (35 comments total)

Sinatra in From Here to Eternity.
posted by null terminated at 11:06 PM on February 24, 2008

Kiefer Sutherland in 24?
posted by tapeguy at 11:06 PM on February 24, 2008

Burt Reynolds in "Boogie Nights"
posted by rhizome at 11:08 PM on February 24, 2008

Michael Jackson performing Billie Jean on the Motown 25th Anniversary show.
posted by The Deej at 11:25 PM on February 24, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

The Elvis Comeback Special?
posted by scody at 11:27 PM on February 24, 2008

A lot of the people Tarantino's cast. Robert Forster and Pam Grier in Jackie Brown come to mind.

Also, arguably, George Clooney in Out of Sight. He didn't really "come back" so far as "go from TV hunk to one of the world's biggest movie stars." That's not really a classic example like what you're looking for.

Oh! Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story.

Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce.
posted by SoftRain at 11:33 PM on February 24, 2008

Rob Lowe in Wayne's World?
posted by Bonzai at 11:33 PM on February 24, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Mae West in Myra Breckinridge? She didn't really work after that much though.

Oooh, Judy Garland in A Star Is Born. Totally revitalized her career.
posted by SoftRain at 11:35 PM on February 24, 2008

William Shatner? Was doing total crap gigs until a recurring role on "The Practice," and then the same role on "Boston Legal."
posted by donpedro at 12:04 AM on February 25, 2008

See also: Krusty's Komeback.
posted by donpedro at 12:08 AM on February 25, 2008

Tina Turner in 1984 with her Private Dancer album, although you could argue that she was only a has-been in the US before that.
posted by maryh at 12:18 AM on February 25, 2008

I take your "out of sight" comment, and raise you a jennifer lopez. She had been best known for "In living color" and "Selena"...but then OOS (as we in the industry say) came along, and BAM!
posted by hal_c_on at 12:35 AM on February 25, 2008

(oops, I just reread your question. Tina Turner may not have been much of an actress, but as comeback stories go, hers is pretty extreme.)
posted by maryh at 12:36 AM on February 25, 2008

Gloria Swanson in SUNSET BLVD
Naomi Watts in MULHOLLAND DRIVE
Drew Barrymore in SCREAM
posted by paperzach at 2:03 AM on February 25, 2008

Leslie Nielsen in Airplane and Naked Gun. Don't think he was exactly a superstar at any time before those but I would still call it a career resurrection. Also, Rob Reiner who went from 70's meathead to respected director (and actor) with Spinal Tap.
posted by gfrobe at 2:29 AM on February 25, 2008

As you mention Travolta, Kill Bill was the return of Uma Thurman.
posted by ersatz at 3:07 AM on February 25, 2008

Bruce Willis' career was in the crapper until The Sixth Sense.
posted by Effigy2000 at 3:28 AM on February 25, 2008

Marlene Dietrich had a huge career turnaround in the early '50 when she started doing caberet.
It's hard to find actresses that have had turnarounds as dramatic as certain actors, like Travolta or even Leslie Nielsen. I think that says more about commercial fimmaking in the US than it does about actresses here.
posted by maryh at 3:44 AM on February 25, 2008

Cher. The song was called Believe.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:19 AM on February 25, 2008

I'm pretty impressed by the resurrection of Jason Bateman in Arrested Development.
posted by catesbie at 5:33 AM on February 25, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Neil Patrick Harris in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle
posted by kimdog at 5:41 AM on February 25, 2008

Marlon Brando in "The Godfather".
posted by rentalkarma at 5:54 AM on February 25, 2008

I thought Jon Stewart was a has-been until the wildly successful Daily Show.
posted by cashman at 6:17 AM on February 25, 2008

I would call Bill Murray's comeback starting at Rushmore.
posted by mkb at 6:51 AM on February 25, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

A stretch, but Rick Schroeder in NYPD Blue?
posted by vito90 at 7:18 AM on February 25, 2008

Johnny Cash was pretty much done up until the release of his American Recordings album.
posted by MasonDixon at 7:29 AM on February 25, 2008

Aerosmith after their collaboration with Run DMC on the cover of Walk This Way.
posted by Sara Anne at 7:47 AM on February 25, 2008

Martin Landau - Ed Wood
David Caruso - CSI
Jack Palance - City Slickers
posted by carmicha at 10:27 AM on February 25, 2008

Norman Wisdom in Last of the Summer Wine.

Both Frank Kelly and Dermot Morgan in Father Ted.
posted by meehawl at 11:57 AM on February 25, 2008

Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours, 1955.
posted by Phoveo at 1:03 PM on February 25, 2008

I'd second Rob Lowe, but put the timing more squarely on The West Wing.

And Bill Murray at Rushmore really is a good one.
posted by General Malaise at 1:51 PM on February 25, 2008

What Sara Anne said. There's an NPR "Fresh Air" (IIRC) podcast about how this came to be.
posted by wafaa at 2:50 PM on February 25, 2008

Kim Bassinger worked a lot in the late 80s and early 90s then nothing for awhile until she won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential.

Macauly Culkin in Party Monster (though apparently came back a bit on stage first).
posted by ODiV at 2:58 PM on February 25, 2008

Thanks guys! I'm favoriting the ones that fit the situation I'm looking for most closely, but these are all great, yay hivemind!
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:50 PM on February 25, 2008

The NY Times has an article today about Fred Willard's comeback.
posted by scody at 10:40 AM on February 26, 2008