15 Most Inspiring Acting Comebacks of All Time

Hollywood is known for chewing people up and spitting them out, a symptom of an industry always looking for the next big (and lucrative) thing. When an actor makes their mark or even wins an Academy Award, that's not a guarantee that their career will continue to receive consistent support.

Take, for example, Hilary Swank, one of Hollywood's most acclaimed actors at the turn of the 21st century, earning Oscars for Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby in 2000 and 2005, respectively. Most recently, she starred in the 2022 ABC drama Alaska Daily, which was canceled after one season. Even someone like Nicolas Cage, who was born into a Hollywood family and worked tirelessly for decades, hit a career slump in the 2010s due to a financial crisis.

Anything from mental illness to appearing in a box-office flop can force a working actor from the limelight, and there are few viable support systems in place for actors to make a return.

READ MORE: Actors and Actresses Who Received Unfair Backlash

Beyond that, there's no guarantee that those returns, however long-awaited, will be well received. Once the beloved star of hits like Charlie's Angels and There's Something About Mary, Cameron Diaz's decade-plus break from making movies had audiences clamoring for a comeback. Unfortunately, the January 2025 film that brought her back to viewers, Netflix's Back in Action, has been roundly rejected. As one critic put it, "While it might prove that Diaz still possesses that same particular magic, it also shows that she should be far more discerning with how she chooses to share it."

It's not all bad news, thankfully. Sometimes, the stars align for a rousing comeback story of cinematic proportions. There's Lily Gladstone, who was ready to change her career before she received the Zoom call of a lifetime to join Killers of the Flower Moon, and Brendan Fraser, whom the industry had all but abandoned for years until Darren Aronofsky gave him a starring role in The Whale.

It's always heartwarming when a triumphant return like you see in the movies translates to real life. So, using various online sources, Stacker looked at 15 of the most inspiring actor comeback stories, researching actors who seemed down and out for a significant period before making a major mainstream return.

If you're hoping to read something feel-good today, look no further than the 15 stories on this list.