32 movies and TV shows that revitalized careers

Don't call it a comeback, they've been here for year❀s

Iron Man
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Some movies make careers, other films end them but what are the best movies and TV shows that actually revitalized some stars' careers? From Oscar-worthy dramas to binge-worthy TV, many Hollywood flicks and TV shows restore some acཧtors to their former glory days.

In the long history of the silver screen, career ༒comebacks make for an irresistible Cinderella story where once-discarded talent make a roaring return to the spotlight to remind us why we loved them in the first place. Other times, an actor has been pigeonholed and typecast into a certain light, only for a project to change how we see them forever.

Some of the most beloved movies and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best TV shows of all time happen to star actors undergoing a career r𒆙eboot. These outings are proof of giving second chances, so h𒊎ere are 32 movies and TV shows that revitalized careers.

32. The Whale, with Brendan Fraser

The Whale

(Image credit: A24)

Year: 2022

Director: Darren Aronofsky

During the peak of the #MeToo movement, Brendan Fraser gave a revealing interview to GQ in 2018, recalling an incident of assault by a powerful producer; subsequent depression over it led to his care♑er stalling hard after reaching dizzying heights in the early 2000s. While Fraser had some noteworthy TV roles in the late 2010s, namely Doom Patrol, his starring role in Darren Aronofsky's The Whale restored Fraser's career image. His sympathetic performance as a morbidly obese man desperate to reconnect with his daughter drew acclaim and was a highlight over the movie's own shortcomings as a drama. The part won Fraser hisౠ first Oscar for Best Actor.

31. 24, with Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland in 24

(Image credit: 20th Television)

Year: 2001

Creator(s): Joel Surnow, Robert Cochran

Kiefer Sutherland was born into acting royalty, being the son of Donald Sutherland and Shirl꧙ey Douglas. But while Sutherland maintained a career in movies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn't until he starred in the smash hit TV series 24, beginning in 2001, that Sutherland earneღd his own household name. Over the course of its lengthy run, Sutherland became known for his portrayal of action hero Jack Bauer, a federal agent who goes to great lengths to get his job done. The series cemented Sutherland's celebrity, affording him a career outside the shadow of his thespian father.

29. The Wrestler, with Mickey Rourke

The Wrestler

(Image credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Year: 2008

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Mickey Rourke's exile from Hollywood was for only a few years, but the ♔short years away did a number on his once-sterling profile. After appearing in a string of unremarkable movies in the 2000s, Rourke bounced back with a noteworthy role in the 2005 comic book tentpole Sin City. The part gave Rourke momentum to star in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, a harrowing drama🀅 about a has-been professional wrestler trying to stage a career comeback. The parallels between Rourke and his character cannot be overstated. The movie earned the star an Oscar nomination for Best Actor (he lost to Sean Penn in Milk) and thrust Rourke back into the mainstream. He starred in the Marvel blockbuster Iron Man 2 shortly after.

28. Airplane!, with Leslie Nielsen

Airplane!

(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

Year: 1980

Director(s): Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Surely, we are serious. It's hard to fathom it now, but Leslie Nielsen was once a "serious" actor with movies like Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure, his starring role in Airplane! was a revelation due to his expert deadpan delivery. In later interviews, Nielsen stated that he always dreamed of doing comedy and relished the opportunity❀. The success of Airplane! allowed Niel𓃲sen to star in more cinematic comedies, including leading the Naked Gun series to appearing in parody movies like Scary Movie 3 and Superhero Movie. Among his last movies before his death were the comedies Stan Helsing and the low-budget Stonerville.

27. Wild, with Reese Witherspoon

Wild

(Image credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Year: 2014

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

In "High School Never Ends" by Bowling For Soup, Reese Witherspoon is "the prom queen." In Hollywood, it was true for a time. Following a string of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:teen movie hits like Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde, Witherspoon maturation as an actress peaked early with Walk the Line in 2005 before languishing in mediocrity. It wasn't until 2014's Wild, based on the memoir by Cheryl Strayed, that Witherspoon꧋ regained attention as a serious actress, playing a self-destructive young woman who goes on a walkabout along the Pacific Crest Trail. Witherspoon received a nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, and the movie reinforced herstanding in Hollywood to expand into entrepreneurship.

23. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, with Danny DeVito

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

(Image credit: 20th Television)

Year: 2005

Creator: Rob McElhenney

In the mid-2000s, Danny DeVito was hardly a has-been actor. But in a time when the lines separating movies🌺 and TV were still firmly drawn – the year 2005 – DeVito got roped into the low-budget FX comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the end result being beneficial for both parties. While DeVito was a late addition to the cast insisted on by the network, the Always Sunny crew has since stated that DeVito was the last piece of the puzzle that took their show to a new level, adding to the show's menacing chaos in a way that only the sour and stout DeVito could offer.