10 Actor Comebacks NOBODY Saw Coming

Even just a couple of years ago, one-time action superstar Brendan Fraser standing on the podium and lifting a Best Actor Oscar above his head one day seemed like something of an impossible dream.

This Mummy, George of the Jungle, and Encino Man superstar once felt like a leading man destined to remain on top. But in the wake of being the victim of an alleged sexual assault in 2003, the star would eventually note to GQ how he felt work "withered on the vine" in the years that followed the incident.

On top of that horrendous experience, Fraser's body also began to break down after years of gruelling stunts, with the star requiring numerous surgeries on his knee, back, and vocal cords that resulted in him being in and out of hospital for nearly seven years.

And after staying away from the spotlight for such a long time, many understandably wondered whether they'd actually ever see the charismatic and undeniably gifted performer in a high-profile role ever again.

But then Darren Aronofsky ultimately came calling in the wake of Fraser's brilliant small-screen work on The Affair, Trust, Titans, and Doom Patrol turning a few heads towards the end of the 2010s.

What came next was a transformative and deeply moving turn as the obese English teacher Charlie in The Whale. And that once unthinkable Oscar win sealed an unexpected but well-deserved comeback for the ages.