10 Actor Comebacks NOBODY Saw Coming
2. Robert Downey Jr.
Another star who once looked like one of the most promising names in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr.'s career ultimately stalled a few years on from his Academy Award nominated work as the iconic Charlie Chaplin in 1992.
The star was arrested for drug offences on a number of occasions during the '90s and early 2000s. He also spent time in prison. And it got to the point where this undoubtedly gifted but hugely troubled performer was pretty much unemployable.
After stopping for a particularly "disgusting" burger from Burger King in 2003, though, the actor who'd struggled with addiction for years finally decided to commit to properly getting himself clean, throwing all of his drugs into the ocean before Mel Gibson landed him a part in a flick he was producing by the name of The Singing Detective.
From here, the performer who seemed set to become yet another Hollywood tragedy started to once again smash it in the likes of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Zodiac, with all that outstanding work leading to a screen test that would change his life forever.
Marvel Studios obviously weren't sure he was worth the risk at the time. But Jon Favreau simply wouldn't take no for an answer and that brilliant Iron Man audition soon paved the way for RDJ becoming one of the most successful actors of all time in the 15 years that followed.