hollywood actors success-stories

Actors started their careers at the top of their game. However, their excellent acting was quickly overshadowed abuse and poor film choices, which threatened to destroy their careers. Rather than fall by the Hollywood wayside, these seven stars fought their way back to the top.

Leonardo DiCaprio

the wolf of wall street
We first saw DiCaprio as a guest star on Growing Pains and an autistic teenager in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Eventually, he hit star status starring as Jack on the Titanic and Romeo in Romeo + Juliet. Many wondered how he would possibly be able to top his performance in the Titanic. He couldn’t — at least not right away. Viewers begin seeing DiCaprio in box office flops such as The Man in the Iron Mask, writes Betty Confidential. Finally, he stepped away from the acting scene for a bit and came back in 2001 determined to be known for more   his role in the Titanic. DiCaprio returned to Hollywood fame with 2002’s Catch me If You Can, a movie that was well-received by critics and viewers. Things have been uphill for DiCaprio ever since, as he continues to star in one hit after another, including Inception, The Great Gatsby, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Alec Baldwin

Baldwin never really dropped off the Hollywood radar altogether, but things have certainly been up and down for him. He started out strong, playing key roles in films such as The Hunt for Red OctoberBeetlejuice, andGlengarry Glen Ross. His acting was put on the sidelines, though, during his very   divorce with his ex-wife Kim Basinger. After that, Baldwin secluded himself from the public, not appearing in anything for quite a while. But thanks to NBC’s 30 Rock (and Tina Fey), Baldwin is back and better than ever. In fact, he’s earned multiple Emmy nominations and won two awards for best actor for his role as Jack Donaghy..
However, drama tends to follow Baldwin wherever he does, and he’s once again considering withdrawing from the public altogether. “I probably have to move out of New York. I just can’t live in New York any more. Everything I hated about L.A., I’m beginning to crave. L.A. is a place where  live behind a gate, you get in a car, your interaction with the public is minimal. I used to hate that. But New York has changed,” Today reportsBaldwin saying. Perhaps, years from now, we’ll be seeing Baldwin make his second comeback into the spotlight.

Mickey Rourke

There was a time when Travolta was the laughing stock of Hollywood. The former Grease and Saturday Night Fever chose to star in some terrible movies in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s (do the Look Who’s Talking movies ring a bell?), causing many to assume his career was over. That’s not what happened, though. Flavorwire writes that Travolta’s comeback came when  Tarantino cast him as mafia hitman Vincent Vega in the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Just like that, a star was reborn. While he only made around $100,000 for the role, it paved the way for a string of solid films, including Get ShortyPrimary Colors and A Civil Action.
Scroll to Top