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When Mickey Rourke nabbed an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Wrestler earlier this year, it was the signal that the former bad boy was officially accepted back into the inner sanctum. The same goes for Robert Downey Jr., who featured in two of the highest grossing films of 2008, after languishing in prison and drug rehab centers in the 90's. The only thing Hollywood loves more than chewing up their most talented performers – is a happy ending. We're a fan of them too, and so we look back on these great Hollywood comeback stories. Mickey Rourke's career began promisingly, staring in the critically acclaimed films Body Heat, Diner and Rumble Fish. He developed 'sex symbol' status by starring alongside Kim Basinger in the box office hit 9 ½ Weeks. His persona as a rugged rebel made him popular worldwide. However, his choice in film roles began to draw criticism, as did his on-set difficulties. In 1991, Rourke decided to go back to boxing, his pre-acting love. Over the course of his four year boxing career, Rourke's once beautiful face was pummeled until it was unrecognizable. Reconstructive surgery proved ineffective in rebuilding the cheeky face of the 80's icon. Rourke returned to film, but remained in the rut of supporting roles in unmemorable films. However, in 2005 he starred as Marv, the scarred bruiser in Robert Rodriguez's Sin City. Three years later, he would take on the title role in Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed The Wrestler – a role that some say is symbolic of Rourke's own rise and fall in Hollywood. However, Rourke can tag on another 'rise' in that equation, having scored the role of lead villain in the highly anticipated superhero film Iron Man 2. This brings us to our second Hollywood comeback. Before Robert Downey Jr. starred as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the $700 million grossing blockbuster, he was a respected indie actor with plenty of behind the scenes turmoil. In 1985, a twenty-year-old Downey Jr. joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, but was unceremoniously fired only a year later due to budget cutbacks. He popped up in several films during the eighties, until he scored the titular role in Richard Attenborough's Chaplin – a role which garnered him much acclaim and an Academy Award nomination. The Oscar nom opened doors for Downey. The young actor featured in box office hits such as Heart and Souls, Only You and the cult classic Natural Born Killers. However, at the same time he was arrested on numerous drug-related charges. In 1996, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, heroin and an unloaded gun while driving in Los Angeles. Less than a month later, he trespassed into a neighbour's home under the influence of a controlled substance. He had broken parole – something he probably hadn't realized while asleep in his neighbours bed. Over the next few years, the talented actor was in and out of prisons and rehab centers. He lost a high profile job on Ally McBeal and his career seemed over. Robert Downey Jr. was uninsurable at this point of his career, which made it difficult for studio's to consider hiring the Hollywood wild card. Old friend Mel Gibson paid Downey's insurance bond for 2003's The Singing Detective, which kicked off this new era for the actor. In 2005, he appeared in small roles in critical hits Good Night and Good Luck and A Scanner Darkly. He took the lead role in the cult hit Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and also received acclaim for his performance in David Fincher's Zodiac. Then, it what came as a surprise to many, Downey Jr. was cast as Iron Man in Jon Favreau's big budget superhero pic. The film was a phenomenal success, and returned him to the limelight. In the same year, he scored an Oscar nomination for his controversial performance in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder, as an Australian method-actor in head-to-toe black makeup. He now heads into Guy Richie's Sherlock Holmes in the lead role and Iron Man 2 alongside former wild child Mickey Rourke.
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