9 Actors Who Saved Their Entire Careers With Just One Iconic Role

Fame is a fickle thing. Today you might be adored by the whole world, but the next day you can be shunned by everyone. We have seen countless Hollywood stars that have fallen from grace, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. As soon as we thought their career would end, they amazed us with mind-blowing performances.
These comebacks only took one role for these actors to shine again. Let’s see which roles have saved their whole career and taken them to their glory.

1. Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark, Iron Man

Source: Disney/Marvel

Robert Downey Jr. had many great roles before he became the Iron Man, but he almost lost his career before he turned into Tony Stark. In fact, when casting for the superhero, Robert Downey Jr. was not high on Marvel’s list. His history of substance abuse and in-and-out trips to jail was considered a huge risk and nobody wanted to cast him in their films for a long time, Marvel included.
But Robert got his act together and did an amazing job playing Iron Man. His performance was so iconic that not only did it save his career, but it also turned him into a beloved figure in many people’s hearts.

2. Keanu Reeves - John Wick

Source: Summit Entertainment

47 Ronins wasn’t a well-liked movie, and so did all the films that Keanu Reeves participated in after. Flop movie after flop movie had made Keanu Reeves’s career seem like it would end. But everything turned completely around when he was cast as the protagonist in John Wick. His performance in this series was legendary, and once again he became a shining star in the Hollywood sky.

3. Chris Evans - Steve Rogers, Captain America

Source: Disney/Marvel

Nowadays everybody knows Chris Evans, but not many people knew about him before his time as Captain America. His career was rather dull before he became Steve Rogers. The actor was featured in movies such as Fantastic Four, Playing It Cool, and Push, but none of them were blockbusters. It’s safe to say that the role of Captain America has changed his career and his life forever.

4. Ryan Reynolds - Deadpool

Source: Marvel

Before Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds’s history of playing superhero roles wasn’t good. His character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and his performance as Green Lantern were hated by both fans and critics. The bashing was so bad that it would have ended most actors’ careers.
But his comeback as Deadpool in the new movie is a completely different story. People were blown away by his performance as the character and praised him a lot. Deadpool even became one of the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time. The audience loves the series and can’t wait for more.

5. Paul Bettany - Vision, The Avengers

Source: Disney/Marvel

Paul Bettany thought his career was over when an unnamed producer informed him that through a phone call. But the following call from Joss Whedon changed his fate. “I stepped out into Hollywood and I sat on the sidewalk with my feet in the gutter and I thought [expletive] me… My phone rang and it was Joss Whedon and he said, ‘Do you want to play the Vision in the next ‘Avengers movie?'” Bettany recalled. Thanks to that call, Bettany’s career was revived and we got to see an amazing Vision on the screen.

6. Christoph Waltz - Hans Landa, Inglorious Basterds

Source: The Weinstein Company

Before Inglorious Basterds, not many American audiences knew Christoph Waltz. He had some successful roles and was more popular in Europe, but nothing like a superstar. His career seemed to hit a wall and soon would have ended if not for his role as Hans Landa.
Thanks to his spectacular performance in the movie, Waltz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Hans Landa. He got more major roles in the following years including Django Unchained, Spectre, and Alita: Battle Angel.

7. Marlon Brando - Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather

Source: Paramount Pictures

Marlon Brando might be hailed as the greatest actor of all time nowadays, but he certainly wasn’t before his role as the Godfather. After his string of flops and his reputation as a difficult actor to work with, his career was nearly ended. When director Francis Ford Coppola pushed for his casting, Paramount Pictures straight up responded with “Marlon Brando will never appear in this motion picture.”
Thankfully, Coppola didn’t give up. After numerous pleas from him, Paramount Pictures reluctantly gave Brando a chance. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for this role and became a Hollywood icon.

8. John Travolta - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction

Source: © Pulp Fiction / Miramax Films

John Travolta’s golden age was in the 70s. In the 80s, after several movies that were considered failures, his career seemed like it would only go downhill from there. But his performance as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction changed everything. This role revived his career and even gave him a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.

9. Robert Pattinson - Good Time

Source: © Good Time / Elara Pictures

Edward Cullen might be the role that brought Robert Pattinson into the spotlight, but it was also the role that he hated the most. For years, the actor struggled to get out of the “teen star” label. Finally, he got his breakthrough with a smashing performance in Good Time. This role proved Pattinson could be so much more than just “The Twilight Guy.” After that, he was offered many diverse roles.