The Comeback Kids: Movies That Resurrected Actors’ Careers

Making Waves

In 1993, Neil Patrick Harris became a household name as the star of Doogie Howser, MD. He star then seemed to fade away, with the exception of a role in Starship Troopers, which just made him more of a childhood actor turned joke rather than a serious adult star. But when How I Met Your Mother came out, Harris again achieved star status through his role of the lovable Barney. He then became acknowledged for his stage and singing talents, starring in Broadway’s Cabaret and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2015, he was the first openly gay actor to host the Academy Awards.