How disgraced movie stars made their comebacks

Actors: you can't keep them out of the headlines any more than you can keep them out of the cinemas. Plenty of Hollywood's finest have known public shame for various misdeeds, but only the bravest few attempt to come back from their disgrace in the hope that their talent – i.e. pretending to be someone else – is so incredible that the general public will forget about the skeletons in their closet.

Sometimes the comebacks work, sometimes the careers go further off the rails, but movie stars should know this: we never really forget...

[Barry Norman fell out with Mel Gibson over who was tallest]

The star: Mel Gibson

The scandal: Gibson made headlines around the world when he was arrested for DUI in 2006, unleashing a foul tirade of anti-Semitism ("Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world") and labelling a female police officer "Sugar tits". In 2010, a recording of Gibson spouting abuse at his then-girlfriend over the phone went public; a year later, another recording of the actor threatening screenwriter Joe Eszterhas over an alleged unfinished script hit the web, in which Gibson can be heard yelling and knocking over his totem pole.

The comeback: It seems like every other movie Mel makes these days is labelled a 'comeback'. In 2010, Gibson starred in a Hollywood remake of British TV show 'Edge Of Darkness', but it’s moderate effectiveness was soon overshadowed by his rage issues. In 2011, Mel's mental illness movie 'The Beaver' flopped on delivery. This week, Gibson plays villain Luthor Voz in knockabout romp, 'Machete Kills' (watch the lurid trailer below) and will star as another baddie in 'The Expendables 3' in 2014. Maybe Gibbo is better suited to playing villains these days.

The star: Hugh Grant

The scandal: Known primarily as a stuttering yet polite Englishman thanks to the success of 'Four Weddings And A Funeral', Grant shocked us all when he was arrested in 1995 for receiving oral sex from prostitute Divine Brown not far from Sunset Boulevard.

The comeback: The world didn't have to wait too long for Grant to atone for his sins. Just two weeks after his arrest, Grant fulfilled his scheduled appearance on The Jay Leno Show to promote his new movie, comedy 'Nine Months'. When asked if he was reluctant to go public so soon after his indiscretion, Grant replied: "I've never been one to blow my own trumpet, as it were." Sadly, that gag was funnier than anything in 'Nine Months'.

The star: Drew Barrymore

The scandal: Cigarettes. Alcohol. Excessive partying. Cocaine. Rehab. It sounds like an average tour with Pete Doherty, but Drew Barrymore was a seriously hardcore caner, indulging in every vice afforded to her at the tender age of 14. A suicide attempt precipitated a lengthy stay of sobriety under the roof of singer David Crosby.

The comeback: Barrymore has always worked, even through her rough patches, and her highly sexualised image helped keep her in the public eye (baring your breasts to David Letterman on 'The Late Show' will do that). However, it was a pre-credits cameo in meta horror 'Scream' that reignited Barrymore's career as a leading lady, leading to a transformation from wild child to rom-com queen by way of 'Never Been Kissed', 'The Wedding Singer' and all manner of syrupy fare. We're still waiting on Doherty to come good, incidentally.

The star: Robert Downey Jr

The scandal: You name it, Robert Downey Jr ingested it. Lowlights include being arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded gun in 1996, and then there was the small matter of getting blotto and waking up in his neighbour's kid's bed. 'Troubled' doesn't even begin to cover it.

The comeback: Downey Jr's comeback didn't happen overnight on a single project – in fact, it took several years for Hollywood to trust him again. 'Air America' co-star Mel Gibson paid his insurance bond to cast him in 'The Singing Detective' in 2003; producer Joel Silver held back 40% of Downey's salary for 'Gothika' in 2004 until the movie wrapped. It was Shane Black's 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' that reminded Hollywood's casting agents of his talents, which ultimately led to him being cast as 'Iron Man'. 'The Avengers' and his infamous $50 million payday would soon follow, completing the most unlikely of comebacks

[Buy 'Iron Man 3' on DVD]

The star: Eddie Murphy

The scandal: Family man Murphy was collared by Santa Monica police picking up a transvestite prostitute in 1997. Murphy claimed he was only helping her out; the hooker claims Eddie offered her $200 for sex. We know whose story is more fun.

The comeback: At this point, Eddie Murphy was already one of the biggest stars in Hollywood (as strange as that sounds these days) so there was little chance of an indiscretion like this standing in the way of his career juggernaut. His next movie, a fairly charmless retelling of 'Dr Dolittle', wound up being the biggest non-'Beverly Hills Cop' movie of Murphy's career, making almost $300 million worldwide. So in a way, the transvestite prostitute was really the one who helped Eddie out.

The star: Lindsay Lohan

The scandal: Lohan is the archetypal 'child star gone off the rails': she went from cutesy Disney kiddywink to tabloid trainwreck in just under a decade, leaving a trail of destruction – and missed court dates – in her wake.

The comeback: Some might say the real scandal was 'I Know Who Killed Me', Lohan's pitiful first attempt to relaunch herself as an adult actress, complete with grisly murder scenes and gratuitous stripping. With that comeback aborted, she spent the next few years gratefully accepting stunt casting roles in the likes of Machete (2010) and TV movie 'Liz & Dick' (2012), in which she played Elizabeth Taylor to a chorus of sniggers. Her latest attempt at a career reboot was 'The Canyons', which at least had a sheen of credibility (Paul Schrader directs a Bret Easton Ellis screenplay) but was effectively a bonkbuster. Don't be surprised if Lohan gives acting another go in a few years' time.

Take a leisurely browse through some more movie star mug shots below...