Top 10 '90s Actors Who Made Comebacks Years Later

#10: Joe Pesci

It’s kind of amazing how varied this career was, given his relatively brief stardom. Joe Pesci had been working steadily in films for years when he earned an Oscar for one of his most famous roles in “Goodfellas.” From crime to comedy to family favorites, Pesci’s 90s were pretty stellar. Then, in 1999, he retired. Making only two live-action film appearances over the next 20 years, he made a triumphant, if temporary, return in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.” But it wasn’t so much of a comeback as a brief visit. He did another film and appeared on Pete Davidson’s one-season dramedy, “Bupkis,” leaving us wanting more.

#9: Meg Ryan

The romcom queen of the 90s made her name on characters who were relatably messy. Meg Ryan could have kept going back to that well. But she doesn’t just take any part. She stepped away at the height of her fame, mostly because she wanted to raise her son, actor Jack Quaid, and live a life away from Hollywood for a while. In 2015, after nearly seven years away, she returned in “Ithaca,” a film she also directed. She wouldn’t appear on screen again until the 2023 romcom “What Happens Later.” If that weren’t enough, she’s returning to the genre again alongside Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo in “Good Sex.”

#8: Alicia Silverstone

After hitting the heights of mainstream attention in the 90s, the star of “Clueless” scaled things back once the 2000s hit. Alicia Silverstone consciously pulled back from the rat race of Hollywood. When she did take film roles, they were often minor. But it’s not like she’s ever been totally out of the culture. Cher Horowitz’s influence is still very much alive. In the past few years, Silverstone has made a quiet comeback. She returned to our attention via social media, especially with her animal rights activism. With roles in recent projects like “Y2K” and “Bugonia,” it’s clear we still can’t get enough of her.

#7: Natasha Lyonne

The “Russian Doll” and “Poker Face” star began her career as early as six years old. Throughout the 90s, she worked on numerous movies of varied size and scope. Natasha Lyonne spent the decade volleying between major projects like “American Pie” and smaller ones like “Slums of Beverly Hills” and “But I’m a Cheerleader.” But a tumultuous relationship with her stage parents and publicized struggles with substance use disorder halted her career in the 2000s. It wasn’t until “Orange Is the New Black” premiered in 2013 that she began the impressive run she’s been on for years now.

#6: Matthew Lillard

In the 90s, the star of “Scooby-Doo” and “Scream” carved out a place for himself as a go-to for young eccentrics, geeks, and outcasts. Matthew Lillard’s filmography is a lot more varied than just those roles, though. He was one of many young actors who became synonymous with Gen X sensibility. But once the 2000s hit, Lillard pivoted to a prolific career in voice acting, mostly reprising his role as Shaggy in various “Scooby-Doo” cartoons. Lillard has returned to major film roles with “Five Nights at Freddy's” and a much-anticipated appearance in “Scream 7.”

#5: Geena Davis

Even an Oscar winner’s career can be brought down by a box office flop. Geena Davis had the misfortune of being in two, both directed by then-husband Renny Harlin. 1995’s “Cutthroat Island” was an especially notorious failure. She only made three films between 1999 and 2006, all of them part of the “Stuart Little” series, and starred in a few series that were promptly canceled. In the late 2010s, she returned to starring roles on “The Exorcist” series and continued her work with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. The best may be yet to come, though. In 2024, “Stranger Things” creators, the Duffer Brothers, cast Davis in their next Netflix series, “The Boroughs.”

#4: Neve Campbell

She may have become an immortal scream queen due to her work as Sidney Prescott, but Neve Campbell’s work began on the teen drama “Party of Five.” Once the “Scream” series came along, Campbell felt fortunate but hemmed in by the role. As years went by, the scripts she received just weren’t exciting. She didn’t just leave Hollywood. She left America. In the mid-2000s, she was living in relative obscurity in London. In the 2010s, she returned via TV on shows like “House of Cards.” Her much-heralded return to the “Scream” franchise in 2022 launched her into an entirely new era. Despite well-publicized salary disputes over returning for “Scream VI,” she returned for the series’ seventh entry in 2026.

#3: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Few actresses epitomized 90s California cool like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Sarah Michelle Gellar. She was in some of the most iconic movies of the late 90s and early 2000s. After marrying her frequent co-star, Freddie Prinze Jr., the couple largely stepped away from their prolific careers to begin a family. The couple rejoined former co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt in a reboot of the 1997 horror classic “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Gellar returned to major roles in “Wolf Pack” for Paramount+ and has since signed on to star in and executive produce a “Buffy” sequel series.

#2: Winona Ryder

While she began her career as a quirky Tim Burton ingénue, Winona Ryder branched out into a wide variety of roles in the 90s. Her range was tested in historical dramas, character studies, and timely Gen X comedies. But after her very public arrest for shoplifting in 2001, Ryder’s output became less consistent. Studios deemed her an insurance risk, leaving her almost unemployable. Though she secured small roles in lower-profile projects, she reentered the mainstream in a big way in 2016. Her role as Joyce Byers on Netflix’s insanely popular sci-fi series, “Stranger Things,” introduced her to a whole new audience.

#1: Brendan Fraser

Famous for his persona as the handsome, steady, and good-natured leading man, Brendan Fraser was one of the most bankable stars of the 90s. He could do any genre, from rom-coms to action to historical drama. Box office returns diminished, and Fraser was notably absent from major releases for years. In the late 2010s, he revealed a disturbing encounter with former Hollywood Foreign Press president Philip Berk had affected his mental health and his desire to work in Hollywood. Fraser’s return to widely-seen projects began in TV, leading to more major film roles. This culminated with his Best Actor Oscar for “The Whale” in 2023.

Who’s a '90s idol you’d like to see make a comeback? Tell us in the comments.