33. Robert Downey Jr.
Before his Iron Man comeback, Robert Downey Jr. spent years battling severe addiction, including a 1996 arrest where police found him naked, armed with a .357 Magnum, and high on cocaine in a neighbor’s home. He served time and hit rock bottom multiple times before sobriety in 2003.
His wild ’90s downfall was tabloid fodder, but the depths of his self-destruction and near-career-ending relapses were downplayed in later success stories. Paparazzi hounded him then, but the true miracle of his recovery stayed a quieter, guarded triumph.
