Anyone who publishes a memoir titled Little Girl Lost at the ripe of old age of 15 probably hasn’t had the easiest time of it. That’s true for Drew Barrymore, who became a worldwide star at age seven with the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She went on to struggle publicly with drugs and alcohol, enduring two stints in rehab and a suicide attempt by the time she was 14. Hard to believe that, today, Barrymore is one of Hollywood’s most successful actresses and (with her company Flower Films) producers. In 2009, she won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of “Little Edie” Beale in Grey Gardens.

He showed early promise in films such as Less Than Zero and Chaplin, but Robert Downey Jr. became more known as a notorious party boy and drug addict after a series of arrests in the 1990s. "It's like I've got a shotgun in my mouth with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal,” he famously told a judge in 1999.

After a court-ordered drug treatment program, Downey got sober and Hollywood gave him another chance. He became A-list once again with 2007’s Ironman and 2009’s Sherlock Holmes and is now expecting a baby with wife Susan Levin.

Just 10 days after winning an Oscar for The Blind Side, Bullock’s nearly five-year marriage to motorcycle mogul Jesse James unraveled in a humiliatingly public fashion (remember Michelle “Bombshell” McGee?) as his numerous affairs came to light. (This, after she’d publicly thanked him for “having [her] back”!)

A devastated Bullock quietly retreated to her home in Austin, Texas. But she re-merged just six weeks later, beaming alongside her new adopted son, Louis, on the cover of People. The scandal also boosted public goodwill for Bullock, who is now ranked as the highest-paid actress of all time.

Mickey Rourke was the toast of Tinseltown in the ‘80s, winning acclaim for his roles in Diner, 9 1/2 Weeks and Barfly. But, thanks to his hot temper and substance abuse problems, he soon earned a reputation as difficult. He abruptly quit acting for boxing in the 1990s and became nearly unrecognizable thanks to facial injuries and subsequent reconstructive surgeries. After the flameout of a tumultuous marriage to model Carre Otis and the end of his boxing career, Rourke was nearly broke.

He launched an unlikely Hollywood comeback in 2008, garnering raves for his role as a down-on-his-luck fighter in The Wrestler. Who does he thank for the change of fortune? “I'd like to thank all my dogs,” Rourke said on winning a Golden Globe in 2009. “ … because sometimes when a man's alone, that's all you got is your dog.”

The force behind such mega-hits as “Un-break my Heart” and “Breathe Again,” Toni Braxton was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2007. She followed that with more hit records, but Braxton still couldn’t manage her money. In 2010, she filed for bankruptcy one again, reportedly owing up to $50 million. 

Braxton’s luck improved in 2011, when her reality show Braxton Family Values was picked up and she signed a new record deal.

The role of Karen in 1991’s Goodfellas made her a star, but a lengthy custody battle with ex-boyfriend Harvey Keitel left her bankrupt by 1999. ''It was horrifying and embarrassing: getting foreclosure notices; lawyers knocking on your door wanting their money and no work to be found,'' she has said. ''It was basically, who do you pay at the end of the month? You have to pay the mortgage. You have to pay the taxes, food and electricity and lawyers.'' 

But that all changed when Bracco was cast in the career-making role of Dr. Jennifer Melfi on HBO’s The Sopranos. Today, she’s debt-free and appears often on the hit show Rizzoli and Isles.

As Rebecca Howe on Cheers, Kirstie Alley won an Emmy and a Golden Globe and later starred on the successful sitcom Veronica’s Closet. But a battle with her weight led to a loss of roles. In 2005, she created and starred in the series Fat Actress, playing herself, but the show was canceled after just seven episodes. That same year, she joined Jenny Craig and dropped 75 pounds—becoming the brand’s pitch woman—only to gain it all back. Alley didn’t really find the spotlight again until 2011, when she became a fan favorite on Dancing with the Stars.

Want MORE? Check out our Fierce List of Women You Want on Your Side.

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