Now it's the turn of Mickey Rourke, one-time '80s heartthrob-turned-pugilist who recklessly threw away his hard-won fame and acclaim on bad behaviour and worse movies.

It's a peculiar phenomenon. The American movie industry likes its stars to be malleable types who turn up to premieres, smile for the cameras and give good talk. It doesn't matter if they are shovelling cocaine up their noses, just as long as it doesn't affect business.

Downey fell into the latter trap. There came a time when Downey couldn't get a job – but he could get arrested, and frequently did.

His once-promising career was in freefall, and the man who played Chaplin looked like crashing and burning with devastating force. Suddenly, he's back, and stronger than ever. What's more, Hollywood has welcomed him back with open arms.

Cue Mickey Rourke. After years in the wilderness he's returned with a performance of raw intensity as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. The word is that it's the best thing he's ever done – praise indeed when one thinks of films like Angel Heart. Rourke has been ripe for rediscovery for half a dozen years. He embraced the bad boy persona with a vengeance.

He went spectacularly off the rails, became unemployable and was the epitome of the Hollywood pariah. Some whispered that he'd even gone slightly nuts.

Maybe he did. One oft-repeated story had Rourke pelting from a press conference on the beach at Cannes to do some praying in the sand.

No-one amongst the watching journalists and TV crews was particularly impressed, and Rourke bore the brunt of their collective ire. When he hit the skids, no-one cared too much. He ditched movies for the ring, becoming a professional boxer. The work dried up, the offers stopped coming and suddenly Mickey Rourke, the golden boy and prospective megastar, found himself collecting a meagre weekly allowance from his manager.

He underwent plastic surgery on his roughly handsome features, which were battered in a series of fights. He paid to see a shrink three times a week. He bade farewell to friends, colleagues and even a harem of girlfriends. His constant companions were his dogs. He lived in a hotel room.

It was a long way to fall and painful to witness. Rourke landed with a crunch.

Then came the fightback. Rourke sought to rebuild a career he had cast aside. There were small roles and support in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Man on Fire, Domino and Sin City. No-one could quite believe the turnaround – the ultimate bad boy was behaving himself.

Now there is The Wrestler. The reviews are raves, and everyone is talking about Mickey Rourke.

He's survived and, at 52, can look forward to a second chance at the big time.

All sins forgiven. Who, I wonder, might be next…?