On the contrary, Cary Elwes is in the midst of a full-on career renaissance.

You're absolutely right that his leading-man momentum seemed to run out of steam in the '90s. It started with 1987's "The Princess Bride" and maybe peaked with 1993's "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," but it slowed pretty rapidly so that by the '00s he was doing supporting roles in relatively low-profile films. His biggest role at the time was a recurring support in the gruesome, schlocky Saw horror franchise.

That said, he never went away. Elwes kept up an incredible work rate that, viewed in hindsight, looks more like a slow transition from handsome young heartthrob to mature silver fox.

He's back to top-lining films, such as last year's Netflix holiday romance "A Castle for Christmas," and he has eight high-profile roles in development — most notably the next Mission: Impossible franchise movie, "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning - Part One," which will be raking in cash next year.

Looking back, it seems Elwes' perceived lost momentum could also be due to an adventurous taste in roles. Some of the small supporting turns that followed his '90s peak were in critically beloved films that have since developed cult followings — such as in the 2000 inside-showbiz film "Shadow of the Vampire."

That adventurous streak has paid off most recently in one of the most talked-about shows of the past 10 years: "Stranger Things." The sci-fi series gave him a relatively small (but mighty) role as the town's villainous mayor.

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