Jason Bateman: From 'Silver Spoons' to the silver screen

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<i>By Denise Martin, Special to The Times</i>

Jason Bateman, Hancock

( Columbia Pictures )

By Denise Martin, Special to The Times

Audiences had long been waiting for Jason Bateman to make his comeback. He obliged in 2003 when he took on the role of Michael Bluth, the relatively sane member of the dysfunctional Bluth family on Foxs Arrested Development. And in this summers tentpole Hancock, Bateman more than holds his own against Will Smiths cantankerous superhero by making his character, an altruistic publicist, a believable thing.

Of course, Bateman's fan base has been years in the making, watching him grow from the impish runt he played on Silver Spoons to the levelheaded Bluth on Arrested Development. Here's a look back at his career highlights.