10 unlucky Academy Award-winning actors who never recovered from the ‘Oscar curse’
Winning an Academy Award should be the highlight of an actor’s career, recognition from your peers that you are the best of the best, a place in the history books, and the promise of more big roles down the line. Sadly, though, this isn’t always how it plays out.
The so-called ‘Oscars curse’ is an affliction that dooms winners of the statuette to go into a career spiral after their victory. There’s no explanation for it, and it doesn’t affect everyone, but it has happened at least ten times if this list is anything to go by.
While not all of these performers have entirely faded into obscurity since their big night, all of them went through at least a period of decline, and none of them ever got anywhere near the top prize again.
All that glitters is not gold, and awards success doesn’t mean a thing in the cutthroat world of the movies.
10 actor plagued by Oscars curse:
F Murray Abraham
‘F Murray Abraham Syndrome’ is the term given to a performer who finds early success and then struggles to maintain it. This comes from the career trajectory of the man who scooped ‘Best Actor’ in 1985 for his role as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus.
Previously a star of the stage, Abraham failed to translate his Oscar win into any major film success. He mostly did plays in the years following his victory, eventually establishing a healthy screen presence in later life through roles in Inside Llewyn Davis, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and the TV show Homeland.
Mercedes Ruehl
Despite mainly centring on the antics of Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl was the only actor from Terry Gilliam’s The Fisher King to win an Oscar. Her role as Anne, the mistreated girlfriend of Bridges’ shock jock character, brought her a ‘Best Supporting Actress’ trophy over the likes of Diane Ladd and Jessica Tandy.
Following her win, major film roles eluded Ruehl, as did any future award success. She would eventually return to life on the stage—she won a Tony in the same year she won an Oscar, an impressive feat—and is now largely forgotten.
Harold Russell
Harold Russell lived an extraordinary life. He lost both his hands in World War II and had them replaced by hooks. After the war, he decided to try acting and won ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for The Best Years of Our Lives, his first film. He became the first non-professional to win an Academy Award for acting.
After this astonishing achievement, Russell got a business degree, joined a number of charitable organisations, but did not appear in another film until 1980. He died in 2002 at the age of 88, leaving behind a remarkable story.
Roberto Benigni
Italian actor Roberto caused quite a stir when he won ‘Best Actor’ in 1998. His performance in La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful) was the first non-English speaking one to win the award, but some felt that it had been only honoured as a way of the Academy patting themselves on the back.
While Benigni continued to be a big star in his native country, his international success fluctuated wildly. His movie La tigre e la neve (The Tiger and the Snow) went down poorly, and his 2002 interpretation of Pinnochio is widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.
Jean Dujardin
When The Artist swept the board at the 2012 Oscars, many onlookers were worried that the silent movie throwback would have no staying power and be viewed by future generations as a gimmick. The same fears were espoused for ‘Best Actor’ winner Jean Dujardin, who defeated George Clooney, Gary Oldman, and Brad Pitt to take home his prize.
Dujardin chose to focus on projects in his native France following his win, popping up periodically in films like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Monuments Men. His commitment should be admired, but it’s interesting to think where his career could have gone had he chosen another path.
Marcia Gay Harden
Nobody expected Marcia Gay Harden to win ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for her role as artist Lee Krasner in Pollock. She hadn’t been nominated for any other major award in the run-up to the ceremony, so surely her surprise win was a cause for celebration.
Sadly, Harden’s career stagnated after this. As she said herself in 2003, the award was “disastrous on a professional level. Suddenly, the parts you’re offered and the money become smaller. There’s no logic to it.” At least she was able to win a Tony in 2009.
Haing S Ngor
For the movie The Killing Fields, set in Cambodia during the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime, Haing S Ngor, a real-life survivor of the dictatorship, was cast in one of the lead roles. This proved to be a wise move, as Ngor won ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for his emotional portrayal of journalist Dith Pran.
This first-time actor failed to gain any serious work from the part, and his name fell out of the headlines until 1996. Ngor was murdered outside of his home by three thieves, who also robbed him of his valuables. Rumours swirled that he had been killed on the orders of the Khmer Rouge, but this has never been proven.
Mo’Nique
Monique Hicks, better known by her one-word stage name, was a stand-up comedian before getting cast in Lee Daniels’ movie Precious. For her performance as Mary Lee Johnson, the abusive mother of the lead character, Mo’Nique won the Oscar for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, becoming just the fourth African-American woman to win the award.
During the campaign process, Mo’Nique fell out with producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. Perhaps ticking off two major Holywood players is what led to her not picking up any more major acting roles. She’s done alright for herself, finding steady work in TV and via her comedy specials, but she has never again reached the heights of Precious.
Mira Sorvino
Perhaps best known for her role in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Mira Sorvino burst onto the critical scene in 1995 when she appeared in Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite. As Linda Ash, a sex worker and mother of Allen’s character’s adoptive son, she wowed critics and defeated Joan Allen and Kate Winslett to win ‘Best Supporting Actress’.
Though Romy and Michele is a cult favourite, Sorvino has yet to replicate this sort of success. However, she has become a prominent activist against human trafficking and was one of the voices who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein during his downfall.
Cher
Whilst Cher’s status as a cultural icon has gone from strength-to-strength since she won ‘Best Actress’ for Moonstruck, her acting career has never again reached such peaks. Since her on-screen love affair with Nicholas Cage, her filmography has included Burlesque, Zookeeper, and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
She has had some critical hits like Mermaids and Tea with Mussolini, but most people are in agreement that Moonstruck was her golden goose. Still, for a pop star to have won an Oscar at all is pretty incredible, and nobody is ever going to take that away from her.
