Oscar Flops

Cuba Gooding Jr. Mira Sorvino. Tatum O'Neal. F. Murray Abraham.Helen Hunt. Timothy Hutton. They're all Academy Award winners, but winning the most prestigious accolade in the movie industry hasn't exactly increased their stock. In fact, in some cases, it's lowered it. The irony is that with the possible exception of Helen Hunt, all secured their gongs via memorable roles. Winning an Oscar can be both a blessing and a curse; an actor's profile shoots up as a result (apart from Beverly Hills 90210 fans, who'd heard of Hilary Swank before her Academy Award for Boys Don't Cry?), but it also means that the pressure to deliver is magnified. 

Various factors can get in the way of recapturing the glory of that Oscar-winning role; lapses in judgement (Cuba Gooding Jr signing on the dotted line for Dirty), plain old bad luck (Tatum O'Neal's career post-Paper Moon) or even, in some instances, allowing the win to go to their head. Ultimately, perhaps Academy Award success creates unrealistic expectations. In the words of one critic: "As tough as it is to make a career in the movie business, it's just as difficult to maintain one." The cynical may say that some of the actors were never that great in the first place. So, did the Academy make the wrong choice in the first place, or have the stars in question unwittingly committed career suicide after early greatness? Take a look through our gallery of some of the biggest Oscar flops in history and judge for yourself.

2009 Awards Special