Top 10 Oscar Winners Who Destroyed Their Careers

“Jerry Maguire” (1996)

Cuba Gooding Jr. was on a roll when he won Best Supporting Actor for “Jerry Maguire,” culminating in one of the most enthusiastic acceptance speeches ever. Over the following decades, Gooding took on several questionable projects, from failed Oscar bait like “Radio” to whatever “Boat Trip” was. While many Oscar winners have some bad movies to their name, Gooding’s reputation was truly damaged in 2019 when misconduct accusations first arose. Although one case was settled, Gooding pleaded guilty to forcible touching in 2022. Gooding avoided jail time, but his name resurfaced amid Rodney Jones’ lawsuit against P. Diddy. Jones accused Gooding of non-consensual contact, making the actor part of the suit. Gooding denies Jones’ claims, but money might not make this case go away.

“Closed Mondays” (1974)

Will Vinton and Bob Gardiner shared in a Best Animated Short victory for their clay, stop-motion film, “Closed Mondays.” The two ultimately parted ways with Vinton building his Claymation empire while Gardiner pursued other projects. Although Gardiner was a talented, pioneering animator, ​​some might describe him as his own worst enemy. Sometimes a mad genius… and other times scary mad. Gardiner lacked focus in his creative endeavors as well, resulting in a smaller output than Vinton’s. He was also known for being ill-tempered, which became more apparent as Vinton saw further success. Feeling that his contributions to Claymation were overlooked, Gardiner reportedly sent Vinton death threats. Gardiner’s struggles with substance use and mental illness persisted, tragically taking his own life in 2005.

“Braveheart” (1995)

Mel Gibson’s career has been a roller coaster, putting it mildly. By the mid-90s, he was not only among Hollywood’s most bankable leading men, but “Braveheart” scored him Oscars for Best Director and Picture. Almost ten years after this victory, Gibson was arrested for driving while inebriated, making anti-Semitic remarks in the process. Gibson inched toward a comeback until a disturbing phone conversation between him and former partner Oksana Grigorieva was made public. Coupled with a domestic violence case, Gibson’s career was DOA. He resurrected his reputation in 2016, though, directing his way to another Oscar nomination for “Hacksaw Ridge.” Gibson has since seen success in front of and behind the camera, although he’s become more careful about what he says.

“The Goodbye Girl” (1977)

It appeared that Richard Dreyfuss was just getting started when he won Best Actor for “The Goodbye Girl,” making him the category’s youngest recipient for a period. However, Dreyfuss’ career and personal life soon spiraled due to substance use. Dreyfuss also had a history of mental health issues, although he wouldn’t speak publicly about his bipolar disorder diagnosis until years later. Dreyfuss saw a comeback in the late 80s and early 90s, getting another Oscar nomination for “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” Over the past couple decades, though, Dreyfuss’ prominent roles have not only been few and far between, but he’s alienated audiences with controversial comments. This includes a 2024 “Jaws” retrospective, which saw Dreyfuss go off on a rant seen as transphobic, sexist, and all-around painful.

“The Deer Hunter” (1978)

After winning Best Picture and Director for “The Deer Hunter,” Michael Cimino had the freedom to pursue whatever passion project he wanted. He chose “Heaven’s Gate,” an epic Western with United Artists giving him creative control. The studio didn’t count on Cimino being such a perfectionist, resulting in the budget, schedule, and runtime going off the rails. Maybe this would’ve been vindicated if Cimino turned in a crowd-pleasing masterpiece, but the studio wasn’t pleased. Multiple cuts were released, none of which were especially well-received. Bombing like crazy, “Heaven’s Gate” didn’t just ruin Cimino’s promising young career. It saw a shift from big-budget, auteur-driven pictures to studio-mandated blockbusters. While “Heaven’s Gate” has gained a reappraisal in recent years, it was too little, too late for Cimino.

“Paper Moon” (1973)

At age ten, Tatum O’Neal became the youngest recipient of a competitive Oscar. She still holds that record for her exceptional performance in “Paper Moon.” Like so many other former child stars, though, O’Neal’s life would be full of missteps - some of which were self-destructive. It didn’t help that O’Neal grew up in a toxic environment, claiming to have experienced multiple forms of abuse. Like her parents, O’Neal also became reliant on substances, leading to legal and health issues. While O’Neal continued to work on occasion, her sporadic film and TV appearances have been interspersed with tragedy. Reflecting on how she was brought up and her own decisions, O’Neal said, “When you’re treated badly… it just seemed normal to continue to do that to myself.”

“The Pianist” (2002)

Directing classics like “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown,” Roman Polanski’s name became marred in 1977 when he was accused of drugging and assaulting a minor. Before he could be sentenced, Polanski fled to Europe. Polanski is still considered a fugitive in the U.S., to which he’s never returned. That doesn’t mean he stopped working. He even won an Oscar for directing “The Pianist” almost 25 years later. Amid the #MeToo movement, many reevaluated what this win said about the Academy at the time. The Academy also seemingly took a look in the mirror, revoking Polanski’s membership in 2018. Polanski subsequently sued the Academy, but after all these years, it appears Hollywood has officially turned their back on the once-celebrated director.

“The Way of All Flesh” (1927) & “The Last Command” (1928)

We’re going back to the 1st Academy Awards when Emil Jannings took home Best Actor. It was a different time when somebody could win an Oscar for multiple performances and silent pictures were the norm. With the talkie about to take over, Jannings’ German accent proved distracting for American audiences. This prompted Jannings to seek work in Europe where he found himself performing in Nazi propaganda films. When Hitler inevitably fell from power, Jannings’ career went up in flames. Jannings supposedly carried his Oscar around, hoping it’d protect him. While Jannings never faced severe consequences, his association with Nazi Germany left him unhirable. It’s been rumored that the Academy almost gave Best Actor to the Rin Tin Tin dog over Jannings. That might’ve aged better.

“The Usual Suspects” (1995) & “American Beauty” (1999)

Four years after picking up the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “The Usual Suspects,” Kevin Spacey accepted Best Actor for his performance as Lester Burnham. During his speech, Spacey thanked his friends for “pointing out [his] worst qualities,” adding, “That’s why I loved playing Lester because we got to see all of his worst qualities and we still grew to love him.” These words took on a more unsettlingly sentiment in 2017. Just as Lester lusts after a teenage girl, Spacey was accused of sexually assaulting a then-underaged Anthony Rapp years earlier. As Hollywood cut ties with Spacey, he faced multiple legal battles. While he’s continually come out unscathed in court, Spacey’s comeback attempts haven’t gone as well. It may be all downhill from here.

“Shakespeare in Love” (1998)

Even in 1999, “Shakespeare in Love’s” Best Picture triumph was seen as controversial. Producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of spreading a smear campaign against presumed frontrunner “Saving Private Ryan.” Some also took issue with all five of the film’s producers receiving Oscars, including Weinstein. Of course, the win is even more notorious because of what we now know about the former Hollywood mogul. Although Weinstein was the Academy’s golden boy for decades, they wasted no time expelling the producer when his history of sexual assault allegations made headlines. Being found guilty in 2020, Weinstein may spend the rest of his life behind bars. Looking back at all the Oscar-winning films Weinstein had a hand in, one must question the true price of little gold men.


Which Oscar win do you look back on with conflicted feelings? Let us know in the comments.