What ever happened to ...
They won Oscars — and then they vanished
There may or may not be prospective one-hit wonder Oscar winners at the Academy Awards party Sunday. But the possibility exists almost every year.
Indeed, the one-and-done list is a long one. Here’s a look at some of the most notable stars who fizzled out not long after their acceptance speeches:
Tatum O’Neal 1973)
Her future looked bright. At 10, Tatum O’Neal was the youngest Oscar-winner to take home a trophy. But then the bottom fell out. The daughter of Ryan O’Neal (who was headliner) recovered briefly with a co-starring part in three years after charming the Oscar crowd.
But she eventually became a Tinseltown cautionary tale of too much, too soon. A recent reality show stretch could be considered a comeback of sorts. Some might remember her on
and the short-lived father-daughter reunion,
Mira Sorvino 1995)
Those were the days. She was escorted to the Oscars by wunderkind filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. And her father-actor Paul Sorvino (he played mafia kingpin Paulie in gushed about how proud he was after she picked up the statue for her hooker with a heart of gold in Woody Allen’s film.
The following year, Sorvino earned an Emmy nod for her Marilyn Monroe in HBO’s
Trouble was, not many of her projects afterward lived up to great expectations.
Cuba Gooding 1996) Jr.
Cuba “show me the money” Gooding Jr. was a popular winner at the Academy Awards in 1997. Unfortunately, he went from somebody to watch to “where did he go?” after a series of unfortunate choices. That included a bunch of direct-to-DVD productions from 2008 to 2013.
The good news is this: The former breakdancer and
actor finds himself with a second life thanks to recent co-starring film performances in and and his Emmy-nominated portrayal of O.J. Simpson in
Adrien Brody 2002)
Brody might be forever recalled as the Oscar winner who liplocked with a surprised Halle Berry before accepting his best actor award. Before the kiss, though, viewers at home and in the glitzy audience were trying to figure out how he beat out Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis
Post Oscars, the actor had a few hits (2005’s and 2014’s
but also had lots of misses. Though he did win an Emmy Award in 2014 for his portrayal of Houdini in a TV miniseries.
Jennifer Hudson 2006)
In 2004, Hudson was a popular finalist on the third season of
Her role of Effie White was her moment to shine, and she even overshadowed Beyonce in the picture. Following up on the momentum, Hudson had featured roles in
and
Instead of acting, however, she chose the path of least resistance to focus on her singing career and as a spokesperson for Weight Watchers which she resigned from in 2015. Last year, she won praise for her Motormouth Maybelle portrayal in TV’s but
it was not.
Honourable mentions:
Roberto Benigni — the Italian writer, director and actor who shocked everyone at the 1998 Oscars when he scooped up a best actor award for his role in the concentration camp comedy-drama
Frenchman Jean Dujardin did the same unexpected thing with his best actor triumph — a black-and-white silent movie performance from 2013’s
Some other members of the club are Timothy Hutton
1980), Marlee Matlin 1986) and Anna Paquin 1993).