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See Again
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0 / 35 Fotos
Roberto Benigni
- The Italian actor played the role of Guido Orefice in the Hollywood classic 'Life is Beautiful.' He won two Oscars that year: Best Actor and Best Foreign Film.
© NL Beeld
1 / 35 Fotos
Roberto Benigni - However, that was the highlight of his career as Benigni would never again be in such a successful movie.
© Reuters
2 / 35 Fotos
Adrien Brody - The actor and producer starred in the 2002 movie 'The Pianist' as Wladyslaw Szpilman. His incredible performance won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
© NL Beeld
3 / 35 Fotos
Adrien Brody - While there was a period where Brody's career seemed less prominent, his recent work in 'The Brutalist' (2024), in which he portrayed Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor László Tóth, earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
© Reuters
4 / 35 Fotos
Whoopi Goldberg - The actress was one of the most successful in the 90s. Her role as Oda Mae Brown in 'Ghost' won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
© Reuters
5 / 35 Fotos
Whoopi Goldberg - In addition to her film career, Goldberg has been a co-host and moderator on the television talk show 'The View' since 2007, maintaining a significant presence in the entertainment industry, even though some of her later film projects have not achieved the same level of commercial success as her earlier work.
© Getty Images
6 / 35 Fotos
Sally Field - Field won two Best Actress Oscars for her roles in 'Places in the Heart' (1984) and 'Norma Rae' (1979).
© NL Beeld
7 / 35 Fotos
Sally Field - After that, she kept being given relatively uninteresting roles. Yet, she managed to score a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for 'Lincoln' (2012).
© Getty Images
8 / 35 Fotos
Mercedes Ruehl
- Ruehl's performance in 'The Fisher King' (1991) as Anne Napolitano won her the Best Supporting Actress statuette.
© Getty Images
9 / 35 Fotos
Mercedes Ruehl - But to this day, that was literally her only memorable performance.
© Getty Images
10 / 35 Fotos
Mo'nique - The actress and comedian hasn't been in many movies, but she snatched the Best Actress Oscar for her role in 'Precious' (2009).
© Getty Images
11 / 35 Fotos
Mo'nique - Following this achievement, Mo'Nique's career faced challenges; however, in 2024, she reunited with director Lee Daniels for the Netflix horror film 'The Deliverance', marking a significant return to mainstream cinema.
© NL Beeld
12 / 35 Fotos
F. Murray Abraham
- The actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in 'Amadeus' (1984).
© NL Beeld
13 / 35 Fotos
F. Murray Abraham - Film critic Leonard Matlin referred to the Oscars curse as "F. Murray Abraham syndrome," noting that despite his Oscar-winning role in 'Amadeus', Abraham didn’t get similar film opportunities but continued onstage.
© Getty Images
14 / 35 Fotos
Holly Hunter - Besides winning the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Ada McGrath in 'The Piano,' Hunter has also won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
© NL Beeld
15 / 35 Fotos
Holly Hunter - But her movie career declined after that and she was never really an outstanding name in Hollywood following her win.
© Getty Images
16 / 35 Fotos
Jean Dujardin - The French actor won the Oscar in 2012 after his excellent performance as George Valentin in 'The Artist' (2011).
© Getty Images
17 / 35 Fotos
Jean Dujardin - The Oscar curse really hit the actor, who, apart from getting a small role in 'Wolf of Wall Street' (2013), was forgotten by Hollywood.
© Getty Images
18 / 35 Fotos
Kim Basinger - Remember when Basinger won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1997 for her role in 'L.A. Confidential?'
© NL Beeld
19 / 35 Fotos
Kim Basinger - Yeah, not many people do.
© Getty Images
20 / 35 Fotos
Marlee Matlin - The actress had her five minutes of fame when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 'Children of a Lesser God' (1986).
© NL Beeld
21 / 35 Fotos
Marlee Matlin - After her role as Sarah Norman, the actress virtually disappeared from the spotlight.
© Getty Images
22 / 35 Fotos
Mira Sorvino - The actress won the Best Supporting Oscar for her role as Linda Ash in 1995's 'Mighty Aphrodite.'
© Reuters
23 / 35 Fotos
Mira Sorvino - But that was as high as her career would take her.
© Getty Images
24 / 35 Fotos
Cuba Gooding Jr.
- Cuba Gooding Jr. won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 'Jerry Maguire' (1996).
© Getty Images
25 / 35 Fotos
Cuba Gooding Jr.
- But after that movie, none of the actor's performances were quite as memorable.
© Getty Images
26 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Gay Harden
- Marcia Gay Harden won an Oscar for her role in 'Pollock' (2000), where she portrayed Lee Krasner, earning praise for her captivating and nuanced performance in a complex role.
© NL Beeld
27 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Gay Harden
- However, despite her Oscar success, Harden's career didn't reach the expected heights. She continued to take on respected roles but never became a major Hollywood star.
© NL Beeld
28 / 35 Fotos
Tatum O'Neal
- Tatum O'Neal won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10 for 'Paper Moon' (1973), making her the youngest Oscar winner in history.
© NL Beeld
29 / 35 Fotos
Tatum O'Neal
- Despite her early success, O'Neal struggled in Hollywood. Her career faltered after her Oscar win, and she faced personal challenges that overshadowed her acting career.
© Getty Images
30 / 35 Fotos
Haing S. Ngor
- Haing S. Ngor won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'The Killing Fields' (1984), showcasing his powerful performance as Dith Pran.
© Getty Images
31 / 35 Fotos
Haing S. Ngor
- Despite his Oscar win, Ngor's career didn’t thrive in Hollywood. His subsequent roles were limited, and he faced personal hardships, including a tragic death in 1996.
© Getty Images
32 / 35 Fotos
Halle Berry
- Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in 'Monster's Ball,' becoming the first African-American woman to win the award.
© NL Beeld
33 / 35 Fotos
Halle Berry
- After her Oscar win, Berry struggled to find roles that matched her success in 'Monster's Ball.' Many of her subsequent films didn’t perform well commercially, proving that Oscar glory doesn’t always last.
© NL Beeld
34 / 35 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 35 Fotos
Roberto Benigni
- The Italian actor played the role of Guido Orefice in the Hollywood classic 'Life is Beautiful.' He won two Oscars that year: Best Actor and Best Foreign Film.
© NL Beeld
1 / 35 Fotos
Roberto Benigni - However, that was the highlight of his career as Benigni would never again be in such a successful movie.
© Reuters
2 / 35 Fotos
Adrien Brody - The actor and producer starred in the 2002 movie 'The Pianist' as Wladyslaw Szpilman. His incredible performance won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
© NL Beeld
3 / 35 Fotos
Adrien Brody - While there was a period where Brody's career seemed less prominent, his recent work in 'The Brutalist' (2024), in which he portrayed Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor László Tóth, earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
© Reuters
4 / 35 Fotos
Whoopi Goldberg - The actress was one of the most successful in the 90s. Her role as Oda Mae Brown in 'Ghost' won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
© Reuters
5 / 35 Fotos
Whoopi Goldberg - In addition to her film career, Goldberg has been a co-host and moderator on the television talk show 'The View' since 2007, maintaining a significant presence in the entertainment industry, even though some of her later film projects have not achieved the same level of commercial success as her earlier work.
© Getty Images
6 / 35 Fotos
Sally Field - Field won two Best Actress Oscars for her roles in 'Places in the Heart' (1984) and 'Norma Rae' (1979).
© NL Beeld
7 / 35 Fotos
Sally Field - After that, she kept being given relatively uninteresting roles. Yet, she managed to score a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for 'Lincoln' (2012).
© Getty Images
8 / 35 Fotos
Mercedes Ruehl
- Ruehl's performance in 'The Fisher King' (1991) as Anne Napolitano won her the Best Supporting Actress statuette.
© Getty Images
9 / 35 Fotos
Mercedes Ruehl - But to this day, that was literally her only memorable performance.
© Getty Images
10 / 35 Fotos
Mo'nique - The actress and comedian hasn't been in many movies, but she snatched the Best Actress Oscar for her role in 'Precious' (2009).
© Getty Images
11 / 35 Fotos
Mo'nique - Following this achievement, Mo'Nique's career faced challenges; however, in 2024, she reunited with director Lee Daniels for the Netflix horror film 'The Deliverance', marking a significant return to mainstream cinema.
© NL Beeld
12 / 35 Fotos
F. Murray Abraham
- The actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Antonio Salieri in 'Amadeus' (1984).
© NL Beeld
13 / 35 Fotos
F. Murray Abraham - Film critic Leonard Matlin referred to the Oscars curse as "F. Murray Abraham syndrome," noting that despite his Oscar-winning role in 'Amadeus', Abraham didn’t get similar film opportunities but continued onstage.
© Getty Images
14 / 35 Fotos
Holly Hunter - Besides winning the Best Actress Oscar for her role as Ada McGrath in 'The Piano,' Hunter has also won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.
© NL Beeld
15 / 35 Fotos
Holly Hunter - But her movie career declined after that and she was never really an outstanding name in Hollywood following her win.
© Getty Images
16 / 35 Fotos
Jean Dujardin - The French actor won the Oscar in 2012 after his excellent performance as George Valentin in 'The Artist' (2011).
© Getty Images
17 / 35 Fotos
Jean Dujardin - The Oscar curse really hit the actor, who, apart from getting a small role in 'Wolf of Wall Street' (2013), was forgotten by Hollywood.
© Getty Images
18 / 35 Fotos
Kim Basinger - Remember when Basinger won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1997 for her role in 'L.A. Confidential?'
© NL Beeld
19 / 35 Fotos
Kim Basinger - Yeah, not many people do.
© Getty Images
20 / 35 Fotos
Marlee Matlin - The actress had her five minutes of fame when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 'Children of a Lesser God' (1986).
© NL Beeld
21 / 35 Fotos
Marlee Matlin - After her role as Sarah Norman, the actress virtually disappeared from the spotlight.
© Getty Images
22 / 35 Fotos
Mira Sorvino - The actress won the Best Supporting Oscar for her role as Linda Ash in 1995's 'Mighty Aphrodite.'
© Reuters
23 / 35 Fotos
Mira Sorvino - But that was as high as her career would take her.
© Getty Images
24 / 35 Fotos
Cuba Gooding Jr.
- Cuba Gooding Jr. won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for 'Jerry Maguire' (1996).
© Getty Images
25 / 35 Fotos
Cuba Gooding Jr.
- But after that movie, none of the actor's performances were quite as memorable.
© Getty Images
26 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Gay Harden
- Marcia Gay Harden won an Oscar for her role in 'Pollock' (2000), where she portrayed Lee Krasner, earning praise for her captivating and nuanced performance in a complex role.
© NL Beeld
27 / 35 Fotos
Marcia Gay Harden
- However, despite her Oscar success, Harden's career didn't reach the expected heights. She continued to take on respected roles but never became a major Hollywood star.
© NL Beeld
28 / 35 Fotos
Tatum O'Neal
- Tatum O'Neal won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 10 for 'Paper Moon' (1973), making her the youngest Oscar winner in history.
© NL Beeld
29 / 35 Fotos
Tatum O'Neal
- Despite her early success, O'Neal struggled in Hollywood. Her career faltered after her Oscar win, and she faced personal challenges that overshadowed her acting career.
© Getty Images
30 / 35 Fotos
Haing S. Ngor
- Haing S. Ngor won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'The Killing Fields' (1984), showcasing his powerful performance as Dith Pran.
© Getty Images
31 / 35 Fotos
Haing S. Ngor
- Despite his Oscar win, Ngor's career didn’t thrive in Hollywood. His subsequent roles were limited, and he faced personal hardships, including a tragic death in 1996.
© Getty Images
32 / 35 Fotos
Halle Berry
- Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in 'Monster's Ball,' becoming the first African-American woman to win the award.
© NL Beeld
33 / 35 Fotos
Halle Berry
- After her Oscar win, Berry struggled to find roles that matched her success in 'Monster's Ball.' Many of her subsequent films didn’t perform well commercially, proving that Oscar glory doesn’t always last.
© NL Beeld
34 / 35 Fotos
Actors who've been victims of the Oscar curse
These Oscar winners peaked and faded from the spotlight—some more than others
© Getty Images
They’re the most prestigious awards in the film industry: we’re talking, of course, about the Oscars, the golden statuettes that honor the best achievements in cinema each year. But while some of the most popular actors can proudly boast of winning this coveted award, the truth is that many saw their careers fade after that defining moment. Some even refer to this as the "Oscar curse."
Click through the following gallery to discover the actors who have fallen victim to this so-called "curse."
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