Stars who fell victim to the Oscars curse

THESE stars saw their careers or personal lives — or sometimes even both — implode after picking up the coveted golden statue.

LEONARDO DiCaprio is expected to finally pick up the Best Actor Oscar tonight after heading to the after parties disappointed on four previous occasions.

But is Leo one of the lucky ones whose failure to win has seen him avoid the dreaded Oscars’ curse?

Take a look at these stars, hand-picked by The Sun, who saw their careers or personal lives — or sometimes even both — implode after picking up the golden statue ...

Adrien Brody:

There were high expectations for Adrien Brody’s career when he scooped Best Actor in 2003 ahead of acting heavyweights including Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson. However, follow-up roles in the critically-panned The Village and big budget flop King Kong set his career on a downward spiral and these days he largely specialises in straight-to-DVD fare.

Adrien Brody reacts to winning the Oscar for best actor for his role in The Pianist.

Halle Berry:

In a teary acceptance speech following her Best Actress win for Monster’s Ball in 2002, Halle Berry thanked her musician husband Eric Benet for being ‘the joy of my life’. But seven months later the couple split and Halle’s career also took a nosedive with roles in Gothika and Catwoman, for which she picked up a Best Actress Razzie award with a less teary speech.

Best Actress winner Halle Berry holds her Oscar statuette backstage at the 74th Annual Academy Awards.

Renée Zellweger:

Renée Zellweger followed up her box office hits Bridget Jones’s Diary and Chicago with an Oscar-winning turn in Cold Mountain. However, within a year she had parted from musician boyfriend Jack White and, despite another hit outing as Bridget, her career took a downturn and in 2010 she took a five year hiatus from acting. Don’t write her off though as she’s set for a huge return later this year in Bridget Jones’s Baby.

Renée Zellweger poses with her Oscar she won for Best Supporting Actress.

Kim Basinger:

After finding fame in the ‘80s with roles in 9 1/2 Weeks and Batman, Kim Basinger’s career hit the skids until an Oscar-winning comeback in 1997’s LA Confidential. Apart from an acclaimed turn in 2002’s Eminem movie 8 Mile, she has largely remained in the Hollywood wilderness.

Kim Basinger and her then husband, Alec Baldwin, react backstage after she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Kate Winslet:

Picking up a 2009 Best Actress Oscar for The Reader certainly didn’t do Kate Winslet’s acting career any harm as the British star has gone from strength to strength and is widely tipped to pick up another statue this year. The curse was not so kind to her personal life though and she announced her almost seven-year marriage to director Sam Mendes was over just a year after picking up the trophy.

Kate Winslet poses after winning the Best Actress award for The Reader.

Mira Sorvino:

Many thought Kate Winslet unlucky in 1995 when she lost out on the Best Supporting Actress to Mira Sorvino, who triumphed for her role in Mighty Aphrodite. But it didn’t turn out to be the luckiest of wins for Mira either as, despite follow-up roles in Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion and Mimic, she swiftly returned to obscurity.

Mira Sorvino with her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in film Mighty Aphrodite.

Cuba Gooding Jr:

Cuba Gooding Jr triumphed for his role in Jerry Maguire but while his ‘show me the money’ catchphrase lived on, his career tanked with the critically-mauled Boat Trip among his post-Oscars’ turkeys. He’s recently had somewhat of a comeback as OJ Simpson in the new BBC drama, however his performance has divided critics.

Cuba Gooding Jr. clowns for photographers backstage after winning Best Supporting Actor.

Sandra Bullock:

An emotional Sandra Bullock told husband Jesse James she ‘loved him so much and wanted him so much’ as she picked up the Best Actress Oscar for The Blind Side in 2010. But just days later there were rumours he had been having an affair and Bullock filed for divorce within weeks.

Sandra Bullock gives her acceptance speech at the 82nd Academy Awards.

This article was originally published on The Sun

Originally published as Stars who fell victim to the Oscars curse