Marlee Matlin sure hasn’t done a lot notable since “Children of a Lesser God.” As the Token Deaf Character, she might not have a lot of opportunity, but since she pretty much just won the Oscar for being deaf, there’s a certain logic to her career arc.
F. Murray Abraham has done lots of made for TV movies, including supporting roles in cheesy biblical TV movies with fake beards and bad robes (both here and in Germany).
Estelle Parsons had a comeback of sorts with Roseanne, but she was one of the few Oscar winners to do episodic TV guest shots with no big “special guest star” hooplah. She actually did a Love American Style only 3 years after the Oscar. (Roseanne may be the only sitcom ever to have three Oscar winners on screen at one time: Estelle [a regular as Roseanne’s mother], Shelley Winters [recurring role as Estelle’s mother] and Red Buttons [brief recurring role as Estelle’s boyfriend].)
Joel Grey has never come close to the Oscar winning greatness of The Emcee, and now Alan Cummings has chased him from the public memory. His nadir was probably a guest shot on Alice, but he’s had some distinguished supporting roles in TV movies and series since then.
Oh shit, I’m caught in a time warp!
**Gwyneth Paltrow ** since Shakespeare in Love?
I beg to differ – Stallone is the best actor in the world at that one immortal role (his first big one) and its derivatives. If he’d realized that, he’d actually be respected today.
Imagine if John Wayne had gotten an Oscar for Stagecoach, and then flitted from musicals to light comedy for the next couple decades: the Duke would today be the punchline of as many jokes as Rocky.
And FWIW, Eve, while I will need lots of details added, I totally welcome 1920s-era stuff, and I don’t think I’m the only one.
Another vote for Cuba Gooding, Jr.
I agree with the above posters about Jamie Foxx; also, I’m looking foward to Jarhead .
You can be Ray Milland if I can be Rosey Grier . . .
I see you more as Pam Grier, Eve. Ah, but that would be a very different movie.
If you look at Cuba Gooding Jr’s IMDB listing, you’ll see he followed up his Academy award winning role in Jerry Maguire with the challenging role of “liquor store clerk” in Do Me a Favor. If not the furthest, he must have fallen the fastest.
Made me think of Helen Hunt, “As Good As It Gets” (1997).
I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that that was also filmed before his Oscar and fame.
Oscar nomination a few years ago.
The OP didn’t say anything about falling the fastest, just the furthest, so I’ll nominate Ernest Borgnine. He had a quick trip to the top but it’s been pretty much a fifty-year slide since.
Regarding Gwyneth Paltrow, sure she’s been in a couple of less than stellar movies since her oscar (bounce, view from the top), but she’s also been in a couple good ones like Sylvia or the Royal Tennenbaums. She’s got a few in the works that look promising and one that is about to be release that I am a bit excited for (Proof). She has a long way to go before she’s in Cuba Gooding Jr. territory.
Another I’ll add to the list is Mercedes Reuhl.
Hey now. He had his own navy. That’s gotta count for something!
Basinger was quite good in The Door in the Floor in 2004. Too bad it was seen by so few.
Come now…even a guest shot on Alice can’t compare to the nadir that is playing an ancient, incredibly stereotypical Chinese kung-fu master in the fine Mickey-Rooney-in-Breakfast-At-Tiffany’s tradition in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
Hey, uh, Mr. Green Bean? Dude? Uh… you may want to, like, check your calender… or something… because apparently 10 years have gone by that no one told you about… It’s already the 21st century, dude. Oh, and even tho I quit… could you pass that thing over here? Thanks…
Oh, and hey… uh… all you posters who read this and didn’t see anything wrong with it… could you also pass that on over? Thanks…
