Actors Whose Careers Tanked After Winning an Oscar

• Renee Zellweger

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Catherine Zeta Jones

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Cuba Gooding Jr

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Halle Berry

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Helen Hunt

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Hilary Swank

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Kim Basinger

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• Mira Sorvino

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

• MoNique

  [Photo Credit: Getty Images]

–Courtney Enlow

For some, an Oscar is a ticket to a whole new realm of opportunity. For others, not so much. Halle Berry was the first ever African American to win a Best Actress Oscar — of course the next year she won the honor of kissing Adrien Brody when he accepted his own award (and if not for his good working relationship with Wes Anderson keeping him afloat, Brody would be on this list, too) — but nowadays Berry has a stronger connection to rap songs than award-winning films.

Quite honestly, while pulling this list together, a pattern emerged fairly quickly. Every single person on this list, whose career either stalled or totally died after their win, is either a woman (particularly over 30) and/or a person of color. Hollywood can be an ugly place sometimes — and these nine talented people know that all too well. Check out a list of talented performers who haven’t been able to replicate that Oscar magic after taking home a statue.

It may not help that Renee Zellweger looks drastically different than she did in Cold Mountain. The Gossip Table has more on her recent change in appearance.