Best Actress Oscar = Bad For Your Love Life?

Sandra Bullock, you've been warned.

With the news today that Kate Winslet is splitting from her husband of seven years, American Beauty's Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (who also helmed Revolutionary Road, starring his wife), she's been added to a long (and sad) list of Best Actress winners whose career highs have been followed by a personal low. It could be coincidental, it could be the straw that broke the camel's back, but just as some feel the Best Supporting Actress award carries a "career curse" (those who win it are typically young ingenues whose career fails to come near the mark afterwards), the Best Actress trophy could now be spelling doom for your idyllic home life.

Consider the stats from the last 10 years:

Kate Winslet, 2009
Won for: The Reader
Age at the time of win: 33
Status at the time: Married to Sam Mendes since 2003; two children
Status since: Announced split March 2010

Reese Witherspoon, 2006
Won for: Walk the Line
Age at the time of win: 29
Status at the time: Married to Ryan Phillippe since 1999; two children
Status since: Announced separation October 2006, divorced 2008

Hilary Swank, 2005
Won for: Million Dollar Baby (also won in 2000 for Boys Don't Cry)
Age at the time of win: 30
Status at the time: Married to Chad Lowe since 1997
Status since: Divorced in 2007


Charlize Theron, 2004
Won for: Monster
Age at the time of win: 29
Status at the time: Dating Stuart Townsend since 2001
Status since: Split in January 2010

Halle Berry, 2002
Won for: Monster's Ball
Age at the time of win: 35
Status at the time: Married to Eric Benet since 2001
Status since: Divorced in 2005



Julia Roberts, 2001
Won for: Erin Brockovich
Age at the time of win: 33
Status at the time: Dated Benjamin Bratt since 1998
Status since: Split in June 2001

2008 winner Marion Cotillard and 2003 winner Nicole Kidman were both single at the time of their wins; the only marriage to have survived an Oscar so far, is that of 2007 winner Helen Mirren. Whether her maturity (she was 62 at the time of her win, married to Taylor Hackford since 1997 and) or that the Oscar was the icing to an already illustrious 40-year-career that needed nothing else to prove, you can draw your own conclusions. --Ellen

Comments

[Kellie on March 16, 2010 at 11:55 AM]

This is fascinating. Nice archive of data and pictures. In attempting to figure out the actresses' ages today, I almost choked when I realized that 2004 was six years ago already, and Charlize Theron and I are the same age (both still 29).

[Size on March 16, 2010 at 08:02 PM]

Some of these people didn't split up until several years after they won the award, and plus, Hollywood is well known for its short-term marriages. You'd have to compare the divorce rate among non-winners in order to determine if there's really a curse or not!

[iPad Screen protector on March 18, 2010 at 03:30 AM]

I don't think Oscar award affects anyone's personal or married life and be the reason for split. Ya that's possible that the work load might get increased after getting award and they don't get enough time for family but the thing needed at that time is understanding and love.

[Todd on March 18, 2010 at 05:50 PM]

Considering today's news about Jessie James, I think you may be onto something here. The timing of your post couldn't have come at a more auspicious time.

[怀淰＠＾过厾 on August 17, 2010 at 06:45 PM]

I think you may be onto something here. The timing of your post couldn't have come at a more auspicious time.

[sensations on October 21, 2010 at 11:45 PM]

From this time on you cannot enter my world.Then I said, good, we are respectively well.Therefore, I hoped you might cross very much from now on happily, will cross is better than me, so long as you have been happy, so long as you will cross well.

[xiao on November 14, 2010 at 05:07 PM]

I think you may be onto something here