10 Actors Who Ruined Their Careers

Once upon a time, Lindsay Lohan was a promising young actress with a bright future ahead of her. But somewhere along the way she got caught up in drugs and alcohol and her career went into a tailspin. These days, she's more known for her partying ways than her acting chops.

Charlie Sheen was once one of the biggest stars on television thanks to his starring role on Two and a Half Men. But his personal life spiraled out of control and he was eventually fired from the show amid claims of drug use and erratic behavior. Since then, he has appeared in a few movies but hasn't been able to recapture the success he once had.

Armie Hammer was on top of the world a few years ago. He had just starred in two huge blockbuster films, The Social Network and The Lone Ranger, and it seemed like he was destined for superstardom. But then something happened that completely derailed his career: he was accused of sexual assault by multiple women.

Although Hammer has denied all of the allegations against him, the damage to his reputation has been done. He has since been dropped by his agency and publicists, and his upcoming film projects have all been cancelled. It's safe to say that Hammer's career is over.

Billy Bob Thornton was once one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for his role in Sling Blade, and he starred in a string of successful films throughout the 1990s and 2000s. But then he made a series of poor choices that effectively ruined his career.

Thornton started dating Angelina Jolie while she was still married to Brad Pitt, which didn't sit well with either Pitt or Jolie's fans. Then, after their divorce, Thornton began publicly trashing Jolie, calling her "crazy" and saying that she had "stolen" their children from him. His comments were so offensive that even Jolie's father disowned him. Needless to say, Thornton is no longer welcome in Hollywood circles.

Lea Michele was once a shining star on the hit TV show Glee. But her career has taken a major nosedive in recent years following allegations of bad behavior on set. Michele has been accused of being rude and unprofessional by several of her former co-stars, and she was recently fired from her role in an upcoming movie due to these issues. It's safe to say that Michele's days as a Hollywood A-lister are over.

Jennifer Grey was one of the breakout stars of the 1980s thanks to her roles in films like Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. However, her career took a turn for the worse after she underwent surgery to correct a deviated septum. The surgery changed her appearance so much that even she didn't recognize herself in the mirror. Her change in appearance made it difficult for her to get work, and she ended up taking some pretty forgettable roles just to pay the bills.

Ja Rule was once one of the biggest names in hip hop. He released a string of successful albums and had a number of hits, including "I'm Real" and "Always on Time." He also starred in a few films, most notably The Fast and the Furious.

However, Ja Rule's career began to unravel in the early 2000s. He was involved in a number of high-profile feuds, including with 50 Cent and Eminem. He also had several brushes with the law. As a result, his popularity dwindled and he was dropped by his record label. Ja Rule is now considered a has-been who is no longer relevant in the music industry.

Once upon a time, Laura Osnes was a promising young actress with a bright future ahead of her. She made her Broadway debut in 2007 in the musical "Grease" and went on to star in other successful productions like "Cinderella" and "Bonnie & Clyde." But then something happened that caused her career to come crashing down: she got married.

Osnes' husband, Nathan Johnson, is a theater producer who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Osnes' name has been tainted by association and she has largely disappeared from the public eye.

Faye Dunaway was once one of the most respected actresses in Hollywood. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in 1977 for her role in Network and was nominated for two more Academy Awards in 1978 and 1979. However, her career took a turn for the worse in the 1980s when she made a series of poor choices in roles. 

Movies like Mommie Dearest and Supergirl were critical and commercial failures, and Dunaway's reputation as a diva began to overshadow her talent as an actress. Her career never fully recovered, although she has appeared in some successful movies since then, including Chinatown and Pulp Fiction.

Heard was married to actor Johnny Depp from 2015 until 2017. When Heard said that Depp had been violent during their whole relationship, the media started to pay attention to their split. In 2018, Depp sued the owners of the British newspaper The Sun for libel. He said that Heard had mistreated him. 

In 2020, the judge who was in charge of the case said that the article that said Depp had attacked Heard had "substantial truth" in it. At the start of 2019, Depp sued Heard for defamation because of an opinion piece about sexual and domestic violence that Heard had written for The Washington Post. 

In the year 2020, Heard filed her own lawsuit in response to Depp's. The Depp v. Heard trial took place in Virginia from April to June 2022. During that time, it got a lot of attention from the media. After the trial was over, Heard was found guilty on all three counts. She was ordered to pay $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, but the latter was lowered to $350,000 under Virginia law. 

Heard was found not guilty of one of the three charges against her, and she was given $2 million in damages as compensation. She did not have to pay any money as a punishment.