While the Academy Awards invites audiences to take a look back and marvel at all the achievements in filmmaking over the past year, the Golden Raspberry Awards reminds us that there were just as many mishaps to marvel over as well. With 2016 turning out a massive number of movies that were panned by critics, the Razzies even allowed a sixth nomination slot for each category this year, just to make sure that no one was feeling left out.
Since their debut in 1981, the Razzies have nominated hundreds of Hollywood A-listers with a “Worst in Film” award. That’s not to say that all of these actors are consistently terrible; in fact, some of these actors have even won Oscars. But as we know, even an enjoyable actor can end up in a total train wreck from time to time.
For this list we’re looking at the actors who have taken home the most Razzies. Though, in this case, “taken home” is merely an expression, as very few actors have actually shown up to claim their award. We’re considering every acting category, including Worst Screen Combo, Worst New Star, and Worst Actor of the Century. Here are the 15 Actors Who Have Won The Most Razzie Awards.
15. John Travolta - 2 wins (9 nominations)
Plenty of actors have received two Razzie Awards, but it’s John Travolta’s nine nominations that have earned him the first slot on this list. The actor has had his fair share of career highs and lows. From Grease to Look Who’s Talking Too to Pulp Fiction — Travolta certainly has talent, and his worst performances are often the result of an inconsistent story. The actor earned a number of nominations for Worst Actor in the last ‘80s and early ‘90s, but didn’t actually win the award until 2001 with his performance in Battlefield Earth.
This entire film was a colossal disaster, and Travolta’s bizarre performance as the giant humanoid alien Terl in the film is easily his worst to date. In fact, Battlefield Earth was awarded the Worst Picture of the Decade in 2010 — beating out Freddy Got Fingered, Gigli, I Know Who Killed Me, and Swept Away — which is a testament to how bad the film truly is. On top of his Worst Actor Award, Travolta even won Worst Screen Couple for Battlefield Earth, sharing the award with “anyone sharing the screen with him.”
14. Will Smith - 3 wins (3 nominations)
Will Smith may only have three Razzie wins under his belt, but considering the number of nominations, the actor is actually batting a thousand. Smith won his first Razzie in 1999 for Worst Screen Couple alongside Kevin Kline for their performances in Wild Wild West — a film that represents everything that can go wrong while making a summer blockbuster. Unsurprisingly, Wild Wild West also won the Razzie for Worst Picture that year.
For 14 years Smith managed to go without a Razzie nomination, during which time he starred in Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness,and I Am Legend. But in 2013 the actor starred alongside his son for a second time in M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth. The film was torn apart by critics, who called the acting of Smith and his son dull, melodramatic, and a massive step in the wrong direction following their charisma in The Pursuit of Happyness. The film earned both Will and Jaden Smith two Razzie awards a piece for their performances.
13. Lindsay Lohan - 3 wins (8 nominations)
Lindsay Lohan has been nominated for Razzies for her performances in Just My Luck, The Canyons and Scary Movie 5, but she owes her spot on this list solely to her portrayal as twins in the 2007 thriller I Know Who Killed Me.
Production alone on the film was rough enough for Lohan, who underwent hospitalization for dehydration and heat exhaustion before later undergoing surgery to have her appendix removed, all before she entered into a 30-day stay at a rehabilitation center. If that wasn’t already bad enough for the actress, I Know Who Killed Me was ripped apart by critics, who called it one of the worst films of the year as well as the decade. I Know Who Killed Me even failed to make its budget back at the box office.
For the film, Lohan tied for Worst Actress of the Year with herself — she played two roles in the film, after all. And she was even awarded a third Razzie for Worst Screen Couple, which she also shared with herself.
12. Sharon Stone - 3 wins (9 nominations)
Out of all the models turned actors, Sharon Stone has undoubtably committed herself to the craft of acting and turned in some pretty impressive performance during her film career, particularly for her roles in Casino and Basic Instinct. But that doesn’t mean she’s totally immune to the occasional bad movie or a less than perfect performance.
In addition to being nominated for an Oscar, an Emmy, and a handful of Golden Globes (one of which she won, for Casino), Sharon Stone has been nominated for nine Razzie Awards in the last thirty years.
She won the award for Worst Actress in 1995 for her performances in Intersection and The Specialist, and for The Specialist Stone also won Worst Screen Couple for her pairing with Sylvester Stallone (more on him later, of course). And in 2006, Stone won Worst Actress again for reprising her role of Catherine Tramell in the unnecessary sequel, Basic Instinct 2.
11. Kevin Costner - 3 wins (10 nominations)
The ‘90s were a bad decade for Kevin Costner and the Razzie Awards. After the success of Dances with Wolves, which earned Costner an Oscar nod, the actor began cropping up in one unfortunate film after the next. It began with Costner winning Worst Actor for his performance as the heroic outlaw in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, a film that most critics gave a negative review despite its impressive box office return. The following year Costner was nominated again for Worst Actor in The Bodygaurd, and again in 1996 for Waterworld, and again in 1998 for The Postman – which Costner also directed.
The early 2000s weren’t much better for the actor either, as he was nominated again for Message in a Bottle, For the Love of the Game and 3000 Miles to Graceland. But with a whopping 10 nominations, Costner has only won three awards and it’s also been 15 years since the actor has been nominated for a Razzie.
10. Pauly Shore - 4 wins (5 nominations)
Pauly Shore’s filmography is chock full of unforgivable films, which has not gone unnoticed by the Razzies. Shore ended up winning Worst New Star of the Year for his breakout role in the 1993 film Encino Man, which currently holds a 16% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes – which is actually high for a Pauly Shore film! Shore’s 1996 film Bio-Dome sits at only 5%, with one critic writing that the film is actually good for one reason: “it killed Pauly Shore’s career.”
Shore won another Razzie for staring in Bio-Dome, tying with Tom Arnold for Worst Actor of the Year. Shore won Worst New Star of the Decade for his films that were released in the 1990s, but lost out on Worst Actor of the Century to Sylvester Stallone. After a number of flops, Shore has focused more on his stand-up career and smaller pictures, leaving him off the Razzie radar as of late.
9. Ben Affleck - 4 wins (11 nominations)
While Affleck avoiding being honored with the Worst Actor Award during this year’s ceremony, the actor still managed to pick up the Razzie for Worst Screen Combo along with his Batman v Superman co-star Henry Cavill. The duo beat out Johnny Depp and his vibrant custom in Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Tyler Perry and his wig in Boo! A Madea Halloween, among a few others.
However, Affleck did win the award for Worst Actor back in 2004 after being nominated for his work in Daredevil, Gigli, and Paycheck. As for Gigli, Affleck shared another Worst Screen Combo Award with his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. Sadly, Affleck has now found himself back into Razzie territory after he was bestowed with the Razzie Redeemer Award just two short years ago. This award was given to Affleck for his superb work in Argo and Gone Girl, exonerating him of his earlier performances.
8. Pia Zadora - 4 wins (6 nominations)
With only a handful of movies on her resume, Pia Zadora has racked up a decent number of Razzie nominations and wins (which may help explain why the actress hasn’t starred in anything since 1999). Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film Butterfly, for which Zadora won the Razzie for Worst Actress and Worst New Star. Despite this, Zadora was also awarded with a Golden Globe for the same role, with many feeling that the award had been bought by her millionaire husband who may have bribed members of the Hollywood Foreign Press.
The following year, Zadora won the Razzie for Worst Actress yet again after she starred in the 1983 film The Lonely Lady, which won five other Razzies that year. From these two films alone, Zadora ended up winning the Worst New Star of the Decade Award, beating out music stars Madonna and Prince. Similar to her fellow nominees in this category, Zadora has been subject to much less criticism when she sticks to her music career.
7. Bo Derek - 4 wins (7 nominations)
Modern audiences probably best recognize Bo Derek from starring as Beverly alongside Chris Farley and David Spade in the 1995 comedy Tommy Boy. But before the raunchy comedy was ever released, Derek was a widely known, and somewhat controversial, sex symbol of the 1980s. Many of her films that were nominated for Razzies, including Tarzan the Ape Man and Bolero, featured a scantily clad Derek simply posing for the camera as opposed to engaging in any serious performance.
After Bolero received an X-rating and was awarded with the Razzie for Worst Picture and Worst Actress for Derek, the actress took a five year break from acting. Unfortunately, her return film, Ghosts Can’t Do It, was again universally panned for ripping of the Patrick Swayze/ Demi Moore film Ghost.
Ghosts Can’t Do It won the Razzies for Worst Picture of the Year, Worst Director for John Derek (Bo’s husband), Worst Supporting Actor for President Donald Trump, and Worst Actress for Bo Derek. In 1990, Bo Derek even won the Razzie for Worst Actress of the Decade.
6. Demi Moore - 4 wins (9 nominations)
Demi Moore was nominated for her first Razzie in 1992 for her performances in The Butcher’s Wife and Nothing But Trouble , but she wouldn’t win the award for Worst Actress until 1997 for her performance in Striptease. Moore was paid $12.5 million to star in the adult-comedy, making her the highest paid film actress in history at that time. Striptease was slammed by critics, and the film even earned the Razzie for Worst Picture of the Year.
The next year Moore won the Razzie for Worst Actress yet again for her performance in G.I. Jane, where the actress/ model shaved her head to play Lieutenant Jordan O’Neil, a Navy officer who must undergo a grueling training program to prove that the armed forces should be gender-neutral. The film was a box office success and received mixed reviews from critics.
Moore’s most recent Razzie win came from her supporting role in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle back in 2004, where she played a former Angel named Madison Lee.
5. Eddie Murphy - 4 wins (11 nominations)
Eddie Murphy is the only actor on this list who has won the Razzie for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Supporting Actress in the same year… for the same film. But that’s what happens when you’re one of the masterminds (and one of the few stars) behind Norbit. The 2007 comedy was absolutely destroyed by critics, who were baffled by the film after witnessing a possibly comeback performance by Murphy in Dreamgirls just a few months earlier.
After losing the Best Supporting Actor Oscar to Alan Arkin, Murphy notoriously walked out of the Academy Awards. Norbit had actually been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Makeup that year, but also lost earlier in the broadcast.
In 2010, Eddie Murphy even won the Worst Actor of the Decade Razzie for his combined efforts in Norbit, Meet Dave, I Spy, and The Adventures of Pluto Nash, among other lackluster films.
4. Paris Hilton - 5 wins (5 nominations)
While many of the actors on this list have redeemed themselves with an abundance of better movies, we can’t exactly say the same for Paris Hilton. Out of her five Razzie nominations for acting, Hilton has won them all, including Worst Actress of the Decade for her performances in House of Wax, The Hottie & the Nottie, and Repo! The Genetic Opera.
Hilton has taken on a number of occupations in her life: model, singer, socialite, DJ, author. But in the early 2000s, Hilton parlayed her successful reality show The Simply Life into a film career. But even with characters named “Girl on Beach,” “Female Club-Goer,” and “Barbie,” Hilton still failed to pull off a convincing performance.
In 2008, Hilton won the Razzie for both Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actress, beating out fellow reality star Kim Kardashian. Since then, Hilton has only starred in a few TV movies while pursuing a music career, keeping her safely away from any more Razzie nominations.
3. Adam Sandler - 5 wins (16 nominations)
Aside from a few gems like Punch Drunk Love and Funny People, Adam Sandler is no stranger to being lambasted by critics. But in the last few years, critics have been absolutely relentless towards Sandler’s latest films, and we can’t exactly blame them.
Jack and Jill alone was nominated for a whopping 12 Razzie Awards, and wound up winning 10 of them. Sandler took home the awards for Worst Actor, Worst Screen Couple, and even Worst Actress! In fact, the only reason Nick Swardson and Katie Holmes didn’t win their awards for Jack and Jill, was because the were won by David Spade and Al Pacino for their performances in the same film.
Sandler received his first Razzie nomination back in 1997 for Worst Actor in Bulletproof and Happy Gilmore, and took home his first award in 2000 for his performance in Big Daddy. Just last year, Sandler was nominated for Worst Screen Combo for the fantasy-comedy The Cobbler. He shared the nomination with “any pair of shoes” that happened to be in the scene with him.
2. Sylvester Stallone - 8 wins (22 nominations)
With over 20 nods, Sylvester Stallone has been nominated for more Razzie Awards than any other actor. Stallone received his first nomination and win in 1985 for the film Rhinestone, where he plays a New York cabbie turned country music singer. If you think that sounds bad, it’s because it is.
Stallone later regretted making the film, which also won the Razzie for Worst Original Song for Stallone’s performances of “Drinkenstien.” In 2000, Stallone was even awarded the Razzie for Worst Actor of the Century.
Stallone has been nominated for Razzies for his most famous characters, including John Rambo and Rock Balboa. Though the original Rocky went on to win the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, Stallone failed to take home the award for Best Actor. Stallone was Oscar-nominated again for playing Rocky Balboa in the 2016 film Creed, though he lost out to Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies in what many considered an upset.
1. Madonna - 9 wins (15 nominations)
Though both Adam Sandler and Sylvester Stallone have racked in more nominations, Madonna remains the ultimate winner of the most Razzie Awards. She received her first Razzie Award for the 1987 film Shanghai Surprise, and ended up winning the Worst Actress Award the following year as well for Who’s That Girl. A few more nominations and wins later and Madonna found herself the recipient of the Worst Actress of the Century Award, beating out Brooke Shields and Elizabeth Berkley, among others.
While many musicians are notoriously bad actors, Madonna certainly has a long list of achievements that greatly outweigh her title as the all-time Razzie winner. She’s sold over 300 million records worldwide, and holds the record for most number one songs of all time. Though she’s never been nominated for an Academy Award like Stallone, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Madonna took home the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture for the 1996 musical Evita, where she portrayed real life performer and politician Eva Peron.
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So do you think these actors have earned their “worst of” awards? Or are the Razzies just plain cruel? Let us know.
