Worst Actor Oscar

Who is the worst actor ever to win a Best Actor Oscar? It's obviously no other than Nicolas Cage.

There are plethora reasons why he is deserving of this title. Is it his eleven Razzie nominations? It's a wonder that he hasn't won one of those. Is it his awful hair and odd grin? How about his oh so horrible voice? Maybe it's a combination of those, but mostly it's his choice of film roles and the enduring stamina despite all of his obvious flaws. He is something of an enigma in Hollywood. An infection that just sticks around and nobody seems to mind. Anyway, he does have a long and commendable career. The only question is why.

He started out his acting career in the early 1980's, and mostly capitalized on his goofy looks and some decent comedy schtick. His breakout role was in the Coen Brothers' quirky Raising Arizona, but in my opinion, he didn't really show he could "act" until 1993's Red Rock West. A string of action films (The Rock, Con Air, Face/Off, Snake Eyes, Bringing Out the Dead, Gone in Sixty Seconds) capitalized on his award winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas, making him one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood.

However, over the course of his career, he seems to have a difficult time turning down work, and that's a warning sign. Take the five year span from 2006 - 2011. He started it off with The Wicker Man; arguably the worst film of all time. After that came Ghost Rider, Next, Bangkok Dangerous, Knowing, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Season of the Witch, Drive Angry, Trespass, and Seeking Justice. Keeping very busy, he did manage to make two decent films during that span: National Treasure 2, and Kick-Ass.

He currently has 9 films in various stages of production, and taking out Kick-Ass 2, and National Treasure 3, they all look terrible on paper. Way to go, Nic. He's either a cop, a criminal, or a wrongly-accused man seeking varying degrees of redemption. Awesome and original. He is trying his hand in self-deprecating comedy (although I don't think he could be deprecated any more) and as amusing as his projects look, he's a terrible choice for just about any role.

I liked The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off. His acting deficiencies did ruin these films in many ways, and a Bruce Willis or a Mel Gibson, or even a Liam Neeson would have been better choices at that point. But those films made him marketable. Bringing Out the Dead was probably his best work in the late 1990's, as a strung-out paramedic in the madness of New York City in the middle of the night. He also redeemed himself with a great performance in Charlie Kaufman's Adaptation in 2002.

Attempts over the past decade to revive his career that just will not seem to die included the underrated Matchstick Men, the flat Lord of War, The abysmal Weatherman, and World Trade Center, which had real potential if not for... wait for it... Nicolas Cage.

I'd like to draw your attention to exhibit A. The Wicker Man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, here is Exhibit B. Nicolas Cage "losing his shit". This is a smattering of Cage performances from over the years. There is quite a bit of strong language, beware.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo.

He beat out previous winners Richard Dreyfus, Anthony Hopkins, and an up and coming Sean Penn in 1997 for his performance in Leaving Las Vegas, which was his second best role (Adaptation was just a little bit better). Playing an alcoholic trying to drink himself to death isn't really a stretch for him given his history, and there are dozens of actors who would have won the award with that rich of a role.

Here is his acceptance speech from the 1996 Academy Awards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jXi-Z3M9Us.

Being the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola has its perks, don't you think? I'd love to hear if you think I'm wrong.