Celeb: Melanie Griffith
Occupation: Actress in 1980′s Movies
Then
Now
Once upon a time Melanie Griffith was a huge star in Hollywood. Seriously. I never knew why since she was not a good actress and not especially attractive (trust me, the pic above was an exception to the rule). Plus, her voice drove me nuts. She sounded like such a bimbo. However somebody in tinsel town liked her and she enjoyed fame and fortune, as well as a high profile relationship with another washed-up 1980′s celebrity, Don Johnson. In fact, Melanie began dating Johnson when she was 14 and he was 22. Statutory, anyone? They later married for a whole six months. Romeo and Juliet they weren’t.
Me
lanie appeared in such successful A-list flicks as Working Girl (no, not that kind you perv) opposite Harrison Ford, receiving an Academy Award nomination and winning a Golden Globe award. In 1990 Melanie starred in Pacific Heights opposite Michael Keaton, a good flick I must admit. She did a good job in The Bonfire of the Vanities but the film was not well received. In late 1998 she starred as a ditzy heroin user in Another Day in Paradise. Critics lauded her as giving the best performance of her career. Wonder why. Guess she had lots of practice off screen.
Melanie starred in too many movies with too many co-star celebs to mention. She definitely had a very good run as far as washed up celebs go. Her last television appearances ran between 2005 – 2010 a number of popular sitcoms.
That’s where it gets tawdry.
In spite of her many successes, Melanie began abusing alcohol. She married her co-star in the television film She’s in the Army Now and had a son in 1985. She and her husband divorced in 1987 (surprise) and she turned to cocaine and drinking to fill the void. In 1988 she checked into rehab and got sober, then she re-married Don Johnson. (was she sure she was sober?) They had a daughter, Dakota, and Melanie left Don 6 years later due to his own drug and drinking problems. Lucky Dakota. She’s not a train wreck waiting to happen.
Redemption
Melanie finally got taste in men and married Antonio Banderas
. They had a daughter in 1996. Melanie was in and out of rehab for a number of years until she underwent surgery for skin cancer in 2009. Her entire family took part in her rehab and she claims to be sober nowadays.
Comeback
None
Comeback Grade: H for How did she ever get famous in the first place?
Melanie’s Facebook Fans: 1,311 – washed up
What a shame this writer is. Opinions are like assholes….everyone has one so what makes yours better?
I think she is a very good actress. She made many very good movies. Working Girl is one of my all time favorites. I also like her voice. I don’t think she sounds like an air head. She is very cute and sexy in a natural way.
How evil people can be when they spew venom toward people who hurt themselves, and not others like the first writer. Pray for your own heart, and find some compassion. You’re pretty frightening, and ugly inside.
Wow. I don’t think she’s the greatest actress either, but this blog post is just plain nasty. Get a life.
I don’t see that the author signed this article. Perhaps in the original version of the page his / her name appears. It is typical, poorly written, tabloid schadenfreude. Yes, drug abuse is bad, alcohol abuse is bad, yet the author seems to rejoice in the fact that Griffith has succumbed to these demons. I can not understand anyone stating that Melanie Griffith was not attractive in her day. Perhaps the author is a woman or gay – not that there is anything wrong with that. Nor do I agree that she is an inferior actor. Granted she is no Sir Laurence but acting is not as easy as it looks. I know this from personal experience. Griffith pulled it off better than a great many more modern stars. If anything, the above article should have been lamenting the loss of Griffith, as a star, rather than rejoicing in her failures.