The Iconic 80s Actress Who Was Nominated for a Ridiculous Number of Golden Raspberries

Hollywood has a long history of glaring age gaps between male and female actors. a lot younger women with whom they are often associated: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in “To Have and Have Not” (44 and 19 years old, respectively), Michael Caine and Michelle Johnson in “Blame it on Rio” (50 and 17 years old), and Tom Skerritt and Drew Barrymore in “Poison Ivy” (58 and 17 years old) are just a few examples. Then there was the contentious relationship between Bo Derek and her husband John, who was 30 years her senior. Although they never starred in a film together, their creative collaborations resulted in the ’80s actress receiving a truly ridiculous number of Golden Raspberry nominations.

Actor, director and producer John Derek had already been dating much younger women when he spotted a 16-year-old girl named Mary Cathleen Collins, a high school dropout under the stage name Bo Shane. He took her to Greece to star in “Once Upon a Love,” belatedly released as “Fantasies” in 1981, after Bo had become a superstar. They embarked on an affair while his then-wife, Linda Evans, filed for divorce. Bo and John spent a few years in Europe (ostensibly to avoid rape charges at home) before returning to the United States and marrying in 1976, when she was 18.

Bo’s official acting career began with a small role in “Orca: The Killer Whale”, a underrated monster movie you need to seebefore starring as a fantasy dream girl in Blake Edwards’ sex farce, “10.” It was a turning point for Bo, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year, and she gained international fame. But thanks to John, his film career quickly took a major downturn.

Bo Derek’s next film after the huge box office success of “10” was “A Change of Seasons” starring Anthony Hopkins and Shirley MacLaine. He received three nominations at the inaugural Razzies (including Worst Actor for Hopkins), but Derek came out unscathed on this occasion. From that point on, John Derek took control of his young wife’s career, positioning himself as creative director of Bo Derek, Inc. and photographing her for a “Playboy” shoot, as he had done with two of his previous wives, including Ursula Andress. Afterward, Bo seemed fully in John’s thrall, including in an incredibly grating move. 1981 interview where she can barely get a word in and seems visibly uncomfortable with some of his comments.

Bo agreed that she would only star in films directed by her husband, starting with “Tarzan the Ape Man,” a racy take on the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs tale. Clearly made in an attempt to cash in on Bo’s sex appeal, the film featured a controversial scene in which a chimpanzee tries to suck one of her bare breasts, and it subsequently went down in history as one of the worst films ever made. It received six Golden Raspberry nominations and Bo was the production’s only winner, receiving the unwanted award for Worst Actress.

Undeterred, the couple followed up with the R-rated erotic drama “Bolero,” which once again heavily eroticized Bo and also featured a brief nude scene involving 14-year-old Olivia D’Abo. Nine Razzie nominations followed, including a win for Worst Picture, and Bo was the unfortunate recipient of the back-to-back Worst Actress award. “Bolero” has the distinction of being the oldest film to hold a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

After a five-year hiatus, Bo and John Derek made “Ghosts Can’t Do It”, their last film together. Although it was nowhere near as controversial as their previous collaborations, the film exploded at the box office and scored another Worst Picture win at the Golden Raspberries (tied with “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane”). Poor Bo had an unbroken hat-trick of Worst Actress wins, and she was also named Worst Actress of the Decade at the same year’s awards. During this time, John received his second Worst Director award (after “Bolero”) and, fortunately for audiences, retired from acting.

Bo Derek’s acting career never really recovered from the stigma of her terrible films made with her husband, and she remained a target for the Razzies every time she stuck her head above the parapet in a relatively high-profile film. She received the Worst Supporting Actress award for her appearances in “Tommy Boy” (Chris Farley’s best film) and “The Master of Disguise” with Dana Carvey. She was also nominated for Worst Actress of the Century in 2000 (Madonna beat her to that one), bringing her total number of Razzie nominations to nine, with four “wins.”

Bo and John Derek remained married until his death in 1998. In addition to her sporadic film career, she championed a variety of good causes, including veterans’ and wildlife charities. Maybe one day she’ll get a role that earns her a Razzie Redeemer Award, known as the Golden Raspberry you to want earn. Some might claim that the Razzies should be retired foreverbut its association with awards serves as a cautionary tale about the damage a controlling svengali can do to a promising young career.