bauer Griffin 2012

?BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM The battle of the sexes has raged since time began - but in the world of Hollywood after decades of male domination, women now have the upper hand. Nowadays men winning the most coveted honour in their industry - the best actor Oscar - has proved blight to their careers. However in the last decade, women have flourished after collecting the all important Academy Award. The Oscar win is deemed the highest accolade of all for any actor - the ultimate prize for the most outstanding performance of that particular year. For the past 10 winners the female victors have seen their career and personal lives blossom - while for most of the men it's not been as rosy. Leading ladies like Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard have gone onto bigger pay cheques, lucrative advertising deals and more blockbuster roles - and huge highs in their personal lives. While male faces like Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx and Phillip Seymour Hoffman have barely been seen in major movies since their wins. The A-list women's successful streak started when Halle Berry made history as the first black best actress Oscar winner in 2002. After that she boosted her pay cheque to $10m per film and was touted as the sexiest ever Bond girl due to her bikini scene in Die Another Day. Her role as Storm helped the X Men franchise become a global phenomenon, and she was commended for stand out performances in Frankie And Alice and Gothika. Off screen Berry's troubled love life is back on track and she is reportedly engaged to French actor Olivier Martinez. Nicole Kidman walked away with her first Academy Award for The Hours in 2003. The redhead hasn't looked back since, winning acclaim and nominations for appearances in Cold Mountain and rabbit Hole. Off screen her love life has never been stronger with New Zealand country star Keith Urban following their marriage in 2006. She gave birth to a daughter, Sunday Rose in 2008, before two years later they welcomed a second daughter Faith Margaret, via a gestational carrier. South African beauty Charlize Theron ditched make-up for her win in the gritty Monster in 2004 - but her life has been nothing but glam since. She has earned around $40m for starring roles in blockbusters like Hancock, Aeon Flux and Young Adult. Her success spurred many fashion brands like Raymond Weil watches, Christina Dior and John Galliano to employ her as a model for ad campaigns. Hilary Swank went home with a gong thanks to her dedication to train as a boxer for Million Dollar Baby in 2005. Her earning power tripled, and she has amassed a fortune of around $30m. In 2006 Swank signed a three-year contract with Guerlain for the women's fragrance Insolence, And unlike many stars her home life has not suffered alongside her fame. She has been a solid relationship with Hollywood agent John Campisi for five years. America's sweetheart Reese Witherspoon sang and acted her way as Johnny Cash's long suffering wife June Carter to the ultimate prize in 2006. After the Walk The Line the starlet commanded $15m a movie as a romantic lead. In 2007 Witherspoon made her first move into the world of endorsements, as she signed a multi-year agreement to serve as the first Global Ambassador of cosmetic company Avon..Off screen the mother of two's love life has flourished too; in 2011 she married Hollywood agent Jim Toth, three years after the end of her unhappy marriage to Ryan Phillippe. In 2007 Dame Helen Mirren established her place in Hollywood Royalty with an Oscar for her portrayal as the Queen of England. Since then she has become one of Tinseltown's most in demand actresses. Her desire to pursue different projects has meant she had lead roles in comedy (Arthur), a classic (The Tempest), an x rated (Bunny Ranch) and action adventure (Red). She also bagged an Emmy for her British role as a cop in Prime Suspect that same year. In 2008 French actress Marion Cotillard went from unknown to A-lister overnight thanks to win for the flick La Vie En Rose. Her credits since have been critically acclaimed appearances in Inception, Midnight In Paris and Contagion. In 2009, Cotillard was chosen as the face of a "Lady Dior" advertising campaign, She juggled her career while starting a family. In 2011 she gave birth to her son Marcel with partner Guillaume Canet in Paris. In 2009 Kate Winslet picked up the golden statue for The Reader, and now has the pick of any TV or film project. Her next film Revolutionary Road earned her another Oscar nomination. In 2012 she banked a Golden Globe for her role in Mildred Pierce and has been praised for her roles in Contagion and Carnage. Winslet is the 2012 face of women's fashion house St John. In 2010 Sandra Bullock was deemed one of Hollywood's favourite winners thanks to her work in The Blind Side. Sandra fulfilled her life long dream of being a mum adopting baby Louis that same year. Despite a marriage split with mechanic Jessie James, Sandra is now one of the biggest earners in Hollywood - commanding a $18m per outing. In 2011 Natalie Portman wowed Academy voters in psychological thriller Black Swan. Soon after her win she gave her first child, a son Aleph Portman-Millepied. The same year she had her strongest outing at the movie theaters starring in romantic comedy No Strings Attached, joke packed romp Your Highness and the action hit Thor. However the professional and private lives of most of the male Oscar winners have not been as successful as their female counterparts. In 2002 Denzel Washington banked the statue for an astonishingly moving performance as a renegade cop in Training Day. But since then the star's hit career has been more miss. He has failed to recapture critics' imagination in much hyped movies like The Book Of Eli, Unstoppable and Dejr Vu. In 2003 winner Adrien Brody was tipped for huge things after The Pianist, but has not converted that potential into box office magic. The New Yorker now commands lead roles in projects which have failed to impress the critics. Those outings included The Darjeeling Limited, Predators and The Village. Despite many reported romances Brody has yet to find love despite his successful career. In 2004 Sean Penn bagged his first Oscar in the crime drama Mystic River. But his next few films - The Assassination Of Richard Nixon, The Interpreter and All The Kings Men - saw him achieve little. Multi talented Jamie Foxx was the outstanding actor of his year thanks to his stunning vocal and dramatic showing in Ray. Since then his career has been off tune with a batch of big money movies which have delivered average revenues. Comic actor Jamie's let downs included Miami Vice, The Kingdom and Due Date. Foxx has two children from previous relationships but is not married. Philip Seymour Hoffman quadrupled his earning potential overnight thanks to his victory for Capote. But those fees soon dipped as films like Mary And Max, Jack Goes Boating And Pirate Radio didn't shine at the box office. Even in 2012 Hoffman's role in the celebrated Brad Pitt drama Moneyball was minimal. Forest Whitaker's rich and captivating portrayal as Idi Amin meant him a star. Unfortunately Forest hasn't recaptured that magic with roles in disappointing flicks like Street Kings, Vantage Point and Powder Blue. He even stepped away from the movies for runs in TV shows like The Shield and Criminal Minds. Daniel Day Lewis returned from a near five year break for the psychological drama There Will Be Blood 2008. However he then played the lead in musical Nine, which bombed in the eyes of cinema-goers. Sean Penn came back in 2009 with Milk. He is the only male star to continue riding high with accolade ridden performances. But away from his work his roller-coaster marriage to actress Robin Wright Penn ended a few months after his big night. The pair divorced, and within months actress Scarlett Johansen moved into his Malibu home. But their whirlwind love affair ended after just a few weeks, Veteran star Jeff Bridges was seen as the stand out star of 2010 thanks to Crazy Heart. But his efforts to build a country music career a year later saw The Dude fail to set the world alight. Many critics tore the album apart claiming it was an opportunity to cash in on his hit film role. English star Colin Firth expected to elevate to Hollywood Royalty following his award winning show as King George in The King's Speech in 2011. However he has almost disappeared with no single stand out roles after flying home with that famous statue. A short film Steve has barely had any screenings and his next project Main Street was savaged by critics worldwide. ends February 3, 2012 Job: 120204T1 REHAB www.bauergriffin.com www.bauergriffinonline.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ?AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN.COM 79th Annual Academy Awards - Nominees Luncheon. Beverly Hilton Hotel, Bevery Hills, CA February 5, 2007. www.bauergriffin.com Job: 70205A1. Pic Shows: Forest Whitaker.