Washington DC – Jon Voight, an American actor of German and Slovak descent, was recently appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump as Hollywood’s Special Envoy. Voight, a celebrated Academy Award-winning actor, has received multiple accolades for his roles, including an Oscar for his portrayal of Luke Martin, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran, in the 1978 film Coming Home.
Voight has also received two additional nominations for the same prestigious award. He was first nominated for his role as Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy (1969) and later for his performance as Oscar “Manny” Manheim, an escaped convict in Runaway Train (1985). He also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as sports journalist Howard Cosell in the 2001 biographical film Ali.
This year, alongside action stars Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson, Voight was appointed as Hollywood’s Special Envoy by Trump. However, his appointment raised eyebrows after he was nominated for the Razzie Awards—an annual ceremony recognizing the worst in filmmaking—as Worst Supporting Actor for his roles in Megalopolis, Reagan, and Shadow Land & Strangers. He competes against Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Shia LaBeouf, and Tahar Rahim for the infamous title.
For Voight, this isn’t his first brush with the Razzies. He previously won Worst Actor for Mercy last year and for Anaconda in 1998.
Voight isn’t the only Trump supporter to be nominated for a Razzie. Actors like Dennis Quaid and Shazam! star Zachary Levi also made the list. Mel Gibson, who was nominated last year as Worst Supporting Actor for Confidential Informant, was once a Razzie Redeemer Award winner in 2017 for Hacksaw Ridge. However, the following year, he won Worst Supporting Actor for his role in Daddy’s Home 2.
Gibson has won two Oscars out of three nominations. He earned the Best Picture Oscar for Braveheart in 1996 and Best Director for Hacksaw Ridge in 2017.
The Razzies, also known as the Golden Raspberry Awards, have long been a thorn in Sylvester Stallone’s side. The Rambo star holds the record with 12 Razzie wins from over 20 nominations. His first win came in 1985 for Rhinestone, followed by multiple awards for Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. He even won the notorious Worst Actor of the Decade in 1990 and Worst Actor of the Century in 2000.
Despite the criticism, Stallone’s Rocky remains a legendary sports film, cementing his place in Hollywood history.
The Golden Raspberry Awards were founded in 1981 by UCLA film graduate John J. B. Wilson and film industry veteran Mo Murphy. The event began as a parody to encourage filmmakers and top-tier actors to acknowledge their missteps. Since its inception, the Razzies have highlighted both cinematic failures and unexpected successes.