Oscar nominees who went bust
Debbie Reynolds
Nomination
Best actress (1964)
Movie
'The Unsinkable Molly Brown'
Win or lose?
Lost (Julie Andrews, 'Mary Poppins')
Credits and creditors
The legendary performer and co-star of a number of classic movies, including 'Singing in the Rain', ended up taking a bath in a casino investment in Las Vegas. Reynolds launched Debbie Reynolds Hotel & Casino in 1993 with a simple premise: she, and her vast collection of Hollywood memorabilia, would be the star attraction. One slight problem: the casino was well off the famed Vegas strip (location, location, location). Reynolds, who was chairwoman of the company and held a 26% stake in the publicly traded company, could not make a go of it. Within three years, the share price of the casino had plunged from $6.50 to 14 cents. This is not good. It soon became evident that the unsinkable Molly Brown was sunk, and Reynolds filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1997.
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