Actors, booze, and drugs.

[Trevor]

Jan Michael Vincent.

[claws]

Jan Michael Vincent.

Good one. His drinking (problem) was legendary in Hollywood.

Drew Barrymore. I think she started taking drugs at the age of 8 or 9.

[ER]

Ernie Kovacs was an alcoholic who died while driving drunk. WC Fields was famously a habitual tippler. Anthony Hopkins and Richard Harris make the list. Kaley Cuoco is said to drink to excess. John Goodman was drunk and high through entire seasons of Roseanne.  Truly, substance abuse is endemic in the entertainment business.

[Allhallowsday]

Did anybody mention MONTGOMERY CLIFT?  Really liked the sauce after his car crash. 

How about JUDY GARLAND?   If there is an original "valley of the dolls" story, it might start with her, pills, and booze. 

And of course WALLACE BEERY.  Drunk and mean. 

[HappyGilmore]

Ben Affleck just finished his like, 4th stint in rehab.

Chris Farley died at like 33 of a cocaine/heroin mixture

River Phoenix passed early on at like 26 or 27. 

[Rev. Powell]

Philip Seymour Hoffman. Heroin + other stuff overdose.

[Pacman000]

We could (and probably should) separate this into three categories:

- 1) Casual Use: Actor uses drugs (including alcohol,) but it has little/no effect on their life/career.

- 2) Substantial Use: Actor uses drugs (including alcohol.) It does affect their life/career, but does not completely end their career/life. (e.g. They spend time in rehab, but still remain hire-able, & are able to preform well when hired.)

- 3) Debilitating Use: Actor uses drugs (including alcohol) to such an extent they have significant trouble getting good roles. The drug use has significant health effects, & may cause the actor's death.

There's probably some overlap here, but most classification systems have some overlap, & this will solve the "easier to make a list of Hollywood stars that didn't" issue FatFreddysCat mentioned.

[ER]

Okay, I know this is gossip but it's also true. When I was in Austin in the early '00s Colin Farrell was in town at one point making a movie and he hung out with people I knew there, cruising Sixth Street and the scene, and as he cut a swath nightly through the local women, word got around that the man clearly had serious problems with alcohol and heroin to the point of passing out on floors and in chairs. If it was as bad as we all kept hearing, it's amazing he's still alive, so hopefully he's kicked that since. I'm glad because I kind of like him as an actor.

Strange how many famous people I used to see in Austin.

[Allhallowsday]

NICK ADAMS  

[HappyGilmore]

Jason Mewes, known for being Jay (of Jay and Silent Bob in Clerks, Mallrats and several others) had a well known prescription pill and heroin addiction in the late 90s and early 2000's.  Apparently has like 15 years sober now.

[Allhallowsday]

JONATHAN BRANDIS died in 2003 at age 27 by hanging himself; he had developed a drinking problem. 

[RCMerchant]

Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, Frances Farmer.
Robert Mitchum got busted for pot! In 1949!

[Allhallowsday]

...Robert Mitchum got busted for pot! In 1949!

Yes he did, and perhaps that's why I love ROBERT MITCHUM and it ain't HOLIDAY AFFAIR!  Or OUT OF THE PAST ...  

[Rev. Powell]

I once briefly dated a woman who said she was hit on by George Clooney (this would have been in the early 2000s). She said he was so drunk that he actually drooled on her blouse. Kinda took the romance out of it for her.