It seems like every time a celebrity goes off the deep end, it is a young female who has gotten involved in addiction, such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. But, every once a while, an established star seems to just completely lose it and it would seem that this is the case with Randy Quaid.
Although I will always think of him as Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon’s Vacation series, Quaid has appeared in more than 90 films. I was shocked, in a good way, by his performance in Midnight Express. I never expected such a dramatic performance from Cousin Eddie.
Quaid was nominated for a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award in his first major film role, The Last Detail/. Quaid won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Lyndon B. Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years. In addition to presidents, he’s played an Amish bowler (Kingpin), an obnoxious neighbor (Moving), and a mob boss (The Ice Harvest), so he has range.
Quaid’s also appeared on stage, but maybe it was his performance in 2008’s Lone Star Love that gave us a hint that he might be on a downfall. Quaid was banned for life from Actors’ Equity Association, the labor union for stage actors, because several cast members accused him of being both physically and verbally abusive.
So, despite his extensive work in Hollywood, the most noise Quaid has made in Hollywood in the last couple of years has been in the news headlines. He and wife Evi were arrested in late 2009 when they allegedly left a hotel owing a balance of $10,000. They said they had paid the bill, but they failed to show up in court and bench warrants for their arrest were issued. They failed to appear in court a second time, which ate up their $40,000 bail bond and more warrants were issued in April of this year.
The couple finally showed up for court in late April and the case against Quaid was later dismissed for lack of evidence. Evi was given probation for three years for defrauding an innkeeper.
This past September, the Quaids found living in the guest house of a property they formerly owned in Montecito, California. They said they still owned it, but the current owner produced papers showing he had purchased it in 2007. He also said they did approximately $5,000 worth of damage to the guest house. The couple was booked for felony residential burglary and entering a non-commercial building without consent. Evi was also booked on resisting arrest.
The couple posted bail and was released, but, bench warrants have been issued for their arrests after they failed to appear in court once again on Monday. The couple lost their $50,000 bond and another hearing is set for next Tuesday.
Come on, Cousin Eddie, get it together!