I am not talking about criminals that have gained celebrity status but actual celebrities who have been in trouble with the law. Somehow it seems to help their reputation to be in a bit of trouble.
Lindsay Lohan
A week does not seem to go by without this actress being in court for something. She has got in to trouble with drugs since reaching fame as a child star. She started as a model when she was a child and then made ‘The Parent Trap’ at age 11 and moved on to other films, she also had a short pop career. She is often in court for drug related offences and has served some short term prison terms. She was first arrested for driving under the influence in 2007. She often is told she must go to rehab but sometimes disobeys this and is back in court again. Hopefully Lindsay will get herself sorted out soon as it would be nice to see her back on the big screen regularly
George Michael
George Michael is a pop singer who found fame, firstly with the band Wham! And then as a very successful solo artist. He was famously arrested in LA in 1998 after conducting a lewd act in a public toilet in Beverly Hills. He was caught by an undercover policeman and the courts made him pay a fine and carry out community service. In 2006 he was arrested for a similar act this time in a park in London, as it was photographed by a tabloid newspaper. Earlier that year he was arrested for possession of drugs but was just cautioned. The following year he was arrested for driving under the influence and the following year arrested for drug possession. In 2010 he was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing his car and possessing drugs.
Charlie Sheen
The American actor is probably better known for his personal life than any of the films and television series that he has made. He has been parried three times and it is his marital problems that have been part of the reason for his arrests as he has been accused of domestic violence. He has been arrested numerous times for drug possession and it is likely that the influence of drugs and alcohol were what led him to commit the violent acts that he has been accused of. Even very lately, he has been in trouble for substance abuse and his latest sitcom, Two and a Half Men had to be cancelled after he was rude about the lead writer and creator. Sheen was said to be the best paid actor on television while the show was running, allegedly earning $2.1m per episode.
Hugh Grant
The British actor has has a career spanning twenty years with many box office hits, mainly in romantic comedies. However, he was involved in a high profile scandalous incident where he was arrested for taking part in a lewd act with a prostitute near to Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The arrest could have been very bad for his career as he always had a very clean cut persona. However, he appeared on a chat show, the week after the arrest and admitted that he made a mistake, he was wrong. His approach towards it was very much admired and probably made him more popular rather than less.
Macaulay Culkin
The famous child actor is probably better known for his film appearances than his arrest for possession of drugs in 2004. It seems to be a common occurrence for Hollywood stars to have some association with drugs and so it did little to change the public opinion of him. He was jailed for a very short term but once in court was given suspended prison terms and was forced to go in to rehab. Since that there have been no more reports of arrests for anything drug related.