10 actors who died before their last films came out

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It's sad to hear news of the actors leaving, especially those loved by hundreds of fans around the world. While some films have turned into cult classics or were part of major franchises, most of them were released after the death of the actors who played the main roles in them. And, unfortunately, the names listed below will remain in the memory of most people for the last roles they played and loved by many characters …

1. Brandon Lee - Raven

The film "The Raven" still has fans who regretfully recall the tragic background of this film, which has become a cult.

Bruce Lee's son, Brandon Lee, got the role of Eric Draven in the adaptation of the popular comic book. Just eight days before filming ended, Brandon was caught in a deadly gunfight on set.

During the filming of the crucial scene where Eric confronts the bandits and shoots, a mistake was made. The fake team made their own dummies using real cartridges, but they did not remove the primer. During one of the scenes, the bullet got stuck halfway and went unnoticed. When the gun was used again, a bullet fired hit Brandon's stomach, causing him to die.

At least this is one of the official versions of what happened on the set. Another story says that Brandon, like his father, Bruce Lee, crossed the path of the criminal gang and they, taking advantage of the moment, introduced their man into the team, who shot Eric during the final scene.

2. Heath Ledger - Joker (Dark Knight)

Fans all over the world were heartbroken to hear of the death of actor Heath Ledger. On January 22, 2008, Ledger was found dead in his home. An autopsy revealed the presence of various drugs that led to the overdose, and the death was ruled an accident.

At that time, Heath finished filming The Dark Knight, and his role as Joker became the most recognizable role of all time and the best portrayal of a character in the history of the film, even to date.

He also starred in parallel in the film "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus", playing Tony Shepard. But because of the incident, the film crew and scriptwriters had to not only redo some of the scenes, but also replace them completely.

The film was released on big screens in 2009, but, unfortunately, Heath never saw it, as did "The Dark Knight", which has become a cult for centuries.

3. Paul Walker - Fast and Furious

The death of Paul Walker was a tragic tragedy for many fans around the world. Walker was highly acclaimed for his role as Brian O'Connor in the Fast and the Furious franchise. Leaving a charity event on November 30, 2013, he got into a car accident due to speeding.

Paul died from numerous burns and serious injuries, as did his friend Roger Rodas, who was driving a sports car and lost control, crashing into a pole.

Paul was in the middle of filming Fast and the Furious 7 when the tragedy struck. Despite what happened, a solution was found. And all of Paul's remaining scenes were created thanks to his brothers acting as stunt doubles, as well as with the help of a visualization and computer graphics team who recreated Walker's face.

4. Alia Houghton - Queen of the Damned

The death of singer, actress and model Alia Houghton was a media frenzy that shocked the entire world. She was known as a rising star in the music industry and was just starting her acting career. In 2001, Aliya and her entourage were tragically killed in a helicopter crash.

At the time, she starred as Akashi in the movie Queen of the Damned, which was released after her death. In addition, in parallel, Aliya starred in The Matrix reboot, but after her death, it was decided to re-shoot all the scenes with her participation.

5. Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Hunger Games

Hoffman was best known for his films Twister, The Big Lebowski, Mission Impossible III and his work on Broadway. He is also best known for his role as Plutarch Havensby in The Hunger Games.

On February 2, 2014, David Bar Katz found Hoffman dead in his New York apartment. An autopsy revealed that the death was caused by a drug overdose. His roles for the first two parts of The Hunger Games have already been filmed. But the remaining scenes with his participation for the next part had to be rewritten.

6. Bruce Lee - Entering the Dragon

Bruce Lee was a mixed martial arts legend and a renowned actor and director. He worked on the movie Dragon Coming in 1973 and during one of the dialogues in Hong Kong he fainted and was diagnosed with cerebral edema.

The next month, Li complained of a severe headache, and his wife gave him pain relievers. He was found dead after not showing up for dinner after a nap. An autopsy revealed that he had an allergic reaction to the pain reliever, causing his brain to swell.

7. Chris Farley - Shrek

The death of Chris Farley shocked many in the acting and comedy communities, as well as his fans. Farley made himself famous on a live show on Saturday Night Live and became a part of the films Goofy Tommy and Eggheads. On December 18, 1997, Farley's brother found him dead at the age of thirty-three. He died of a drug overdose. At that time, he had already done 85% of the voice acting for his role as Shrek in the cartoon "Shrek".

But the creators considered it wrong to use his voice in light of what happened and asked Mike Meyers to replace him. Farley was also scheduled to join the cast of Ghostbusters in the third film.

8. Oliver Reed - Gladiator

The English actor has made a successful career, starring in the films The Three Musketeers, Tommy and Les Miserables. In 2000, he played his role as Anthony Proximo in the film Gladiator. During a break from filming in Malta, Reed suffered a heart attack and died on his way to the hospital.

Reed previously suffered from alcoholism and got involved in a drunken brawl in a bar. The merciless drinking of alcohol soon led to a showdown and after a short waving of his fists, he lost consciousness.

At that time, most of the footage with Reed had already been filmed, so it was decided to use post-production and put a digital copy of Oliver's face on the stunt double.

"Gladiator" was released in 2000 and, having received many awards and critical acclaim, has become one of the most iconic films, which even today is considered the best in this genre.

9. Heather O'Rourke - Poltergeist

If you are a fan of horror movies, then you probably remember "Poltergeist". Steven Spielberg's creation centered around a family whose home is inhabited by ghosts who kidnap their little daughter. Heather O'Rourke played the youngest daughter, Carol Ann Freeling.

During the filming of Poltergeist III, O'Rourke died tragically at the age of twelve. As it turned out later, she had Crohn's disease. The girl developed flu symptoms and fainted the next day. And then she had a heart attack, but managed to stop it. The final point in this sad picture was an emergency operation associated with intestinal obstruction, which, unfortunately, she did not survive.

As a result, "Poltergeist" is still considered a horror classic, remaining a favorite among other films of this genre.

10. John Candy - Caravan to the East

Actor John Candy was a veteran acting comedian, best known for his work in Hollywood and his role as Dewey "The Bull" Oxberger in Captive Volunteers and Buck Russell in Uncle Buck.

Some may not have known that Candy was also the owner of the Toronto Argonauts.

While filming the 1994 western comedy Caravan to the East, John passed away at the age of forty-three. He was on vacation after filming a movie in Mexico and made his friends one last lasagna the night before. The man was found dead in his sleep from alleged cardiac arrest.

And the film, released on screens, was liked by many, becoming one of the most beloved films in its category.

Hollywood is famous not only for the cult films and novelties that will soon be released on the big screens, but also long forgotten by all the masterpieces, which are definitely worth seeing in order to understand how unique and interesting the films of the last century were.