Before Their Time
It’s always tragic when a beloved actor passes, and even sadder when they never get to see the extent of their legacy. Many films have been in production or post-production when an actor unexpectedly die. These actors sadly never got to see their final roles, nor how audiences took to them.
Clark Gable
From the 1930s to 1960s, Clark Gable was one of cinema’s most prestigious actors, being most associated with his Gone With the Wind role as Rhett Butler. Sadly, after filming The Misfits, he never got to see it—passing from a heart attack before its premiere. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only old Hollywood actor who passed before his final film was released.
Seven Arts Productions, The Misfits (1961)
Bela Lugosi
Horror legend Bela Lugosi performed in many classic monster movies, with Dracula as his most iconic. In the mid-1950s, Lugosi filmed test footage for a yet-to-be-conceived project. Unfortunately, he would pass from a heart attack before he filmed what would become Plan 9 From Outer Space, with the test footage being used posthumously.
Reynolds Pictures, Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)
Marlon Brando
Known for The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, Marlon Brando had a successful career from the 1950s to the 2000s. In 2004, however, shortly after recording his performance for the animated TV movie Big Bug Man, he passed due to respiratory failure. This final movie wouldn’t be released until 2006.
Urpo Rouhiainen, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
James Dean
Hollywood’s 1950s heartthrob, James Dean, was well-known for playing bad boys and angsty youths. Having starred in his final role, Giant, he would tragically perish in a car crash on his way to a motor race before the film was even edited. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first fatal crash to affect Hollywood.
George Stevens Productions, Giant (1956)
Carole Lombard
Known especially for her physical comedy, Carole Lombard started in silent films and performed extensively until the 40s. After filming her final movie, To Be or Not to Be, she was one of the casualties in a plane crash during a flight from Indiana to Los Angeles, returning from a war bond rally. The film was still in post-production.
Romaine Film Corporation, To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood had a long career, from starring in Miracle on 34th Street to West Side Story. Tragically, it was cut short in 1981 when she drowned under mysterious circumstances while staying overnight on a yacht. At the time, she was in the middle of production on the movie Brainstorm, which would be released two years later.
Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman was an accomplished comedian and prominent member of Saturday Night Live in the 80s and 90s. In 1998, however, he shockingly was shot by his wife after a heated argument between the two. Later that year his final movie, Small Soldiers, was released. However, this wouldn’t be the last demise of this kind.
Universal, Small Soldiers (1998)
Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelley eventually became a writer and director after doing much of her work in independent films. Her final film, which she wrote, directed, and acted in, was Waitress, which was later adapted into a Broadway musical. She tragically never got to see either version, however; she was found murdered in 2001.
Night And Day Pictures, Waitress (2007)
Anton Yelchin
In 2016, Anton Yelchin perished in a terrible accident involving his SUV, adding him to the infamous “27 Club”. Before this accident, Yelchin had filmed several projects that would be released posthumously, such as Star Trek: Beyond, Thoroughbreds, and We Don’t Belong Here. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only freak incident.
Broad Green Pictures, Green Room (2015)
Brandon Lee
While filming his final project, The Crow, Brandon Lee suffered from a horrible and preventable incident. During a scene, Lee was shot with an improperly prepared prop firearm that had dummy ammo lodged in its barrel, leading to his passing. Sadly, his father also didn’t live to see his final film.
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee is perhaps cinema’s most famous martial arts actor and one of the most skilled fighters in history. As he was working on 1973’s Enter the Dragon, however, he suffered from cerebral edema and passed only six days before it was released in Hong Kong. Lee isn’t the last action star on this list.
Warner Bros., Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bill Paxton
From action to comedy to drama, Bill Paxton proved to be multifaceted in his career. Sadly, in 2017 he passed from a stroke in the days following an emergency open-heart surgery. The last film he acted in was The Circle, which didn’t release until a couple of months later.
Paul Walker
Beginning as a TV actor, Paul Walker eventually became most well-known for his role in the Fast & Furious movies. Tragically, while filming Fast 7, he and a friend perished in a car crash, and the film was completed using visual effects and stand-ins, including Walker’s brothers. However, Fast & Furious isn’t the only big franchise featured on this list.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
One of the most masterful actors of his time, Philip Seymour Hoffman was in countless classics, such as The Big Lebowski, The Talented Mr Ripley, and Almost Famous. During his filming of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, he passed from an overdose, and the movie was released a year later, having rewritten his few remaining scenes.
Lionsgate, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)
Carrie Fisher
Although she had an extensive filmography, Carrie Fisher was most recognizable for her performance as Princess Leia in Star Wars. As it happens, shortly after filming Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi she passed from cardiac arrest, and the film was released posthumously the next year, along with another of hers, Wonderwell, in 2023.
Strange Quark Films, Wonderwell (2023)
Sir John Hurt
Sir John Hurt starred in everything from Alien to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to the Harry Potter franchise. In 2017, he passed following a battle with pancreatic cancer, leaving three of his films to release posthumously—Damascus Cover, My Name is Lenny, and That Good Night. Hurt isn’t the only Harry Potter actor on this list.
Cover Films, Damascus Cover (2017)
Richard Harris
Following a long and storied acting career including Gladiator and Camelot, Richard Harris joined the Harry Potter film adaptations. After filming the second movie, Harris sadly passed from Hodgkin's disease a month before its release. The Apocalypse, Kaena: The Prophecy, and The Pearl were his last films posthumously released.
Alan Rickman
In 2016, Alan Rickman passed from pancreatic cancer after filming Eye in the Sky and Alice Through the Looking Glass, which were both released later that year. Among other iconic films, he’s probably most known for his performance in Harry Potter as Professor Snape. Thanks to Die Hard, Rickman is considered to have played one of cinema’s best villains, like this next actor.
Entertainment One, Eye in the Sky (2015)
Heath Ledger
Following a legendary career that included A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, and Brokeback Mountain, Heath Ledger performed his groundbreaking role as Joker in The Dark Knight. Tragically, he passed from an overdose before this film was released, and while he was filming The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which was also released posthumously.
Infinity Features Entertainment, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Adam West
Most memorable as Batman in the Caped Crusader’s first TV series, Adam West filled the rest of his career with many voice roles. It’s fitting that his final performance was reprising the titular hero in 2017’s animated Batman vs Two-Face, released four months after he passed from leukemia. Unfortunately, there are more superhero actors on this list.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Chadwick Boseman
The shocking passing of Chadwick Boseman came in 2020, after an intensely private battle with colon cancer. After his legacy as Black Panther in the MCU, Boseman starred in a few projects, with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom being his final role—released later in 2020. Sadly, the MCU has seen more than one of its actors pass away before their final performance.
Netflx, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Stan Lee
Although Stan Lee was first and foremost a comics creator, as Marvel evolved into the MCU, he began filming cameos in each project. Thankfully, he was able to film his final cameo in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame before passing away from cardiac arrest. He also acted in Madness in the Method, released posthumously in 2019.
Red Rock Entertainment, Madness in the Method (2019)
John Candy
Canadian treasure John Candy became a beloved actor from the 70s to 90s for his unique and masterful style of comedy. While filming—the unfortunately lackluster—Wagons East in 1994, he passed in his sleep from a heart attack, and the film was released five months later.
Carolco Pictures, Wagons East (1994)
Chris Farley
Slapstick genius and legendary SNL cast member Chris Farley was always known to go to the extreme. This led to him having serious health problems as the years went on, and in 1997 he passed due to an overdose. Having already filmed Dirty Work and Almost Heroes, the two were released the following year.
Turner Pictures (I), Almost Heroes (1998)
Robin Williams
Following a long and admirable career, the loss of Robin Williams came in 2014 when he tragically took his own life. Before his passing, he had filmed several projects that were released posthumously—A Merry Friggin’ Christmas, Absolutely Anything, Boulevard, and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
Twentieth Century, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)
Bernie Mac
Comedian Bernie Mac had an extensive film career before he passed in 2008 due to cardiac arrest. As he had finished working on three films—Soul Men, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and Old Dogs—they were released posthumously. While being a staple of comedy films, Mac was also prominent on TV, like these next actors.
Dimension Films, Soul Men (2008)
John Ritter
While mostly known for roles on TV like Three’s Company, John Ritter acted in many films including his final one, Bad Santa. In 2003, while working on 8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter, he fell ill and later passed due to an aortic dissection. Bad Santa and two animated films he had recorded for would be released in the following years.
Brittany Murphy
Having been in several TV series including a main voice role on King of the Hill, Brittany Murphy also worked on films like 8 Mile and Girl, Interrupted. However, in 2009 she sadly passed from cardiac arrest, and her final films, Abandoned and Something Wicked, were released posthumously.
Merchant Films, Something Wicked (2014)
Don S Davis
Having filled his career with many TV credits such as Stargate: SG-1 and Twin Peaks, Don S Davis also starred in several films. After his unfortunate passing in 2008 due to a heart attack, many of his final films were released posthumously. These included The Uninvited, Stargate: Continuum, and Far Cry.
Brightlight Pictures, Far Cry (2008)
James Gandolfini
Remembered for his iconic performance as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, James Gandolfini sadly passed from a heart attack in 2013. Before this, however, he was able to complete two films that were released posthumously—Enough Said and The Drop.
Fox Searchlight Pictures, The Drop (2014)
Luke Perry
Making a name as a main cast member on Beverly Hills, 90210, Luke Perry would go on to act in several other TV series and films in his career. His final film would be Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which was released five months after his untimely passing in 2019 following two strokes. Similar to Perry, these next actors also achieved fame at a young age.
Columbia Pictures, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)
Cameron Boyce
From an early age, Cameron Boyce was acting in films and eventually began starring in Disney Channel projects. In 2019, when he was only 20 years old, Boyce tragically passed from an epileptic seizure. Before his passing, he had finished filming the movie Runt, which was released two years later.
Calvin Productions (I), Runt (2019)
River Phoenix
Beginning his acting career at a young age, River Phoenix would star in films like Explorers and Stand by Me, then later in the third Indiana Jones movie and My Own Private Idaho. In 1993, he tragically overdosed and passed, with his final film—Dark Blood—being released in 2012.
Sluizer Films, Dark Blood (2012)
Angus Cloud
Although he didn’t have too extensive of a filmography, Angus Cloud became well-known for his performance in the hit show, Euphoria. Unfortunately, he passed from an accidental overdose in 2023, after which four of his films were released—Your Lucky Day, Freaky Tales, Abigail, and The Garfield Movie.
King City Films, Your Lucky Day (2023)
Corey Haim
Getting an early start in classics like The Lost Boys, Corey Haim had many TV and film projects in his almost 30-year career. In 2010, he passed from pneumonia and diffuse alveolar damage. His final performance was in Decisions, which was released the following year, but his final credited film was 2014’s The Dead Sea, although it was only in memoriam.
Zenon Kesik Productions, Decisions (2011)
Aaliyah
Already an accomplished singer, Aaliyah chose to become an actress as well, and would eventually star in two films. It was the second—Queen of the Damned—that would become her final movie as she perished in a plane crash in 2001, with the movie being released the following year. Unfortunately, Aaliyah isn’t the only actor/musician on this list.
Warner Bros., Queen of the Damned (2002)
Whitney Houston
Legendary singer Whitney Houston was no stranger to acting, with her most iconic performance being in The Bodyguard. In 2012, she tragically passed, having accidentally drowned in her bathtub. The final film that she had completed was Sparkle, which was released six months after her passing.
Orson Welles
As a prestigious actor/director, it may be surprising that one of Orson Welles’ last roles was in The Transformers: The Movie. In 1985, he passed due to a heart attack, with his films Hot Money and Someone to Love also being released posthumously. However, while one of Welles’ final films was based on a toy, this next actor’s was based on a video game.
Jagfilm, Someone to Love (1987)
Raul Julia
In his 30-year career, Raul Julia acted in a variety of roles, including his memorable performance in The Addams Family. Sadly, in 1994, he passed from a stroke following a battle with stomach cancer. His final film was released two months later and was an adaptation of the video game Street Fighter.
Universal, Street Fighter (1994)
Oliver Reed
From the 1950s to 1990s, Oliver Reed filmed a diverse selection of movies, from Hammer Horror films to historical action. One of his most memorable films was also his last—Ridley Scott’s classic, Gladiator. Following his passing due to a heart attack while on break from filming in 1999, the movie was completed and released the following year.
