Top 10 Actors Who Died Before Seeing Their Final Movie
The first official trailer for “Furious 7” is finally here, but sadly Paul Walker wasn’t able to see his fabulous work to the end. That’s what makes celebrity deaths particularly poignant.
Paul Walker is not the first. Here are the Top 10 actors who didn’t live to see their final movie, based on a scale of plain old bad luck.
10. John Candy
Canadian funnyman John Candy died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 43. At the time, Candy was working on “Wagon’s East!”, a movie which was subsequently completed with a double standing in for Candy. Another Candy movie, Canadian Bacon, which had already completed filming, was then released in 1995.
9. River Phoenix
Teen idol River Phoenix suffered a tragic and untimely death when he perished outside The Viper Room, a West Hollywood nightclub owned by Johnny Depp, on Halloween night in 1993. It was later revealed that the young actor, who was just 23 years old when he died, had ingested a lethal combination of cocaine, morphine and other substances.
Though Phoenix’s final film, “Silent Tongue”, had been screened in January of 1993 at the Sundance Film Festival, it did not go into wide release until 1994 and 1995. Its underwhelming performance at the box office makes it mostly forgettable, aside from the fact that it was Phoenix’s last movie appearance.
8. Chris Farley
Like Candy, Chris Farley was another popular comedian who was highly sensitive about his considerable girth. Drowning his sorrows in alcohol and other substances, Farley’s high-rolling lifestyle finally caught up to him in 1997, when he died in a Chicago hotel room. His final film, “Almost Heroes”, was released in May of 1998.
7. Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is arguably the most famous actress in Hollywood history, and it’s equally well-known that the blonde bombshell met an untimely end in 1962. Officially, she committed suicide by ingesting a lethal dose of barbiturates. However, many other theories have sprouted up over the years, some of which suggest Monroe may have been murdered.
What is known for sure is that Monroe’s last movie, “Something’s Got to Give”, was in production at the time of her death. Though the film was never finished, a partial version was released by 20th Century Fox in 2001.
6. Brandon Lee
Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, was killed on March 31, 1993 on the set of what would prove to be his final film: “The Crow”. He was accidentally shot during the filming of a scene in which Lee’s character returns home to find his fiancée being victimized by violent thugs. Somewhat ironically, The Crow is about an undead being which comes back to life to seek revenge on the men who killed him.
5. Bruce Lee
According to official accounts, Bruce Lee died on July 20, 1973 from swelling of the brain. Lee had suffered an earlier episode of brain swelling during the filming of what would prove to be his last movie, “Enter the Dragon”.
4. James Dean
Hollywood heartthrob James Dean died in a horrific car crash on September 30, 1955, approximately one month before the release of what is perhaps his best-known movie, “Rebel Without a Cause”. Dean’s final performance hit screens on October 27, 1955, drawing massive crowds in part due to the popular actor’s untimely death.
Interestingly, Dean was not the only cast member of “Rebel Without a Cause” to meet a tragic end. Natalie Wood, who drowned in 1981, also starred in the movie, and Sal Mineo, who played the supporting role of Plato, was stabbed to death in 1976.
3. Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008 following an accidental overdose of prescription medications. Though his demise shocked the entertainment community, Ledger had been plagued by insomnia after wrapping production of The Dark Night, in which he played the role of the Joker.
Ledger never lived to see the release of The Dark Knight, which went on to earn more than $533 million at the U.S. box office. Ledger was also posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his chilling portrayal of the Joker, which is widely regarded as one of the finest movie performances of the 21st century.
2. Paul Walker
A-List star Paul Walker died late last year on November 30, 2013 after a horrific car accident in which he was the passenger. The unexpected death of Walker still in the prime of his career meant he left behind several films that he will never get to see.
The film “Hours” starring Walker as a father trying to keep his young daughter alive in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was released shortly after his death. While “Brick Mansions” in which Walker plays an undercover Detroit cop was released earlier this year. Finally, there is “Fast and Furious 7”, which was in the middle of filming when the accident occurred and adds tragic irony to Walker’s death in a fast-moving sportscar, after he spent so many years virtually living the Fast and the Furious life.
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman
Legendary actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment on February 2, 2014 after an accidental overdose caused by acute drug intoxication including cocaine and heroine.
His death at age 46 was unexpected and largely lamented by both fans and the entertainment industry in which he was highly regarded. He was able to attend the Sundance Film Festival to promote two of his last films “God’s Pocket” and “A Most Wanted Man”, both scheduled for major release this year.
However, he will not be able to see the final installments of the major blockbuster franchise: “ The Hunger Games ”. Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 feature Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee and are scheduled for release in November of 2014 and November of 2015.
(source:fame10.com)
