When tragedy strikes and results in an actor's death whilst he or she is in the middle of a film production, it forces the crew to make an important decision: to finish the film or abandon the project altogether? Sometimes the film does end up completed but the actor dies before they are able to see the finished product. Various actors have even won posthumous awards for their work. Chadwick Boseman, Heath Ledger, and Carrie Fisher are among those few actors.
While an actor's death can disrupt the production of a single film, it can also affect several films if the actor was working on multiple projects at once.
10 Both Rebel Without A Cause And Giant Released After James Dean's Death
James Dean was a newbie in the Hollywood industry before his tragic death at the young age of 24 in a car accident in 1955. Dean had only spent five years in the industry before his death. Despite his short career, Dean is remembered as a cultural icon for the era of 1950s cinema.
He had received two posthumous Best Actor nominations for East of Eden and Giant, the first actor to receive one and the only actor to receive two. East of Eden had released months before his death and Rebel Without A Cause was the second film of his to be released posthumously. The first being Giant.
9 Chadwick Boseman Was The First Black Actor To Be Nominated For A Posthumous Oscar
Chadwick Boseman's death was a shock to everyone. Boseman died of colon cancer on August 28, 2020 at the age of 43. He was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, but had never addressed the public about it. Boseman was nominated for his posthumous appearance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Da 5 Bloods (though this film was released just before his death.) He is also credited for three roles spanning over four episodes in the 2021 Disney+ show What If...?
His performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was his first Oscar nomination but the Oscar was awarded to Sir Anthony Hopkins for his performance in The Father. Chadwick Boseman was the first Black actor to be nominated for a posthumous Oscar.
8 Bruce Lee's Film The Game Of Death Came Out After He Died
Bruce Lee was on his way to becoming one of the biggest martial arts action stars in history before he met his death at only 32 years old from cerebral edema. Lee's most acclaimed film, Enter the Dragon, was planned to be released just a month before he died.
Lee was also working on another film: The Game of Death. It took five years after Bruce Lee's death for this film to be released partly due to directors finding stand-ins for Lee because of how little footage was filmed with him.
7 Stan Lee Had Four Final Appearances In Marvel Films
Stan Lee is better known as the mastermind behind Marvel Comics, but his acting cameos throughout the Marvel movies always brought a smile to fans' faces. Lee died at the age of 95 from pneumonia and four of his cameos were released posthumously.
The four movies he made an appearance in were: Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. "Hey man, make love, not war" were the last six words Marvel fans heard Lee say in the franchise in Avengers: Endgame.
6 Heath Ledger's Famous Portrayal Of The Joker (As Well As The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) Came Out After His Death
Heath Ledger was the second actor be awarded a posthumous Oscar in 2009, the first being Peter Finch for his performance in Network in 1977. Ledger won for his performance in The Dark Knight and was also the fourth-youngest actor to win the award.
He is regarded in Batman history as the best actor to ever play the character of Joker. Another film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, was released a year after Ledger's death. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law were all hired to replace Ledger in the scenes after his death.
5 Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, Soul Men, and Old Dogs All Came Out After The Death Of Bernie Mac
Bernard McCullough, better known as his stage-name Bernie Mac, gained popularity as a stand-up comedian, but also made a few acting appearances as well. Mac died of pneumonia complications at 50 years old in 2008, months before three of his films were released.
The films were Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, Soul Men, and Old Dogs. John Travolta was one of Mac’ co-stars in Old Dogs. The film was dedicated to Bernie Mac and John Travolta’s son, Jett Travolta, who both died before the movie was released.
4 Abandoned And Something Wicked Both Released After Brittany Murphy's Death
Brittany Murphy died in the most mysterious way compared to the other actors on this list. Murphy and her husband were both found dead months apart in their Los Angeles Home in 2009 and 2010 respectively. A theory is that toxic mold in their homes could have contributed to their deaths and the toxicology report concluded that her death was caused by poisoning from heavy metals.
Murphy died before two of her films were released: Abandoned and Something Wicked. What Happened, Brittany Murphy? is available to stream on HBO Max that addresses the unanswered questions of her mysterious death.
3 John Candy's Wagons East And Canadian Bacon Came Out After His Death
John Candy had his start doing improv in Toronto at Second City, but he later became a comedy star in Hollywood comedy films. He died of a heart attack at 43 years old in 1994, months before two of his films would be released. The films were Wagons East and Canadian Bacon.
Production had to use a stunt double and special effects to replace Candy in Wagons East. In recent news, the mayor of Toronto marked October 30 as “John Candy Day” to honor the actor on what would have been his 70th birthday.
2 Paul Walker Was Working On Hours, Brick Mansions, And Furious 7 At The Time Of His Death
Paul Walker’s sudden death was another tragedy that shook the world. Walker died from a car accident on November 30, 2013 at only 40 years old. Walker was working as an actor on three films at the time of his death: Hours, Brick Mansions, and Furious 7.
Furious 7 had to be completed using visual effects to replicate Walker in order to finish the film. He won an MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with Vin Diesel and a Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Star: Action posthumously.
1 Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker, Have a Good Trip: Adventure in Psychedelics, And Wonderwell Released After Carrie Fischer's Death
Carrie Fisher goes down in history as one of the most recognizable characters to represent female empowerment in the science fiction film genre. Fisher died of sudden cardiac arrest on December 27, 2016 at the age of 60. Her mother and another acting star, Debbie Reynolds died of a stroke the day after her daughter’s death.
Four movies starring Fisher were released posthumously: Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker, Have a Good Trip: Adventure in Psychedelics, and Wonderwell. She won a Grammy posthumously in 2018 for Best Spoken Word Album for The Princess Diarist. She is set to have a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2022.