Unfortunately, many actors have had some of their biggest moments in film happen after they passed.
In many cases, these actors and actresses died either during or right after filming a movie or show. Their acting ability, combined with fans wanting to say goodbye to their favoutite stars, has led to some actors having their last roles being some of their most successful.
Join us to take a look at some of the most notable actors who had films released posthumously.
1. James Dean as Jett Rink, in Giant (1956).
Dean died in a car accident in 1955 at the young age of 24.
Before his death, he had completed filming on his last film, Giant. Who was released in 1956, Starring alongside heavyweights like Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.
2. Bruce Lee as Lee, in Enter the Dragon (1973).
Lee died in 1973 at the age of 32. There were a few projects released after his death, including 1978’s Game of Death.
But his biggest is the one that was released just a few months after his passing, Enter the Dragon in 1973, which made Lee an immortal icon.
3. Vic Morrow as Bill Connor, in Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).
In 1982, veteran actor Vic Morrow, was filming his part for the anthology film based on the popular TV series, Twilight zone: the movie.
In a stunt gone wrong, Morrow and two child actors were killed by a helicopter during the filming of a scene. The segment would be reworked and released in 1983.
4. Heather O’Rourke as Carol Anne Freeling, in Poltergeist III (1988).
O’Rourke was filming the second sequel, when the actress became ill. Six months after production wrapped on Poltergeist III, O’Rourke died at the tender age of 12.
After her death, no more sequels were made to the original franchise.
5. Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, in The Crow (1994).
the actor was only eight years old when his father, Bruce Lee, passed away.
The actor was killed during the filming of his last movie, The Crow/ He was shot with a prop gun that was loaded incorrectly.
The movie was released more than a year after his death at 28.
6. Chris Farley as Bartholomew Hunt, in Almost Heroes (1998).
Farley was on the cusp of becoming a dependable leading man, but a drug overdose ended his life in late 1997 at the age of 33.
His last film, Almost Heroes, about a buddy comedy set in the 1800s with Matthew Perry, was released six months after he died, in 1998.
7. Aaliyah as Akasha, in Queen of the Damned (2002).
In 2001, Aaliyah was tragically killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas after filming her “Rock the Boat” music video.
The movie “Queen of the Damned,” was released six months after her death. At only 21.
8. Heath Ledger as the Joker, in The Dark Knight (2008).
An accidental overdose ended Ledger’s life in January 2008, at the age of 28. Months before the movie that would make him a movie icon was released.
The Dark Knight smashed box office records and is considered one of the best superhero movies ever made.
9. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, in Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (2014).
At the height of his success, Hoffman would sadly die of a drug overdose, during the filming of Part 2 of Hunger Games: Mockingjay and had not finished all his scenes.
Hoffman had already appeared in the first sequel in 2013, but both Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2 were released posthumously.
10. Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, in Furious 7 (2015).
Walker was killed in a high-speed car crash in 2013, while filming of Furious 7 was still on-going.
In 2015, the film was released in his honor. While Walker had filmed most of his scenes before his death, visual effects and the help of his brothers as stand-ins gave fans closure.
11. Chadwick Boseman as Levee Green, in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020).
Boseman died of colon cancer three months before the film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was released.
In what would be his last role, Boseman played a troubled musician in the 1920s.
The film would go on to be nominated for numerous Oscars, with Boseman himself nominated for Best Actor.
12. Carole Lombard as maria tura, in To Be or Not to Be (1942).
Lombard was Hollywood’s highest-paid star in the 1930s, beloved for her screwball comedies and her tabloid-ready romance with Clark Gable.
the actess was killed in a plane crash on her way home from appearing in a rally to sell war bonds.
her last film, “To Be or Not to Be” was released just a month after Lombard’s tragic death at 33.
13. Cameron Boyce as Cal, in Runt (2021).
Boyce was actively working, when he died at just 20 years old, of an epileptic seizure in 2019.
Three of his films were released posthumously including “Runt” in 2021 ; “Mrs. Fletcher,”; and the third installment in the “Descendants” series.
14. Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov, in Star trek beyond (2016).
Yelchin had a short but busy career before his untimely accidental death at 27, In 2016.
Yelchin died a month before the scheduled release of the third film in the series, “Star Trek Beyond.”
15. James Gandolfini as Albert, in Enough Said (2013).
Gandolfini died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 51 in 2013.
Gandolfini’s final role was in the romantic comedy “Enough Said,” which was released three months after his death.
his fine performance earned him posthumous Best Actor awards from the Boston Society of Film Critics, and the Chicago Film Critics Association.
16. Tupac Shakur as Detective Jacob “Jake” Rodriguez, in Gang Related (1997).
The rapper was shot and killed in las Vegas in 1996 at the age of 25.
At the time of his death, three more films were in production, including his very last, “Gang Related,” released more than a year after his death.
17. John Candy as James Harlow, in Wagons East (1994).
The funnyman was just 43 when he died of a heart attack in 1994. His last film “Wagons East” was released five months after his death.
18. River Phoenix as Boy, in Dark Blood (2012).
When Phoenix died at 23 of drug overdose in 1993, he was in the middle of filming “Dark Blood.”
The movie was left uncompleted and only finished and released almost 20 years later, in 2012.
19. Natalie Wood as Karen Brace, in Brainstorm in (1983).
Wood was filming the sci-fi flick “Brainstorm” when she died mysteriously at 43, while boating with her husband and friends in 1981.
The film was released two years after her death in 1983. Her death has never been solved.
20. Rudolph Valentino as ahmed, in The Son of the Sheik (1926).
Valentino was one of Hollywood’s first superstars, a sex symbol for the ages though his entire career took place in the age of the silent film.
Valentino died of peritonitis at 31. Several films were released after his death, most notably “The Son of the Sheik.” 1926.