10 Actors Who Made Movies When They Knew They Were Dying
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VOICE OVER: Patrick Mealey
WRITTEN BY: Beca Dalimonte
Following their passion until the end! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most memorable movie moments performed by actors who had been diagnosed with terminal illnesses. Our list includes actors Chadwick Boseman, Jason Robards, Alan Rickman and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most memorable movie moments performed by actors who had been diagnosed with terminal illnesses. As the title suggests, this only includes actors who were aware they were dying during the filming of their final films - so performers like Buster Keaton and John Wayne will not appear. Which of these final performances made the biggest impact on you? Let us know in the comments.
Severus Snape is Alan Rickman’s most recognizable role, but the actor almost didn’t see the character through to the end. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005, and continued fighting the disease until the following January. With filming for “Order of the Phoenix” on the horizon, Rickman considered dropping his part to recover, but ultimately decided it was better to finish what he’d started. He continued acting throughout the next decade before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. Only those closest to him were told about his condition as he continued work on “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” The film, released posthumously, was dedicated in Rickman’s memory, alongside “Eye in the Sky,” a politically-charged thriller that became his last live action performance.
Smoking had been a part of Pete Postlethwaite’s life since he was ten years old, and the dependency ultimately cost him his life in 2011. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a year and a half prior, and continued working right up until the end. Among his last films were Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” for which he received a posthumous BAFTA nomination, and Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” Arguably the more well-known of the two films, “Inception” is also notable for its eerily prescient imagery of the deceased actor. Postlethwaite plays the sickly father of Cillian Murphy’s character, and ultimately dies over the course of the film. The toll the actor’s real-life disease had taken on his body is especially apparent in this performance.
Some of the best scenes of Tim Burton’s gothic fantasy, “Edward Scissorhands,” are of Edward learning from his inventor in their shared mansion. The Inventor is, of course, played by horror legend, Vincent Price. The distinctive actor was a lifelong favorite of Burton’s, whom he befriended while working on his appropriately titled short film, “Vincent.” Unfortunately, Price was suffering from a combination of a progressive lung disease and Parkinson’s at the time of filming “Scissorhands”, making the shoot particularly difficult. His schedule was shortened, and the film would be the last he worked on before succumbing to lung cancer in 1993.
While many actors have chosen to work through their illnesses throughout the years, Yūsaku Matsuda is one of the few to decline treatment in the pursuit of a perfect performance. The Japanese actor was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1988, but refused chemotherapy under the belief that it would negatively impact his work in the then-upcoming film “Black Rain.” His condition unsurprisingly worsened throughout the shoot and, by the time filming had wrapped, the cancer had spread to his spine and lungs. Matsuda’s performance in the film as the villainous Koji Sato is spine-chillingly electric, but it’s hard not to wonder how many more years we may have had with him had he gotten the help he needed.
Before taking on a role in “From Russia with Love,” Pedro Armendáriz played Jamuga in the historical drama, “The Conqueror.” The film is believed to have played a significant role in his death, having been filmed less than 200 miles from Nevada’s nuclear testing site. Armendáriz had terminal neck cancer, which resulted in a great deal of pain during filming. In spite of the excruciating symptoms, he continued to work, with the cast and crew going to great lengths to ensure that his scenes were shot first. Sadly, things eventually became too much, leading the actor to take his own life.
When discussing “Magnolia,” writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has cited his father’s fight against cancer as the inspiration for the character of Earl Partridge. He wrote the part with Jason Robards in mind, who would later refer to the role as “prophetic,” saying it was “just so right” for him to “bring what [he knew] to it.” It’s a harrowing performance, made all the more real by Robards’ unique life experience. The actor ostensibly had lung cancer himself at the time, a disease which would be his cause of death just a year after the film’s release.
At the 1967 Academy Awards, Katharine Hepburn was awarded Best Actress for her role in the landmark interracial romcom “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” In spite of the accolades, Hepburn never saw her famous film in full. This is because it was a notoriously taxing endeavor for her partner and costar, Spencer Tracy, who was suffering from a number of ailments including pulmonary edema and Type II diabetes. The pair powered through his worst days, motivated by the importance of the subject matter at the film’s heart. It’s even rumored that Hepburn’s tears during Tracy’s speech at the end of the film are her own, moved by the doubly relevant sentiment that true love can endure all.
Even if the name John Cazale doesn’t ring a bell right away, you’ll definitely recognize him from the “Godfather” movies, among some other big titles. The actor’s short-lived career consisted of just five feature length films, but every single one went on to be nominated for Best Picture. With such a great track record, it should come as no surprise that he was a beloved figure of the film industry. Robert De Niro, and Meryl Streep, Cazale’s partner, were two of his loyal supporters. De Niro even paid the insurance costs necessary for Cazale to be cast in “The Deer Hunter” in spite of a terminal cancer diagnosis. The late actor gives an outstanding final performance in the film, although he sadly wouldn’t live to see it himself.
An accomplished, bilingual stage and film actor, it may come as a surprise that Raul Julia’s final theatrical film was a critically panned action film based on the “Street Fighter” video games. But it all makes sense once you hear his reason for signing on. The Puerto Rican actor had secretly been living with stomach cancer, and wanted to take on the role of General M. Bison as a tribute to his kids, who were big fans of the game series. In spite of his weakened state, and a tight stunt schedule, Julia gave one of the film’s best performances.
The world was shocked when Chadwick Boseman was pronounced dead in August of 2020. Unbeknownst to anyone but his family and closest confidants, the actor had been living with colon cancer throughout the majority of his career. He was diagnosed in 2016, the same year he made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Captain America: Civil War.” Although the severity of his struggle with cancer is unknown, the effects of the disease never seemed to impact the results of his phenomenal work. His multi-film performance as T’Challa meant a lot to many, while his roles in films like “Da 5 Bloods” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” further proved his strength and versatility as an actor.
Alan Rickman
“Eye in the Sky” (2015) & “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (2016)Severus Snape is Alan Rickman’s most recognizable role, but the actor almost didn’t see the character through to the end. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2005, and continued fighting the disease until the following January. With filming for “Order of the Phoenix” on the horizon, Rickman considered dropping his part to recover, but ultimately decided it was better to finish what he’d started. He continued acting throughout the next decade before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015. Only those closest to him were told about his condition as he continued work on “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” The film, released posthumously, was dedicated in Rickman’s memory, alongside “Eye in the Sky,” a politically-charged thriller that became his last live action performance.
Pete Postlethwaite
“Inception” (2010)Smoking had been a part of Pete Postlethwaite’s life since he was ten years old, and the dependency ultimately cost him his life in 2011. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a year and a half prior, and continued working right up until the end. Among his last films were Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” for which he received a posthumous BAFTA nomination, and Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.” Arguably the more well-known of the two films, “Inception” is also notable for its eerily prescient imagery of the deceased actor. Postlethwaite plays the sickly father of Cillian Murphy’s character, and ultimately dies over the course of the film. The toll the actor’s real-life disease had taken on his body is especially apparent in this performance.
Vincent Price
“Edward Scissorhands” (1990)Some of the best scenes of Tim Burton’s gothic fantasy, “Edward Scissorhands,” are of Edward learning from his inventor in their shared mansion. The Inventor is, of course, played by horror legend, Vincent Price. The distinctive actor was a lifelong favorite of Burton’s, whom he befriended while working on his appropriately titled short film, “Vincent.” Unfortunately, Price was suffering from a combination of a progressive lung disease and Parkinson’s at the time of filming “Scissorhands”, making the shoot particularly difficult. His schedule was shortened, and the film would be the last he worked on before succumbing to lung cancer in 1993.
Yūsaku Matsuda
“Black Rain” (1989)While many actors have chosen to work through their illnesses throughout the years, Yūsaku Matsuda is one of the few to decline treatment in the pursuit of a perfect performance. The Japanese actor was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1988, but refused chemotherapy under the belief that it would negatively impact his work in the then-upcoming film “Black Rain.” His condition unsurprisingly worsened throughout the shoot and, by the time filming had wrapped, the cancer had spread to his spine and lungs. Matsuda’s performance in the film as the villainous Koji Sato is spine-chillingly electric, but it’s hard not to wonder how many more years we may have had with him had he gotten the help he needed.
Pedro Armendáriz
“From Russia with Love” (1963)Before taking on a role in “From Russia with Love,” Pedro Armendáriz played Jamuga in the historical drama, “The Conqueror.” The film is believed to have played a significant role in his death, having been filmed less than 200 miles from Nevada’s nuclear testing site. Armendáriz had terminal neck cancer, which resulted in a great deal of pain during filming. In spite of the excruciating symptoms, he continued to work, with the cast and crew going to great lengths to ensure that his scenes were shot first. Sadly, things eventually became too much, leading the actor to take his own life.
Jason Robards
“Magnolia” (1999)When discussing “Magnolia,” writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson has cited his father’s fight against cancer as the inspiration for the character of Earl Partridge. He wrote the part with Jason Robards in mind, who would later refer to the role as “prophetic,” saying it was “just so right” for him to “bring what [he knew] to it.” It’s a harrowing performance, made all the more real by Robards’ unique life experience. The actor ostensibly had lung cancer himself at the time, a disease which would be his cause of death just a year after the film’s release.
Spencer Tracy
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967)At the 1967 Academy Awards, Katharine Hepburn was awarded Best Actress for her role in the landmark interracial romcom “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” In spite of the accolades, Hepburn never saw her famous film in full. This is because it was a notoriously taxing endeavor for her partner and costar, Spencer Tracy, who was suffering from a number of ailments including pulmonary edema and Type II diabetes. The pair powered through his worst days, motivated by the importance of the subject matter at the film’s heart. It’s even rumored that Hepburn’s tears during Tracy’s speech at the end of the film are her own, moved by the doubly relevant sentiment that true love can endure all.
John Cazale
“The Deer Hunter” (1978)Even if the name John Cazale doesn’t ring a bell right away, you’ll definitely recognize him from the “Godfather” movies, among some other big titles. The actor’s short-lived career consisted of just five feature length films, but every single one went on to be nominated for Best Picture. With such a great track record, it should come as no surprise that he was a beloved figure of the film industry. Robert De Niro, and Meryl Streep, Cazale’s partner, were two of his loyal supporters. De Niro even paid the insurance costs necessary for Cazale to be cast in “The Deer Hunter” in spite of a terminal cancer diagnosis. The late actor gives an outstanding final performance in the film, although he sadly wouldn’t live to see it himself.
Raul Julia
“Street Fighter” (1994)An accomplished, bilingual stage and film actor, it may come as a surprise that Raul Julia’s final theatrical film was a critically panned action film based on the “Street Fighter” video games. But it all makes sense once you hear his reason for signing on. The Puerto Rican actor had secretly been living with stomach cancer, and wanted to take on the role of General M. Bison as a tribute to his kids, who were big fans of the game series. In spite of his weakened state, and a tight stunt schedule, Julia gave one of the film’s best performances.
Chadwick Boseman
VariousThe world was shocked when Chadwick Boseman was pronounced dead in August of 2020. Unbeknownst to anyone but his family and closest confidants, the actor had been living with colon cancer throughout the majority of his career. He was diagnosed in 2016, the same year he made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Captain America: Civil War.” Although the severity of his struggle with cancer is unknown, the effects of the disease never seemed to impact the results of his phenomenal work. His multi-film performance as T’Challa meant a lot to many, while his roles in films like “Da 5 Bloods” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” further proved his strength and versatility as an actor.
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