Top 20 Actors Who Always Die Onscreen

Serving as one of the most popular actors of all time and with nearly 200 credits to his name (according to IMDb), Samuel L. Jackson is no stranger to death. The great thing about Jackson’s charisma is that he can play both heroes and villains, and both die in seemingly equal amounts. According to the Cinemorgue Wiki (the reference we will be using throughout this list), Jackson has died in 31 movies. His first major on-screen death came in “Goodfellas,” when he was shot by Joe Pesci. Other deaths include being eaten by a velociraptor in “Jurassic Park,” eaten by a shark in “Deep Blue Sea,” and comically jumping from a roof in “The Other Guys.”

Starring in movies like “Die Hard,” “Armageddon,” “Sin City,” and “Looper,” Bruce Willis is one of the biggest action stars on the planet. But, as it turns out, being an action star doesn’t prevent you from dying. Willis has died in 27 movies, both live-action and animated… although it was only a dream in “Over the Hedge.” Still, he blows up saving the world in “Armageddon,” he shoots himself in “Sin City,” and he disappears from existence after Young Joe kills himself in “Looper.” Other deaths include “Twelve Monkeys” and “Glass,” not to mention he was famously dead the whole time (well, most of the time) throughout “The Sixth Sense.” John McClane is looking extra tough now!

Like Bruce Willis, Michelle Rodriguez is a major action star, known primarily for her work in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. Appearing in such violent and high octane movies is sure to result in a few deaths. Indeed, she has died in six movies and one TV show. The TV show is “Lost,” as Ana Lucia is shot by Michael in the Swan station. Her film deaths include “Resident Evil” (where she’s turned into a freaky zombie), “Bloodrayne,” “Avatar,” “Trópico de Sangre,” “Resident Evil: Retribution” (where her clones from the first movie die), and “Alita: Battle Angel.”

Closely associated with James Cameron, Biehn was one of the biggest movie stars of the ‘80s, starring in the seminal Cameron works “The Terminator” and “Aliens.” Coincidentally, he dies in both franchises. In fact, Biehn has perished in 26 movies and six television projects. In “The Terminator,” Kyle dies by sacrificing himself and blowing up the Terminator. In “Alien 3,” Hicks is unceremoniously killed off-screen when the escape pod crashes on Fury 161. Other notable deaths include “The Abyss” (another Cameron project), “Tombstone” (although no one knows who actually killed Johnny Ringo), “The Rock,” and “Planet Terror.”

This is another buddy of James Cameron who also appeared in both “The Terminator” and “Aliens.” However, he has his co-star Michael Biehn long beat in terms of movie deaths. Henriksen has died in 53 movies and 11 TV projects! Like Biehn, he dies in “The Terminator” when the titular robot shoots him in the police station. And, like Biehn, Bishop is also killed in “Alien 3.” His body is so severely damaged in the opening crash that he asks Ripley to deactivate him. Other interesting deaths include a slit throat in “Scream 3” and being stabbed by a Predator in “Alien vs. Predator.” He’s not even safe in the Disney realm, as Kerchak is shot and killed in “Tarzan!”

This French actress burst onto the scene in the mid-2000s thanks to “Kingdom of Heaven” and “Casino Royale,” where she played one of the best Bond girls of all time, Vesper Lynd. Of course, she dies at the end! It would be indicative of her career to come, as Green has perished in six movies and one TV show. Despite starring in “Penny Dreadful,” her character dies at the end when she’s killed by Josh Hartnett’s Ethan Chandler. And aside from “Casino Royale,” her movie deaths include “Arsène Lupin,” “Dark Shadows,” “300: Rise of an Empire,” “White Bird in a Blizzard,” and “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” In the latter, she is killed by another Josh - Josh Brolin, playing Dwight McCarthy.

You may not know it, but Gary Oldman has died in a lot of movies. And you may not know it because Gary Oldman never actually looks like Gary Oldman. This famous chameleon actor has died in nearly 30 movies - some unheard of, some massively popular. The latter category includes “JFK” (playing Lee Harvey Oswald), “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (where he dies a particularly gruesome death), “True Romance,” “Hannibal,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” to name but a few. He also dies in numerous animated films, including “Quest for Camelot” and “Kung Fu Panda 2.” Funnily enough, Oldman never grows to be an old man.

One could certainly make a case that Jack Nicholson is the greatest actor of all time. The Academy certainly thinks so, as his twelve nominations make him the most nominated male actor in movie history. And while Nicholson didn’t really do many action movies, he has nevertheless died in twelve of them. These include being beaten to death in “Easy Rider,” being smothered with a pillow in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” freezing in “The Shining,” falling in “Batman,” and being shot by Matt Damon in “The Departed.” His most recent movie death came in 2007 when he died off-screen in “The Bucket List.”

This widely acclaimed actor has appeared in five full-length Coen brothers movies and died in three of them. These certainly aren’t the only movies in which his death occurs, as Buscemi has croaked in thirteen movies and eight TV projects. The latter includes many notable programs, including “Miami Vice,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and “The Sopranos.” As for movies, the three Coen deaths consist of “Miller’s Crossing,” “Fargo,” and “The Big Lebowski.” Other notable deaths include “Desperado” and 2019’s “The Dead Don’t Die,” where a zombified Buscemi is shot by none other than Bill Murray.

This is one of the most popular tough guys in movie history. But even his toughness couldn’t save him from 31 movie deaths. Rourke’s first major on-screen death came in 1980’s “Heaven’s Gate,” when Nick Ray is killed by Frank Canton and his men. Further deaths include being shot by Tupac in 1996’s “Bullet,” being shot by Willem Dafoe in “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” being executed via electric chair in “Sin City,” supposedly wrestling to his own death in “The Wrestler,” and blowing himself up in “Iron Man 2.” The deaths are numerous, but they’re also incredibly varied, as well!

This man sits proudly beside Jack Nicholson in the greatest of all time department. Unlike Nicholson, Pacino has starred in many crime movies, which of course has resulted in a far higher death toll. Pacino has died in fifteen movies, almost all of them crime-related. These include “Scarface” (his first on-screen death), “The Godfather Part III,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Dick Tracy,” and “The Irishman.” Pacino has also been killed by some notable actors. He has twice been killed by Robert De Niro, both in “Righteous Kill” and “The Irishman.” That was probably payback for “Heat.” Pacino is also one of the few actors to be killed by Robin Williams, as he is shot by the world-famous comedian in “Insomnia.”

Dying in 16 movies, Johnny Depp has gone in some incredibly weird ways. In “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” his first movie death, he is sucked into a bed. Something happens, and his blood shoots out in a geyser to paint the ceiling. It’s gruesome stuff. He’s electrocuted by Charlize Theron in “The Astronaut’s Wife.” He is eaten by the Kraken in “Dead Man’s Chest” before being brought back to life. His throat is cut in “Sweeney Todd.” And he is shot by radioactive bullets in “Transcendence.” He also has the distinction of being stabbed by the likes of Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Colman, Penelope Cruz, Leslie Odom Jr. and Josh Gad in “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Probably the most notable character actor of all time, Danny Trejo is one of those actors who seemingly appears in every “tough guy” role under the sun. He’s most closely associated with his second cousin Robert Rodriguez and has starred in many of his movies. It’s almost a guarantee that Trejo dies in his role, as he has perished in over 60 movies and ten TV shows. His severed head appears on a tortoise in “Breaking Bad,” which is perhaps his most famous TV death. His cousin is also fond of killing him off, as Trejo has died in “Desperado,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” He was also killed by none other than Michael Myers in the 2007 remake of “Halloween.”

Typically playing bad guys, Dennis Hopper died in 41 movies and ten TV shows throughout his long and illustrious career. His first on-screen death came in 1957’s “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” as Billy Clanton is killed by Kirk Douglas’s Doc Holliday. Hopper has the distinction of dying in many classic movies, including the workprint of “Apocalypse Now,” “True Grit,” “Blue Velvet,” “True Romance,” and “Speed.” Other deaths include the popular but not-quite-classics “Waterworld,” “Super Mario Bros.,” and “Land of the Dead.” In the latter, he is killed by a sentient zombie who plans his death with a propane tank. Not too many actors can claim that!

While he’s more of a meme today, Gary Busey has appeared in many notable films throughout his career. He’s also died in many of them. In fact, Busey has reportedly died in 26 movies. Some of these are classics. He is shot by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in “Lethal Weapon,” is bisected by a Predator in “Predator 2,” and dies by Keanu Reeves’ side in “Point Break.” Some of his deaths are a little more outlandish, like being thrown from a skyscraper in “Drop Zone,” being killed by Snoop Dogg in “Hot Boyz,” and being devoured by piranhas in “Piranha 3DD.” He also dies in “The Gingerdead Man,” and his spirit takes root in a gingerbread man. It’s not one of his better movies.

Despite having a far more popular younger sister, Eric Roberts is an esteemed character actor with over 560 credits, one Academy Award nomination, and three Golden Globe nominations to his name. Starring in over 560 movies and TV shows will certainly result in a few deaths, and Roberts has racked up 37 in movies and 22 on television. His TV deaths include the 1996 “Doctor Who” movie, “CSI: Miami,” and “Heroes.” His movie deaths include a lot of B movies, but also some notable works like “The Dark Knight,” “National Security,” and “The Expendables.” In the latter, he is killed simultaneously by Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham. So that’s something to add to the already-long resume!

Rounding out the greatest of all time list alongside Jack Nicholson and Al Pacino is Robert De Niro, who holds eight Academy Award nominations and two wins. Like his long-time acting buddy Pacino, De Niro has starred in numerous crime films throughout the years and has died in more than a few of them. De Niro has died in over 20 movies throughout his career, which includes being shot by Pacino in “Heat.” Some of his deaths are quite brutal, like committing suicide by train in “1900,” being devoured by newspapers in “Brazil,” burning and hanging in “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” and probably bleeding to death after being shot in the neck in “Mean Streets.”

In June of 2015, Christopher Lee passed away at the age of 93. He left behind an incredible legacy, which includes nearly 300 movie and television credits stretching all the way back to the late ‘40s - with many of them being villain roles. Unsurprisingly, this includes a lot of fictional deaths. Lee has died in 64 movies throughout his career, with many of them coming from the horror genre. This includes “The Curse of Frankenstein,” “The Mummy,” and his numerous “Dracula” movies from the early ‘70s. Other big-time deaths include “Airport ‘77,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Revenge of the Sith,” and “The Return of the King.”

We will avoid making a lame “hurt” joke, as we already used up that quota with the “old man” joke earlier. Rather, we’ll just tell you that Hurt has died in just over 40 movies throughout his career spanning half a century. His last major one came in 2014’s “Hercules,” when he is crushed by the head of a Hera statue. Hurt also had a knack for dystopian fiction, starring and dying in “V for Vendetta,” “Snowpiercer,” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” While he doesn’t die on-screen in the latter, it is strongly implied that he will soon be executed. Some of his other famous deaths include the chestburster in “Alien,” suffocating in his sleep in “The Elephant Man,” and being stabbed in the neck in “Hellboy.”

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Helena Bonham Carter
10 Movie Deaths

Nicolas Cage
30 Movie Deaths

Tommy Flanagan
Died in Movies Like “Gladiator,” “Braveheart” & “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”

Of course, #1 is Sean Bean. His name is practically synonymous with dying in movies, and it’s become a running joke throughout his career. However, the true amount of deaths may surprise you. Bean has only died in just over 20 movies, a far cry from the likes of Christopher Lee and even Danny Trejo. Perhaps his reputation for dying comes from the quality of Bean’s movies. He has died in countless classics, including “Patriot Games,” “GoldenEye,” and “The Fellowship of the Ring,” not to mention “Game of Thrones.” These deaths are also exciting and different, like being impaled, crushed by a satellite, shot by arrows while bravely defending hobbits, and being beheaded, respectively. Either way, Bean is the undisputed king of movie deaths.