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- Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
- Netflix
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- The Dark Knight
- Warner Bros. Pictures
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- Rebel Without a Cause
- Warner Bros. Pictures
It's always sad when a beloved actor dies because we know we'll never get to enjoy a new performance from them again. Even sadder is when they die while they're still actively performing. On occasion, the world loses someone who has recently completed a new film. When those movies come out posthumously, they can have the effect of greatly making us miss the actor even more than we would otherwise.
The following performers all fit into that category. From newer stars like Heath Ledger and Chadwick Boseman to screen legends like Spencer Tracy and Richard Roundtree, they all gave great performances in movies released after their death. Although it's upsetting to see them go, getting one last killer turn onscreen helps to cushion the blow.
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The Role: Legendary comic book villain The Joker.
What Happened: In January 2008, six months before the release of The Dark Knight, Ledger died of a drug overdose. Toxicology reports revealed multiple prescription drugs in his system, including oxycodone.
Why It's Great: Ledger rightfully won a posthumous Academy Award in the best supporting actor category. He played a well-known character - who had previously been played onscreen by Jack Nicholson, no less - and made it his own. The genius of his performance is in how he makes a deliberately over-the-top character feel menacing in a very real way. His Joker is genuinely scary. The clown makeup only enhances what's already there in his personality.
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The Role: The popular comic actor plays a wax figure of former president Theodore Roosevelt that comes to life inside New York City's Museum of Natural History at night.
What Happened: Williams suffered from Lewy body dementia, a degenerative disorder that causes hallucinations, anxiety, and depression. The LBD diagnosis wasn't made until the autopsy after his passing, though, which suggests that he might not have died by suicide had he been properly diagnosed and treated.
Why It's Great: As was often the case, Williams knew exactly how to approach his character. He takes real elements from Roosevelt and then puts a comedic twist on them. It's a performance that's respectful and irreverent at the same time. Even though he's only got a supporting role here, the movie's humor clicks up a few notches whenever he's onscreen.
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The Role: Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts and noted wizard.
What Happened: The veteran actor passed away from Hodgkin's disease in late October 2002. He died shortly before Chamber of Secrets was released.
Why It's Great: Dumbledore is an important, imposing figure in the Harry Potter world, so he needed to be portrayed by an actor of stature. Harris certainly fulfilled that. He quickly establishes a firm take on the character that's true to the book, yet also marked by his inimitable, flamboyant performance style. In fact, he so beautifully puts Dumbledore in place that there are two tragedies here - one that he died, the other that he didn't get to complete his portrait of the beloved character in the remaining entries of the series. Michael Gambon replaced him.
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The Role: Alex Proyas's 1994 comic book adaptation The Crow features Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a rock musician who is murdered alongside his fiancée. He's resurrected by a crow landing on his tombstone, after which he sets out to exact revenge against the killer in the form of his titular alter ego.
What Happened: During production of The Crow, an on-set tragedy occurred. A fellow actor fired a prop gun that was loaded with a blank. What no one realized was that a leftover fragment of a dummy bullet had accidentally been left inside the gun. It was consequently shot into Lee's abdomen and became lodged in his spine. He died from internal injuries. The actor's stunt double - future John Wick director Chad Stahelski - completed all of Lee's unfinished scenes.
Why It's Great: By all accounts, Lee gave a star-making performance. As Draven, he exudes charisma, intensity, and charm. You could tell his performance was going to launch him to instant stardom. While he went in best known as “Bruce Lee's son,” his commanding turn promised to establish him as an action hero in his own right. That he died right at the moment his career was taking off only underlines how much potential was lost.
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The Role: Jim Stark is a lot of things: a teenager, a troublemaker, a juvenile delinquent, and a sensitive soul. He moves to a new town hoping for a fresh start, only to find more trouble after taking a shine to the girlfriend of the local tough guy.
What Happened: In September 1955, Dean was speeding in his Porsche when he slammed into another car. His passenger and the other driver were injured; he was killed.
Why It's Great: Rebel Without a Cause showcases Dean's ferocity onscreen. He epitomizes cool, yet also shows the vulnerability that's inside of Jim. It's a fantastic performance because you think you have Jim figured out at the beginning, only to discover more and more aspects of him as the movie goes on. Dean gives one of the seminal “troubled adolescent” performances in the history of cinema here. He's nothing short of magnetic.
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The Role: Levee Green is a professional and prodigiously talented trumpet player in the band of singer Ma Rainey. He writes his own compositions, hoping to someday leave her behind and step into the spotlight as a solo performer. Due to an incident that happened to his mother, Levee is very uptight around white people.
What Happened: It was a major shock to fans when Boseman died of colon cancer in August of 2020. He had not publicly disclosed his ailment, even keeping it secret during the making of the film, which premiered in November of that year.
Why It's Great: There's a very good reason why Boseman earned a best actor Oscar nomination for the movie. His performance is dynamic and multi-layered. Every time you think you've got Levee figured out, the actor adds another fresh dimension that makes you see him in a new way.
Boseman also more than holds his own opposite formidable co-star Viola Davis. Together, they create an electrifying dynamic between their characters. The actor achieved A-list fame in the Marvel movies, but Ma Rainey's Black Bottom proved he could excel in a human-centered story just as well as one focusing on superheroes.
Star until the end?
