12 Actors Whose Last Films Were Released After Their Deaths

      Here are 12 actors who tragically passed away before their last films were released.

      All of their deaths were sudden and surprising, leaving their friends, families, fans, and collaborators in disbelief. In some instances, their colleagues faced the challenge of deciding whether to complete their films without the deceased actors and, if so, how to go about it.

      May they rest in peace.

      James Dean

      Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean in Giant. – Credit: Warner Bros

      James Dean had a passion for auto racing, so much so that Warner Bros., the studio behind Giant, prohibited him from racing during the filming of the epic drama.

      After he completed his scenes and while the movie was in post-production, Dean resumed racing. He was driving his Porsche 550 Spyder to a race in Salinas, California, when he was killed in a crash on September 30, 1955, at only 24 years old.

      Dean’s friend Nick Adams provided voice dubbing for Dean in Giant, which was released in 1956 and marked Dean’s final film as a leading actor. He received a posthumous Oscar nomination for his performance.

      Natalie Wood

      Credit: MGM/UA

      Natalie Wood, who starred with James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, solidified her status as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with films such as The Searchers (1956), West Side Story (1961), Splendor in the Grass (1961), and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969).

      While on a break from filming Brainstorm (above), she went on a boat trip to Catalina Island with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken, and the ship’s captain. She drowned on November 29, 1981, and the circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear. She was just 43 years old.

      Brainstorm was postponed and eventually completed with rewrites and the involvement of Wood’s younger sister, Lana, who stood in for some scenes. The film was released in 1983 and dedicated “to Natalie.”

      Clark Gable

      Credit: United Artists

      Gable, known as “The King of Hollywood,” starred in classics like It Happened One Night (1934) and Gone With the Wind (1939).

      He had just finished filming The Misfits alongside Marilyn Monroe when he succumbed to a heart attack in 1960 at the age of 59.

      Gable had viewed footage of the film and agreed with others that it represented his finest work. The film debuted on February 1, 1961, which would have been Gable’s 60th birthday.

      Initially a box office failure, it later became recognized as a classic. Tragically, it was not only Gable's final film but also Monroe's, who passed away in 1962 at the age of 36.

      Bruce Lee

      Credit: Columbia Pictures

      Martial arts legend Bruce Lee died at the young age of 32 on June 20, 1973, during a visit to Hong Kong.

      While filming Game of Death in 1972, he was given the opportunity to star in Enter the Dragon, the first kung fu film released by a major Hollywood studio. He paused production on Game of Death to take on Enter the Dragon but died shortly thereafter.

      Enter the Dragon premiered in Hong Kong just days after Lee's death and a month later in the U.S., becoming the most successful martial arts film ever and one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

      Lee's death led to a surge of “Leesploitation” films featuring lesser imitators, and Game of Death was completed using stand-ins. It was released in 1978, five years after Lee's passing.

      Brandon Lee

      Credit: Miramax

      In a tragic turn of events, Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee, also died young. Following in his father’s footsteps as a martial artist, he was making a name for himself in the late 1980s and early ’90s. His role in the comic book adaptation The Crow was anticipated to be his breakout performance.

      Tragically, he died in an on-set accident on March 31, 1993, at the age of 28. Lee had completed all his scenes for The Crow, and after some rewrites, his stunt double, Chad Stahelski, was brought in to stand in, allowing the completion of the film.

      Watching The Crow is a deeply sad experience, as Lee portrays a character who has come back from the dead.

      River Phoenix

      Credit: Dark Blood

      River Phoenix appeared in films like Stand By Me, Running on Empty, and My Own Private Idaho, and was in the midst of filming Dark Blood in 1993 when he tragically died of a heroin and cocaine overdose at The Viper Room in West Hollywood.

      The production was halted, and the