00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at actors who worked on TV shows knowing they
00:09had illnesses that turned fatal.
00:11Since some actors' fates are tied to their fictional characters, a few spoilers will
00:15follow.
00:22Larry Hagman – Dallas
00:24Larry Hagman created a TV icon in J.R. Ewing.
00:36The primetime soap opera was revived over 20 years after Dallas finished its initial
00:40run.
00:41Hagman came along for the ride despite being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011.
00:45It wasn't the first time Hagman had faced a life-threatening illness, overcoming liver
00:49cancer in the 90s.
00:50By the time The Dallas Revival premiered in June 2012, Hagman was in remission.
01:09Only a month later, though, Hagman learned that he had developed MDS.
01:12This progressed to leukemia, which claimed his life the following November.
01:15He had already filmed a few episodes for season two, which worked Hagman's cancer diagnosis
01:19into the plot while revisiting the classic Who Shot J.R.? storyline.
01:34Katherine E. Coulson – Twin Peaks
01:36While making Eraserhead, David Lynch envisioned Katherine Coulson holding a log.
01:40This provided the basis for one of Twin Peaks' fan-favorite characters, Margaret Lanterman,
01:46Years later, at her 50th college reunion, Coulson announced that she had lung cancer.
01:58This didn't stop Coulson from appearing in the long-overdue Twin Peaks revival.
02:02Four days after wrapping her scenes, Coulson passed away.
02:13The revival wouldn't air for another two years, with the premiere dedicated to Coulson.
02:17Echoing Coulson's incurable condition, the log lady accepts her fate and dies offscreen.
02:24Co-star Miguel Ferrer also died before the revival debuted.
02:27Although Ferrer received a fatal throat cancer diagnosis, he filmed several Twin Peaks episodes
02:32while still working on NCIS.
02:34The veteran actor died peacefully in his home Thursday morning after a long battle with
02:39cancer.
02:40He was surrounded by friends and family.
02:43Katherine Joosten – Desperate Housewives
02:59Katherine Joosten worked as a nurse before appearing as a guest star on numerous shows.
03:02Her most acclaimed role would be as Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives.
03:06Joosten won two Emmys for playing the cranky yet lovable neighbor.
03:09As the series entered its sixth season in 2009, Joosten was diagnosed with lung cancer.
03:14It would be Joosten's second round against the disease, having her right lung removed
03:17several years earlier.
03:19Although her health declined, she continued to play Mrs. McCluskey until the final episode.
03:35Joosten and the show's producers saw eye-to-eye on how her character's journey should end.
03:40Joosten's lung cancer claims Karen's life, but not before she takes the stand in a crucial
03:43trial.
03:44Twenty days after the finale aired, Joosten passed away.
03:57Christopher Evan Welch – Silicon Valley
04:15Christopher Evan Welch's scene-stealing turn as the quirky billionaire Peter Gregory
04:19should have been a major turning point for his career.
04:22The role would instead be a bookend Welch didn't live to see.
04:25Welch received his lung cancer diagnosis around 2010, about three years before he started
04:29shooting his scenes for Silicon Valley.
04:41After learning his cancer had spread to his brain, Welch reportedly told his wife and
04:45doctor,
04:46Although Welch underwent surgery following the first episode's taping, his co-workers
04:51were led to believe he would pull through.
04:53It came as a shock to them when Welch died mid-production, only filming five episodes.
04:57Rather than recast, Peter Gregory canonically died the following season in an absurdly tragic
05:02way.
05:16Rock Hudson – Dynasty
05:18This legendary actor closed out his career with a recurring role on Dynasty.
05:26Only a few months before Rock Hudson debuted as Daniel Reese, he was diagnosed with AIDS.
05:31Hudson kept his condition private for over a year, making a public announcement on July
05:3525, 1985.
05:36By this point, he'd already finished his arc on Dynasty, which wrapped early due to
05:40his declining health.
05:50Hudson was aware of his diagnosis during a scene when he kissed Linda Evans.
05:54Still keeping his secret, Hudson was reportedly terrified that he might give AIDS to Evans.
05:58Widespread misinformation about AIDS was still common back then.
06:12Despite his best efforts to keep working, Hudson continued to struggle and died three
06:16months after disclosing his illness to the world.
06:19Patrick Swayze – The Beast
06:21One of the most popular film stars throughout the 80s and 90s, Patrick Swayze finished the
06:26on A&E's The Beast, playing morally gray FBI agent Charles Barker.
06:44Swayze shot the pilot shortly before learning he had pancreatic cancer.
06:47Swayze nonetheless remained committed to the role, filming the season over five months.
06:52All the while, Swayze underwent treatment without taking painkillers.
07:04During this difficult period, he only missed a day and a half from the shoot.
07:08Although The Beast received positive reviews, it wasn't renewed due to low ratings.
07:12Even if the series had gotten a second season, Swayze wouldn't have been able to reprise
07:15his role.
07:16Only two months after its cancellation, Swayze would sadly succumb to his disease.
07:27Alice Pierce – Bewitched
07:28This actress is best remembered for playing the definitive nosy neighbor, Gladys Kravitz
07:32from Bewitched.
07:44In the series, Gladys was always suspicious of the hocus-pocus occurring at the Stevens
07:48household.
07:49Behind the scenes, Alice Pierce had a secret of her own.
07:51Pierce was living with terminal cancer, which she chose to keep private.
07:55The showrunners might not have been aware of Pierce's diagnosis, but her condition
07:58would start to take a noticeable physical toll.
08:00Regardless, Pierce kept audiences laughing well into season two.
08:10Baby's First Paragraph was the last episode Pierce filmed before taking a turn for the
08:14worse six weeks later.
08:16While Sandra Gould inherited the role of Gladys, Pierce won a posthumous Emmy for her swan-song
08:20season.
08:32Nicholas Colasanto – Cheers
08:34Developing heart disease in the 70s, Nicholas Colasanto had trouble finding work over the
08:38next few years.
08:39Pierce was prepared to call it quits when a career-defining role came his way.
08:43Colasanto's heartfelt performance as coach Ernie Pantuso was integral throughout the
08:47early seasons of Cheers.
09:08Although Colasanto's heart condition wasn't a secret, few realized how serious it was
09:12until season three.
09:13As Colasanto started losing significant weight and forgetting his lines, some suspected he
09:17didn't have much time left.
09:34Pierce still caught many off guard when Colasanto died from a heart attack in February 1985,
09:39two months after being hospitalized for water in his lungs.
09:41While Cheers would go strong for another eight seasons, coach and Colasanto were never forgotten.
09:59Peaky Blinders
10:10From Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies to Madame Callie in Penny Dreadful, this British
10:15actress had several memorable roles.
10:26Peaky Blinders fans will recognize her as Polly Gray, the Shelby family's tough-as-nails
10:30matriarch.
10:31Although death was commonplace on Peaky Blinders, Aunt Polly's perhaps hit us the hardest.
10:35That's because Helen McCrory died from breast cancer between the fifth and sixth series.
10:39McCrory had sworn her friends and family to secrecy as she privately went through treatment.
10:44To almost everyone else, her death seemingly came out of the blue.
10:51With the final episodes of Peaky Blinders entering production, the showrunners suddenly
10:55had to rethink certain elements.
10:57This included Polly's fate with the character dying in the series' sixth premiere.
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11:24Nancy Marchand, The Sopranos
11:38When Nancy Marchand was cast as Tony's reprehensible mother, Livia Soprano, producers
11:43knew they might be taking a risk.
11:45In addition to emphysema and COPD, Marchand had been facing lung cancer for the past few
11:49years.
11:50Marchand's agent was up front with the Sopranos showrunners, but they still wanted her.
11:54While Livia wasn't supposed to live long, Marchand's Golden Globe-winning performance
11:57convinced the team to keep her around into the second season.
12:14Marchand said shortly before her death in June 2000,
12:16Although Chase had big plans for Livia, Marchand's passing forced the series to give her a send-off
12:24in season three, using archival footage and CGI.
12:37Which TV actors do you miss the most?
12:39Let us know in the comments!
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