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These are the stories of true dedication to the craft. Join us as we look at actors who bravely continued making films while facing terminal illness, giving their all for the art they loved. Our list includes icons like Chadwick Boseman, Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, John Cazale, and more remarkable talents who refused to let illness stop them from performing.
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00:00Our weapons will not be used to wage war on the world.
00:03It is not our way.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at actors who notably persevered with a film production,
00:10fully aware that they were about to pass away.
00:12You okay?
00:14Terrence Stamp, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert II.
00:17It had been nearly four years since audiences saw Terrence Stamp,
00:20when he died at age 87 in a care facility in 2025.
00:24I know what you did.
00:28I've done a lot of things, Eloise.
00:31You can have to be more specific, love.
00:34No cause of death was ever confirmed,
00:36but Stephen Elliott did offer The Guardian a glimpse into the legendary actress' private final days.
00:41It turns out, they were working on a sequel to the cult classic 1994 dramedy,
00:45The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
00:47You drink the gin.
00:54Uh, fill the bottle up with water and put it back in the fridge.
00:59Vat en vu.
00:59What about the scotch?
01:00Ah, that's where the complimentary tea bags come in handy.
01:04Very clever.
01:05Stamp confided in the writer-director that his days were numbered,
01:09so they could arrange to have all of his scenes shot while the project was still in pre-production.
01:13Though Stamp left fans with many questions about his death,
01:15Elliot assures them that he also left plenty to look forward to.
01:19It never ends, does it?
01:21All that space.
01:22Jill Kleberg, Bridesmaids.
01:24After a long and acclaimed career of defiant drama,
01:27Jill Kleberg left us with laughter.
01:29Sad, Elaine.
01:31I'm sad, I'm lonely, I'm depressed.
01:34What do you want me to say?
01:35What do you want me to say?
01:36She had been battling leukemia for about two decades,
01:39when she made a small, yet impactful appearance as Kristen Wiig's mother in Bridesmaids.
01:43They are inspiring.
01:46There is this one story I've just got to tell you, sit down.
01:48Producer Judd Apatow admitted to throwing out quite a few of her edgier jokes,
01:52out of respect for an icon's prestige and condition.
01:55Kleberg still drops some pretty shocking lines with the most riotous professionalism.
01:59You know what just came in today on the Netflix?
02:02Cast Away.
02:03Tom Hanks.
02:04It's like Forrest Gump, but on an island.
02:06Her performance is so lively,
02:07that it's hard to believe she passed away just six months before Bridesmaids became an instant comedy classic.
02:12Kleberg's presence did lend credibility to its feminist themes,
02:16as well as the charm of a resilient legend.
02:18I'll fix you a tuna fish sandwich.
02:20Mom, it's eight in the morning.
02:21You can put syrup on it.
02:23Robert Ryan.
02:24The Iceman Comet.
02:25Not many actors could play emotionally tormented,
02:28like the stage and screen legend Robert Ryan.
02:30The hell with the truth.
02:32The history of the world proves the truth has no bearing on anything.
02:36Then, life imitated art,
02:38after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1970.
02:40He passed away roughly three years later,
02:43but not before losing his wife Jessica to the same illness.
02:46All of this anguish seemed to inform his take
02:48on the lonely former radical Larry Slade
02:50in the film adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Comet.
02:53You've got to face the truth and then do what must be done for your own peace
02:56and for the happiness of all concerned.
02:58Now, what do you mean by that, Larry?
02:59How the hell would I know?
03:00He didn't live to see the film's release,
03:01within the same month as the cult thrillers,
03:03the outfit, and executive action.
03:05For God's sake, let us sit upon the ground
03:08and tell sad stories of the death of kings.
03:10But with all the posthumous accolades and lasting acclaim,
03:13The Iceman Cometh is a monument
03:14to Ryan's immersed dramatic chops.
03:17God rest his soul in peace.
03:19Irfan Khan, Angrezi Medium.
03:22It seemed almost unthinkable
03:23when the internationally beloved Irfan Khan
03:26lost his battle with cancer in 2020, age 53.
03:29He spent his final days in the public
03:31exhibiting the usual strength and charm,
03:33while his distinguished career ended in good humor.
03:41Angrezi Medium, the spiritual sequel
03:44to the hit comedy Hindi Medium,
03:45was famously postponed to accommodate
03:47the lead actor's treatment.
03:49Even though it wouldn't work,
03:50Khan regained enough strength
03:51to give one last hilarious and moving performance.
04:03He passed away a month
04:04after Angrezi Medium came out,
04:06only to be quickly moved to Disney Plus
04:08due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
04:24This film, and many more,
04:26has since helped the world cope
04:27with the loss of such a versatile talent.
04:43The Man of a Thousand Faces
04:45dusted off two from the 1925 crime caper
04:48The Unholy Three.
04:49The remake would be Lon Chaney's first sound film,
04:52and sadly, his only one.
04:57What's more ironic
04:58is that his voice had been ravaged
05:00by unsuccessful treatment for throat cancer.
05:02That didn't stop his commitment
05:03to playing a ventriloquist
05:05who disguises himself as an old woman
05:07as part of a burglary scheme.
05:17Chaney died just one month
05:19after giving fans a sense
05:20of how much farther he could have taken
05:21his versatility
05:22with cinema's new standard format.
05:24His commitment to the roles
05:25in The Unholy Three
05:26certainly says a lot
05:27about his dedication
05:28behind the makeup effects.
05:30Are you sure of that?
05:32Oh yes, I'm quite positive.
05:34I heard the clock strike 12
05:36while we were all there.
05:38Vivian Lee, Ship of Fools
05:39Two decades of chronic tuberculosis
05:41had left the glamorous Vivian Lee
05:43in a fragile state
05:44by the time she set sail
05:46for Stanley Kramer's Ship of Fools.
05:48The production was famously affected
05:49by her physical health
05:50to say nothing of a volatile episode
05:52of her bipolar disorder.
05:54You can see I'm in love.
05:56Of course.
05:57Everybody on this ship is in love.
05:59The scene in which she attacks Lee Marvin
06:01with a shoe
06:02was reportedly authentic.
06:03And yet,
06:04Lee's gritty
06:05yet graceful portrayal
06:06of a fading southern belle
06:07was widely considered
06:09the highlight of this star-studded drama.
06:10Do you see the makeup
06:11on those girls?
06:13Do men really find that attractive?
06:17Some apparently do.
06:19Hmm.
06:22I would think
06:24the men would like to know
06:26what they were kissing.
06:28Though she was reportedly aware
06:29of her terminal condition,
06:30she was eager to work
06:31for as long as she could.
06:32You are not young,
06:34Mrs. Treadwell.
06:37You have not been young
06:39for years.
06:41Ship of Fools
06:42would in fact be Lee's last film
06:43before she passed away
06:44in 1967,
06:46age 53.
06:47If you can't get what you want,
06:48you better damn well
06:49settle for what you can get.
06:50Paul Rubens
06:51Quiz Lady
06:522022 seemingly set
06:54Paul Rubens up
06:54for a big comeback
06:55after years of TV
06:57guest appearances.
06:58He shot a memorable cameo
06:59in the comedy movie
07:00Quiz Lady.
07:01Yeah, yeah, fine.
07:02Pop it.
07:03All the while,
07:03he was sitting down
07:04with HBO
07:05for the sprawling
07:06biographical documentary
07:07Hewey as himself.
07:08But in July 2023,
07:10he succumbed
07:11to a six-year fight
07:12with cancer
07:12that he never disclosed
07:13to the public.
07:14I think like,
07:15you know,
07:16am I co-directing
07:17the movie?
07:18Absolutely not.
07:19Am I collaborating
07:20in a way bigger way
07:22than you're used
07:23to working?
07:23Yes.
07:24The documentary's
07:25director, Matt Wolfe,
07:26found out with the rest of us
07:27while Rubens was still
07:28scheduled for interviews.
07:30The actor had known
07:31for a long time
07:31that any role
07:32could be his last.
07:33And between appearing
07:34as himself in Quiz Lady
07:35and the 2025 release
07:37of Pee-wee as himself,
07:38Rubens went out
07:39true to himself.
07:40You're excellent
07:40in the good one.
07:42You're so excellent.
07:45Oh, what a bunny lass.
07:48Oh, my God.
07:50Boris Karloff,
07:51Targets.
07:52A seminal horror icon
07:53showed little fear
07:54in his final years
07:55as an actor.
07:56I'm retiring.
07:57By 1967,
07:58after emphysema
07:59compromised one lung
08:00and prompted partial
08:01removal of the other,
08:03Boris Karloff accepted
08:04that he was living
08:05on borrowed time.
08:06His last American production
08:07would be Peter Bogdanovich's
08:09feature filmmaking debut,
08:10Targets.
08:11What'd you do with my script?
08:12Oh, I don't know.
08:13It's over there someplace.
08:14Despite having to take
08:15frequent oxygen breaks,
08:17Karloff gave one last
08:18career-defining performance
08:19as a washed-up horror actor
08:21grappling with the
08:22terrors of modern society.
08:23Fans would rather overlook
08:25the 6B horror flicks
08:26that were filmed in Europe
08:27and Mexico
08:28before his death
08:28from pneumonia in 1969.
08:30Even then,
08:31Karloff's charisma
08:32through all that hard work
08:33only strengthened
08:34his mighty legacy.
08:36Thank you very much.
08:37All right, Hitler.
08:37Massimo Troisi
08:39Il Pastino
08:40The comedic actor
08:41and filmmaker
08:42Massimo Troisi
08:43was known for his work ethic
08:44in Italian cinema
08:45and would be legendary
08:46for it after Il Pastino.
09:05After collapsing
09:06three days into production,
09:08the leading man learned
09:09that his heart condition
09:10had escalated
09:11to the point
09:11where he required a transplant.
09:13He instead postponed
09:14the surgery
09:14until he finished filming.
09:15The day after production ended,
09:17Troisi suffered
09:18a fatal heart attack.
09:24He had reportedly
09:25come to terms
09:26with the risks
09:26involved in further
09:27medical treatment,
09:28even as filming
09:29was drawn out
09:29by his limited stamina.
09:31Il Pastino
09:32would be hailed
09:32as a masterpiece
09:33with a death of humanity
09:34that an artist
09:35was willing to face
09:36his mortality for.
09:50Tony Todd
09:51Final Destination
09:52Bloodlines
09:53Several horror franchises
09:54were honored
09:55by the menacing presence
09:56of Tony Todd.
09:57Do I know you?
09:59No.
10:00No.
10:02But you doubted me.
10:04One of his more memorable
10:05recurring roles
10:05was as the mysterious
10:06mortician
10:07William Bloodworth
10:08in the Final Destination
10:09franchise.
10:10The 2025 installment
10:11Bloodlines
10:12would be his final bow
10:13as he disclosed
10:14his terminal cancer diagnosis
10:16to the filmmakers
10:17before it became
10:17public knowledge.
10:19So,
10:19which one of you
10:20is next?
10:21They responded
10:22by writing it
10:23into the story
10:23and allowing Todd
10:24to improvise
10:25Bloodworth's final monologue
10:26about the value
10:27and fragility of life.
10:29For years,
10:30people have been
10:30coming to me
10:31for advice.
10:33Well,
10:33I'm tired.
10:35I'm done
10:35with all that.
10:36This jardly poignant
10:37moment for such
10:38a gory brand
10:39was considered
10:40the highlight
10:40of Final Destination
10:41Bloodlines
10:42upon its release
10:43six months
10:43after Todd's death.
10:44It was certainly
10:45a wise epitaph
10:46to live by.
10:46Life is precious.
10:49Enjoy every single second.
10:53You never know when.
11:00Good luck.
11:01Richard Farnsworth
11:02The Straight Story
11:03I think y'all
11:04go and mow the lawn.
11:06Oh,
11:08I can cut it
11:09for you, Dad.
11:10I got it, sweetheart.
11:12Facing a terminal disease,
11:13Richard Farnsworth
11:14was initially hesitant
11:15to take on the role
11:16of Alvin Strait
11:17in David Lynch's
11:18family-friendly drama.
11:19However,
11:20his admiration
11:21for this man
11:22who journeyed across
11:22Iowa and Wisconsin
11:24on a lawnmower
11:25to reconcile
11:25with his brother
11:26convinced him
11:27to play the part.
11:28Why didn't you
11:28just take your car?
11:30I don't have
11:31a driver's license.
11:32If you've seen the film,
11:33you'll feel how deeply
11:34the actor and character's
11:36stories are intertwined.
11:37Alvin is frail,
11:38but determined,
11:39facing his mortality
11:40with quiet dignity,
11:41just as Farnsworth was.
11:43I'd say that's
11:44a little bit heavy
11:45for light work,
11:46don't you think?
11:49I've got an old man's eyes,
11:51but I'm noticing
11:53some new tire here.
11:55Though he had
11:55difficulty walking,
11:56he delivered
11:57an authentic performance.
11:58The result
11:59is a heartfelt story
12:00about aging
12:01and making peace
12:02before it's too late.
12:03A story as old
12:04as the Bible.
12:06Cain and Abel.
12:09Anger.
12:11Vanity.
12:14You mix that
12:15together with liquor.
12:17You've got two brothers
12:19that haven't spoken
12:20in ten years.
12:21Farnsworth received
12:21an Academy Award nomination
12:23for the role,
12:24but passed away in 2000.
12:26Diana Rake,
12:27Last Night in Soho.
12:28And it's not like
12:29you're going to tell
12:29anyone else.
12:31No.
12:31No, of course not.
12:32I would never.
12:34No.
12:35I mean,
12:37I know.
12:38You're not going
12:39to tell anyone else.
12:40Long before Diana Rake
12:41stole scenes
12:42as Olenna Tyrell
12:43in Game of Thrones,
12:44she was already a star.
12:45As Teresa DiVincenzo,
12:47she wasn't just
12:48any Bond girl.
12:49She was the only one
12:50to ever become
12:51Mrs. Bond.
12:52The bride and bridegroom,
12:55Mr. and Mrs. James Bond.
12:58Sadly,
12:59Rake's final bow
12:59came in Edgar Wright's
13:012021 psychological horror film
13:03where she played
13:03the sympathetic
13:04yet toxic
13:05Miss Collins.
13:06A nice police lady
13:07came round
13:09asking questions
13:10about you,
13:13about your
13:14well-being.
13:15When shooting
13:16resumed in 2020,
13:17Rake had already
13:17been diagnosed
13:18with cancer.
13:19She died in September
13:20that same year,
13:21never getting the chance
13:22to see the final product.
13:23Nevertheless,
13:24the film is dedicated
13:25to her memory
13:26and other actors
13:27who passed away.
13:28sad as it is,
13:29we must say,
13:30Rigg went out
13:31with an absolute
13:32bang of a role.
13:33I wouldn't do that
13:34to you,
13:34no.
13:36You're gonna go to sleep.
13:39And everyone will see.
13:40You just topped yourself
13:41because, you know,
13:42they all thought
13:43you were gonna do that
13:44anyway.
13:45Jim Varney,
13:45Atlantis,
13:46The Lost Empire.
13:47Yeah, well,
13:48after when a flaming
13:48Zeppelin come down
13:49on a...
13:50Missing.
13:51Best known for his
13:52Ernest P. Worrell character,
13:53Jim Varney was diagnosed
13:54with lung cancer
13:55in the late 90s.
13:56Despite his illness,
13:58he continued working
13:59and voiced Jebediah Allardyce
14:01Cookie Farnsworth
14:02in Atlantis.
14:03While Cookie isn't
14:04the film's central character,
14:05he's vital to its heart
14:06and tone.
14:07Look here what I got.
14:08All 38 in the United States.
14:11Watch me make Rhode Island dance.
14:13Go on, baby, dance.
14:14Dance.
14:15This gruff cowboy
14:16of the crew
14:17is always cracking jokes
14:18and serving comic relief
14:20when things get tense.
14:21Sadly,
14:22before Varney could finish
14:23all of Cookie's dialogue,
14:24he passed away in 2000.
14:26What?
14:27That's impossible.
14:28I seen this back
14:29in the Dakota.
14:30They can smell fear
14:31just by looking at you.
14:33So keep quiet.
14:34Voice actor Stephen Barr
14:35had to step in
14:36to complete the role.
14:37To honor Varney's contribution,
14:39the film was dedicated to him.
14:40For fans, though,
14:41Cookie remains a reminder
14:42of Varney's gift
14:43to make even the smallest role
14:45memorable
14:45with warmth
14:46and humor.
14:47I got you
14:48four basic food groups.
14:49Beans, bacon, whiskey,
14:51and lard.
14:51Roy Scheider,
14:52Beautiful Blue Eyes.
14:53Son of a bitch on the stairway!
14:56In his final role,
14:58Roy Scheider plays Joseph,
14:59a Holocaust survivor
15:00who travels to Germany
15:01seeking justice
15:02against a former Nazi officer.
15:04By the time of filming,
15:05Scheider had multiple myeloma,
15:07a type of blood cancer
15:08he'd been diagnosed with
15:09in 2004.
15:10Though it was terminal,
15:12Scheider faced it for years,
15:13even throwing himself
15:14into the role of Joseph.
15:16Unfortunately,
15:17he died before the film's
15:18production could be finished,
15:19so CGI had to be used
15:21to complete some of his scenes.
15:22It would then take 13 years
15:24to secure public distribution
15:25for the film,
15:26with further digital touch-ups
15:28and the title,
15:29Beautiful Blue Eyes.
15:30But Scheider's haunting
15:31and unforgettable performance
15:32was worth the wait.
15:34Hey, mother f***er!
15:35Richard Harris,
15:36Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
15:38That our students
15:39are in great danger.
15:41What should I tell the staff?
15:43The truth.
15:45Tell them Hogwarts
15:46is no longer safe.
15:48Richard Harris's turn
15:49as Dumbledore
15:50gave the beloved franchise
15:51its first taste
15:52of the headmaster's warmth,
15:54wisdom,
15:55and subtle humor.
15:56What many fans didn't know
15:57was that when Harris
15:58accepted the role,
15:59his health was already
16:00beginning to decline.
16:01Everyone
16:02will proceed
16:03to their dormitories immediately.
16:06Everyone except
16:09you three.
16:10At first,
16:11he was reluctant
16:12to play the character
16:13since it required
16:14a long-term commitment,
16:15but thanks to his
16:1611-year-old granddaughter,
16:17he took it on.
16:18Sadly,
16:19his condition worsened,
16:20and he died
16:21of Hodgkin's disease
16:22in 2002,
16:23just before the second
16:24installment of Harry Potter
16:25was released.
16:26While Michael Gammon
16:27gave his own iconic
16:28take on the role,
16:29Harris's passing
16:29shocked fans
16:30who knew of it.
16:31The truth is,
16:32his absence
16:33left a noticeable mark
16:34on the series.
16:35They burst into flame
16:36when it is time
16:37for them to die,
16:38and then they are
16:41reborn from the ashes.
16:43John Hurt,
16:44That Good Night.
16:45Hey,
16:45you know where she hides
16:46the good stuff.
16:47Get me a nice glass
16:48of brandy.
16:49This 2017 British drama
16:51follows Ralph,
16:52a renowned screenwriter
16:53seeking peace
16:54with his estranged son
16:55while also yearning
16:56to die with dignity.
16:57Hello,
16:57Michael,
16:58it's your father.
16:59Can you get here
17:00before Sunday?
17:01Yes,
17:01it needs to be
17:01before Sunday.
17:02Sadly,
17:03the actor and character
17:04had some similarities.
17:05Both were terminally ill.
17:07John Hurt,
17:08who played Ralph,
17:09had been diagnosed
17:09with pancreatic cancer
17:10in 2015,
17:11but chose to keep acting.
17:13He was in remission
17:14when the film was shot,
17:15yet his real-life struggles
17:16gave the role
17:17an extra poignancy.
17:18Watching him,
17:19you can see he understood
17:20the character's pains
17:21and desire for closure
17:23in the deepest way.
17:24Tragically,
17:25Hurt died in 2017,
17:27the same year
17:27the film was released,
17:28making it his final role.
17:30In hindsight,
17:31the film feels like
17:32a quiet farewell
17:33to one of cinema's
17:34finest actors.
17:34Something I suppose
17:35I should tell you.
17:37Cassie's pregnant.
17:37Well,
17:38I'll have to change
17:38my will to include him.
17:40Have to leave
17:40a little bastard
17:41something.
17:42Richard Burton,
17:431984.
17:44Do you know
17:44why you're here?
17:49Shall I tell you
17:50why we brought you here?
17:53To cure you.
17:54No doubt,
17:55Richard Burton
17:56was one of the most
17:56talented actors
17:57to have ever lived.
17:58His brilliance
17:59as an actor
18:00was often overshadowed
18:01by his vices.
18:02By the 70s
18:03and early 80s,
18:04his drinking
18:04had taken a heavy toll,
18:06leaving him with
18:06liver cirrhosis
18:07and other health complications.
18:09There are
18:10thought criminals
18:11who maintain
18:12that the resistance
18:13is not real.
18:15Believe me,
18:16Winston,
18:18it is very real.
18:19Though he died
18:19suddenly of a brain hemorrhage,
18:21it's widely believed
18:22that drinking
18:22contributed to his
18:23poor health
18:24and eventual death.
18:25Despite his
18:26declining health,
18:27Burton played
18:28the character O'Brien
18:29so powerfully
18:30that it received
18:31critical acclaim.
18:32Released just two months
18:33after his death,
18:341984 became
18:35a haunting reminder
18:36that Burton
18:36was a great actor
18:37right until the very end.
18:39You are thinking
18:39that my face
18:40is old and tired.
18:43That while I talk
18:44of power,
18:45I am unable
18:46to prevent
18:47the decay
18:47of my own body.
18:48Richard Jordan,
18:50Gettysburg.
18:51They will not be
18:51invited to join
18:52George's
18:53ever-shrinking
18:54circle of friends.
18:56Drawn from
18:56Michael Shara's
18:571974 novel,
18:58Gettysburg tells
18:59the story
18:59of the American
19:00Civil War.
19:01At its core
19:02are soldiers
19:02and generals
19:03whose choices
19:04shape the course
19:05of history.
19:06Amongst them
19:06stands General
19:07Louis Armistead.
19:08And the boy
19:09over there
19:10with the color guard,
19:11that's Private
19:12Robert Tyler Jones.
19:14His grandfather,
19:17the President
19:17of the United States.
19:18This Confederate
19:19officer was brought
19:20to life with remarkable
19:21emotional depth
19:22by none other
19:23than Richard Jordan
19:24himself.
19:25But here's a poignant
19:25twist you might not
19:26have known.
19:27Jordan was combating
19:28brain cancer
19:29during filming.
19:29He died in August
19:301993,
19:31only a few months
19:32before the film
19:33was released.
19:34That knowledge
19:35makes his portrayal
19:35of Armistead,
19:36who himself
19:37didn't survive
19:37the battle,
19:38all the more
19:39heartbreaking.
19:40When you listen
19:40to his speech
19:41about Virginia,
19:42it carries an added
19:42weight.
19:43We're all here,
19:44you may tell them
19:48when you return
19:48to your country
19:50that all Virginia
19:52was here
19:53on this day.
19:55Julian Beck,
19:56Poltergeist 2
19:57The Other Side.
19:58I'm smart.
20:02And I'm your friend.
20:06And I know
20:10what you are thinking.
20:11Julian Beck's death
20:12is often wrapped up
20:14in the so-called
20:14Poltergeist curse,
20:16but the truth
20:16is far more grounded.
20:18Beck had stomach cancer
20:19long before filming
20:20Poltergeist 2.
20:21He was first diagnosed
20:22with the disease
20:22in 1983,
20:23yet that didn't stop him
20:24from playing the terrifying
20:25Reverend Kane.
20:27Come on,
20:27Carol Ann,
20:28it's raining.
20:29Come on,
20:30what's wrong?
20:32Use me
20:34the snow.
20:35Carol Ann,
20:36come on,
20:36let's go.
20:37That ghostly appearance
20:38he has in the film
20:39was probably because
20:40of the illness.
20:41Beck leaned into it
20:42and delivered a performance
20:43that audiences
20:44still describe as chilling.
20:46It wasn't just about
20:47the makeup,
20:47but also the raw intensity
20:49Beck brought to the role.
20:50Sadly,
20:51he passed away
20:52after working on the film,
20:53which makes the role
20:54both heartbreaking
20:54and hauntingly real.
21:22Edward G. Robinson,
21:24Soylent Green.
21:25How did we come to this?
21:33Why the hell
21:33let you get out of here,
21:34will you?
21:34Go back to your foolish work.
21:36Though he knew
21:37he had terminal bladder cancer,
21:39Edward G. Robinson
21:40showed up every day
21:41for shooting,
21:41stayed professional,
21:42and gave everything
21:43he had to his role
21:44as Solomon Roth,
21:45according to Charlton Heston.
21:47In Soylent Green,
21:48Robinson plays the wise old man
21:50and father figure
21:50to Heston's character.
21:52Unfortunately,
21:53he never lived
21:53to see the film's premiere
21:54since he died
21:55two months after filming.
21:57With that in mind,
21:58Soyl's death scene
21:59becomes more like
21:59a real goodbye.
22:01Surrounded by the image
22:02of the natural world lost,
22:04he gets a quiet farewell.
22:05Frankly,
22:06Soylent Green wasn't just
22:07Robinson's final film,
22:08it was his final masterpiece.
22:10Though he never got
22:11an Oscar for it,
22:12he got a well-deserved
22:13posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
22:15I peddle this damn thing
22:16halfway around the world.
22:18I'm getting pretty sick of you.
22:21Yes, but you love me.
22:22Alan Rickman,
22:23Eye in the Sky
22:24and Alice Through the Looking Glass.
22:26You've been gone too long, Alice.
22:29And he will be gone
22:30before long.
22:32Who will be gone?
22:33What has happened?
22:34Severus Snape
22:35is Alan Rickman's
22:36most recognizable role,
22:37but the actor
22:38almost didn't see
22:38the character
22:39through to the end.
22:40He was diagnosed
22:40with prostate cancer in 2005
22:42and continued fighting
22:43the disease
22:44until the following January.
22:45With filming for
22:46Order of the Phoenix
22:47on the horizon,
22:48Rickman considered
22:48dropping his part to recover,
22:50but ultimately decided
22:51it was better
22:51to finish what he'd started.
22:53In these lessons,
22:54I will attempt
22:55to penetrate your mind.
22:58You will attempt
22:59to resist.
23:01Prepare yourself.
23:02He continued acting
23:03throughout the next decade
23:04before being diagnosed
23:05with pancreatic cancer
23:06in 2015.
23:07Only those closest to him
23:09were told about his condition,
23:10as he continued work
23:11on Alice Through the Looking Glass.
23:13You're Alice,
23:14of course.
23:19Absalom?
23:20The film,
23:20released posthumously,
23:22was dedicated
23:22in Rickman's memory,
23:24alongside Eye in the Sky,
23:25a politically charged thriller
23:26that became his last
23:27live-action performance.
23:29Pete Postlethwaite
23:30Inception
23:31Smoking had been a part
23:32of Pete Postlethwaite's life
23:33since he was 10 years old,
23:35and the dependency
23:35ultimately cost him
23:36his life in 2011.
23:38Director Steven Spielberg
23:39called him
23:39the best actor
23:40in the world.
23:42British actor
23:43Pete Postlethwaite
23:44has died.
23:45He had been diagnosed
23:46with pancreatic cancer
23:47just a year and a half prior
23:48and continued working
23:49right up until the end.
23:51Among his last films
23:52were Ben Affleck's
23:53The Town,
23:53for which he received
23:54a posthumous BAFTA nomination,
23:56and Christopher Nolan's
23:57Inception.
23:58Arguably the more well-known
23:59of the two films,
24:00Inception is also notable
24:01for its eerily prescient imagery
24:03of the deceased actor.
24:09Postlethwaite plays
24:10the sickly father
24:11of Cillian Murphy's character
24:12and ultimately dies
24:13over the course of the film.
24:14The toll that Atcher's
24:15real-life disease
24:16had taken on his body
24:17is especially apparent
24:18in this performance.
24:19How is he?
24:21I don't want to bother him
24:23unnecessarily, but...
24:25Vincent Price
24:26Edward Scissorhands
24:38Some of the best scenes
24:39of Tim Burton's
24:40gothic fantasy
24:41Edward Scissorhands
24:42are of Edward learning
24:43from his inventor
24:43in their shared mansion.
24:45The inventor is, of course,
24:46played by horror legend
24:47Vincent Price.
24:48When asked,
24:49will they tear?
24:50He replied,
24:51here and there,
24:52but they keep
24:53such a beautiful shape.
24:55The distinctive actor
24:56was a lifelong favorite
24:58of Burton's,
24:58whom he befriended
24:59while working on
25:00his appropriately titled
25:01short film, Vincent.
25:03Unfortunately,
25:03Price was suffering
25:04from a combination
25:05of a progressive lung disease
25:06and Parkinson's
25:07at the time of
25:08filming Scissorhands,
25:09making the shoot
25:10particularly difficult.
25:11I know it's a little
25:13early for Christmas,
25:14Edward, but...
25:18I have a present for you.
25:20His schedule was shortened
25:22and the film would be
25:22the last he worked on
25:23before succumbing
25:24to lung cancer in 1993.
25:25Yusaka Matsudu,
25:27Black Rain.
25:28Here I am, Nick!
25:31Here!
25:32Almost as near
25:34as when you let Charlie die!
25:36While many actors
25:36have chosen to work
25:37through their illnesses
25:38throughout the years,
25:39Yusaka Matsudu
25:40is one of the few
25:41to decline treatment
25:41in the pursuit
25:42of a perfect performance.
25:43The Japanese actor
25:44was diagnosed
25:45with bladder cancer
25:46in 1988,
25:47but refused chemotherapy
25:48under the belief
25:49that it would negatively
25:50impact his work
25:51in the then-upcoming film,
25:52Black Rain.
25:53His condition,
25:54unsurprisingly,
25:54worsened throughout
25:55the shoot,
25:56and by the time
25:56filming had wrapped,
25:58the cancer had spread
25:58to his spine and lungs.
26:00Matsudu's performance
26:01in the film
26:01as the villainous
26:02Koji Sato
26:03is spine-chillingly electric,
26:05but it's hard not to wonder
26:06how many more years
26:06we may have had with him
26:07had he gotten
26:08the help he needed.
26:09Pedro Amendariz
26:10from Russia with Love.
26:12Quite a place you've got here.
26:13The Emperor Constantine
26:14built it as a reservoir
26:151,600 years ago.
26:17Before taking on a role
26:18in From Russia with Love,
26:20Pedro Amendariz
26:21played Jamuga
26:21in the historical drama
26:22The Conqueror.
26:23The film is believed
26:24to have played
26:25a significant role
26:25in his death.
26:26Having been filmed
26:27less than 200 miles
26:28from Nevada's
26:29nuclear testing site,
26:30Amendariz had terminal
26:31neck cancer,
26:32which resulted in a great
26:33deal of pain
26:34during filming.
26:39In spite of the
26:42excruciating symptoms,
26:44he continued to work,
26:45with the cast and crew
26:46going to great lengths
26:46to ensure that his scenes
26:47were shot first.
26:48Sadly,
26:49things eventually
26:50became too much,
26:51leading the actor
26:51to take his own life.
27:00Jason Robarts
27:01Magnolia
27:10When discussing
27:11Magnolia,
27:12writer-director
27:13Paul Thomas Anderson
27:14has cited his father's
27:15fight against cancer
27:16as the inspiration
27:17for the character
27:18of Earl Partridge.
27:19He wrote the part
27:20with Jason Robarts
27:21in mind,
27:21who would later
27:22refer to the role
27:22as prophetic,
27:23saying it was just
27:24so right for him
27:25to bring what he knew
27:26to it.
27:36It's a harrowing performance,
27:38made all the more real
27:39by Robarts' unique
27:40life experience.
27:41The actor ostensibly
27:42had lung cancer himself
27:43at the time,
27:44a disease which would be
27:44the cause of his death
27:45just a year after
27:46the film's release.
27:47Earl.
27:52You don't look that bad.
27:54Spencer Tracy
27:55Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
27:56This has been a very strange day.
27:59I don't think that's
27:59putting it too strongly.
28:00I might even say
28:01it's been an extraordinary day.
28:03At the 1967 Academy Awards,
28:05Catherine Hepburn
28:06was awarded Best Actress
28:07for her role
28:08in the landmark
28:08interracial rom-com
28:10Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
28:11In spite of the accolades,
28:12Hepburn never saw
28:13her famous film in full.
28:14This is because
28:15it was a notoriously
28:16taxing endeavor
28:17for her partner
28:18and co-star Spencer Tracy,
28:20who was suffering
28:20from a number of ailments
28:21including pulmonary edema
28:23and type 2 diabetes.
28:24How are you?
28:25What's the matter?
28:26You having a chill?
28:27No, darling.
28:28I'm fine.
28:29The pair powered
28:30through his worst days,
28:31motivated by the importance
28:32of the subject matter
28:33at the film's heart.
28:34It's even rumored
28:35that Hepburn's tears
28:36during Tracy's speech
28:37at the end of the film
28:37are her own,
28:38moved by the doubly
28:39relevant sentiment
28:40that true love
28:41can endure all.
28:42And there is nothing,
28:43absolutely nothing,
28:44that your son feels
28:46for my daughter
28:48that I didn't feel
28:49for Christina.
28:50John Cazale,
28:51The Deer Hunter
28:53This is not it!
28:55Definitely!
28:56This is not it!
28:57They changed it!
28:57No kidding!
28:58Somehow they changed it!
28:59Even if the name
29:00John Cazale
29:00doesn't ring a bell right away,
29:02you'll definitely recognize him
29:03from the Godfather movies,
29:04among some other big titles.
29:06The actor's short-lived career
29:07consisted of just
29:08five feature-length films,
29:09but every single one
29:10went on to be nominated
29:11for Best Picture.
29:12With such a great track record,
29:14it should come as no surprise
29:15that he was a beloved figure
29:16of the film industry.
29:17Robert De Niro
29:18and Meryl Streep,
29:19Cazale's partner,
29:20were two of his loyal supporters.
29:22You know,
29:22he wasn't like anybody
29:23I'd ever met.
29:24It was the specificity
29:25of him
29:26and his
29:27sort of
29:29humanity.
29:30De Niro even paid
29:31the insurance costs
29:32necessary for Cazale
29:33to be cast in
29:33The Deer Hunter
29:34in spite of a terminal
29:35cancer diagnosis.
29:36The late actor
29:37gives an outstanding
29:38final performance
29:39in the film,
29:39although he sadly
29:40wouldn't live to see it himself.
29:42Hey, Stash.
29:44I said no.
29:51What, you gonna shoot me?
29:53Huh?
29:55Yeah.
30:04It may come as a surprise
30:06that the accomplished
30:07bilingual stage
30:08and film actor
30:08Raul Julia's
30:09final theatrical film
30:10was a critically
30:11panned action film
30:12based on the
30:13Street Fighter video games,
30:14but it all makes sense
30:15once you hear
30:16his reason for signing on.
30:17Julia had secretly
30:18been living with
30:19stomach cancer
30:20for about three years.
30:21Still,
30:22he wanted to take on
30:23the role of
30:23General M. Bison
30:24as a tribute
30:25to his kids,
30:26who were big fans
30:26of the game series.
30:27In spite of his
30:28weakened state
30:29and a tight stunt schedule,
30:31Julia elevated
30:31the otherwise panned film
30:33with a genuinely
30:33compelling performance.
30:35Why settle for me money?
30:38After I defeat the A.M.,
30:41what if I were to
30:42share the country with you?
30:51Before we continue,
30:53check out the single
30:54from Sound Mojo's
30:55album Balance,
30:56classical music
30:57reimagined as rock,
30:58hard rock,
30:59and metal.
30:59Check out the full track
31:01and album below.
31:17The world was shocked
31:19when Chadwick Boseman
31:20was pronounced dead
31:20in August of 2020.
31:22While working through
31:23his pain,
31:24he eased it for others,
31:25giving comfort at the bedside
31:27to children battling cancer.
31:28We all have a superhero
31:31in us.
31:32Unbeknownst to anyone
31:33but his family
31:34and closest confidants,
31:35the actor had been living
31:36with colon cancer
31:37throughout the majority
31:38of his career.
31:38He was diagnosed in 2016,
31:40the same year he made
31:41his debut in the Marvel
31:42Cinematic Universe
31:43in Captain America Civil War.
31:45The task force will decide
31:46who brings in Barnes.
31:49Don't bother,
31:50Miss Romanoff.
31:53I'll kill him myself.
31:54Although the severity
31:55of his struggle
31:56with cancer is unknown,
31:57the effects of the disease
31:58never seemed to impact
31:59the results of his
32:00phenomenal work.
32:01His multi-film performance
32:02as T'Challa
32:03meant a lot to many,
32:04while his roles in films
32:05like Defy Bloods
32:06and Moraney's Black Bottom
32:07further proved his strength
32:09and versatility as an actor.
32:11Chadwick was an artist,
32:12someone who was willing
32:13to leave his vanity,
32:14his ego,
32:14everything at the door
32:15and serve the character.
32:17Who are some other actors
32:18who stayed this dedicated
32:19to the very end?
32:20Pay your respects
32:21in the comments below.
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