Hollywood Actors Who Died in the Middle of Filming

While there are some celebrity deaths that are hoaxes and plenty of famous actors who died before finishing a project, not all of them died from something on set. Some of these deaths were the result of natural causes, while other stars met a more gruesome end.

Philip Seymour Hoffman — ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’

He had filmed most of his scenes in the two-part final installment of the Hunger Games series, Mockingjay, when he was found dead in his New York City apartment.

Marilyn Monroe — ‘Something’s Got to Give’

She was in production on Something’s Got to Give when she died of an apparent drug overdose. The movie was never completed, but an edited reconstruction of the film was included in the 2001 documentary Marilyn: The Last Days.

Bruce Lee — ‘Game of Death’

Bruce Lee died in 1973 before he could finish filming Game of Death. An incomplete version was released that year, followed by a feature-length version in 1978 cobbled together with footage filmed after his death.

Brandon Lee — ‘The Crow’

Brandon Lee not only died while he was in production on The Crow, but he was actually killed while filming a scene, when he was accidentally shot with a real bullet from a prop gun. Director Alex Proyas used a double and special effects to complete the film.

Aaliyah — ‘The Matrix’ Sequels

Aaliyah was supposed to play Zee in the two Matrix sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions, before she died in a 2001 plane crash. She had filmed portions of Reloaded, but the role was recast after her death, with Marvin Gaye’s daughter Nona taking her place.

Heath Ledger — ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’

Heath Ledger’s January 2008 death came in the middle of the actor’s filming Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The movie suspended production temporarily. Ultimately, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell played various versions of Ledger’s character.

Oliver Reed — ‘Gladiator’

British actor Oliver Reed died of a heart attack while he was on location for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Most of his scenes had already been shot but digital effects were used for additional scenes.