# Actors who died before people they played **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309 "2017-08-21T21:37:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/1 "2017-08-21T21:37:16Z")
For example, [Sam Shepard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Shepard) played [Chuck Yeager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Yeager) in _The Right Stuff_. Sam died last month, but Chuck is still going. That’s a pretty unusual situation, but it can’t be unique, right? What are some other examples? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/2 "2017-08-21T21:42:56Z")
Heath Ledger as “Robbie Clark,” which is a persona of Bob Dylan in [I’m Not There](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368794/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_35), but I’m not sure it qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/3 "2017-08-21T21:56:02Z")
In Lords of Dogtown Heath Ledger (died 2008) played Skip Engbloom who is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/4 "2017-08-21T22:04:56Z")
[Patch Adams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Adams) and [Oliver Sacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Sacks) both survived Robin Williams. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/5 "2017-08-21T22:11:30Z")
Also Williams played Adrian Cronauer (Good morning Vietnam) who is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/6 "2017-08-21T22:13:08Z")
[Bobby Watson](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Watson_(actor)) played Adolf Hitler nine times, starting in 1942. Watson died in 1965. ---
**Author:** ![Reluctant\_A](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@Reluctant\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reluctant_A)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/7 "2017-08-21T22:17:30Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > [Bobby Watson](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Watson_(actor)) played Adolf Hitler nine times, starting in 1942. Watson died in 1965. > [@](#): > > Actors who died **before** people they played Uhh… you know some shit that we don’t about Hitler? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/8 "2017-08-21T22:21:58Z")
If you believe sportswriter Fred Leib’s claim that the character Walter Brennan played in “Pride of the Yankees” to be true (and they are reasonable), then Leib outlived Brennan by six years ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/9 "2017-08-21T23:42:00Z")
> [@Reluctant\_A](#): > > Uhh… you know some shit that we don’t about Hitler? I’ll never tell. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/10 "2017-08-22T01:07:43Z")
[Ron Silver,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Silver) who died in 2009, portrayed attorney Alan M. Dershowitz in Reversal of Fortune (1990), Henry Kissinger in _Kissinger & Nixon_ (1995), attorney Robert Shapiro in _American Tragedy_ (2000), and Muhammad Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee in _Ali_ (2001). Dundee passed away in 2012; the rest are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/11 "2017-08-22T01:49:17Z")
The character of Alex Latourno in _8 Mile_ is loosely based on Mathers’ real girlfriend/future wife/future ex-wife Kim Scott. Brittany Murphy, who played Alex, died in 2009. Scott is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/12 "2017-08-22T02:57:37Z")
Spencer Tracy (died 1967) played Jimmy Doolittle (died 1993) in _Thirty Seconds over Tokyo_ (1944). ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/13 "2017-08-22T03:03:35Z")
Bill Paxton (d.2017) portrayed Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, who is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/14 "2017-08-22T03:05:32Z")
Here’s a twofer. Robert Taylor (died 1969) and Barry Nelson (died April 2007) both played Paul Tibbets (died November 2007) in, respectively, _Above and Beyond_ (1952) and _The Beginning of the End_ (1947). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/15 "2017-08-22T03:13:03Z")
Another “based on” character: Chance Buckman in _Hellfighters_ was based on Red Adair. John Wayne, who played Buckman, died in 1979. Adair, who served as an advisor on the movie, died in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/16 "2017-08-22T03:18:16Z")
Jason Robards (died 2000) played Ben Bradlee (died 2014) in _All the President’s Men_ (1976) ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/17 "2017-08-22T08:10:31Z")
Do parodists count? Phil Hartman (d. 1998) played Ronald Reagan (d. 2004), Bill Clinton (living), Charlton Heston (d. 2008), Jack Nicholson (living), and many others on _Saturday Night Live_. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/18 "2017-08-22T08:27:20Z")
I found six in a 1950 bio-ic film “The Jackie Robinson Story” where baseball player Jackie Robinson plays himself. Minor Warson played Branch Rickey; Watson died in July 1965 and Rickey in December. Ruby Dee (died 2014) played Robinson’s wife Rachel, who is still alive at 95. Harry Shannon (1964) played Frank Shaughnessy (1969) who was President of the minor league International League. Joel Fluellen (1990) played Robinson’s older brother Mack (2000). Billy Wayne (1970) played Clyde Sukeforth (2000), the scout who signed Robinson to a Dodgers contract. Louise Beavers (1964) played Robinson’s mother Mallie (1968). ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/19 "2017-08-22T08:39:50Z")
Anthony Perkins, who played baseball player Jimmy Piersall in \*Fear Strikes Out \*in 1957, died in 1992. Piersall died in 2017. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309/20 "2017-08-22T09:04:36Z")
A lot of people who have portrayed Fidel Castro (Died November 25, 2016) Going off IMDB Night Train to Mundo Fine (1966) Played by Anthony Cardoza (7 December 2015) Che! (1969) Played by Jack Palance (10 November 2006) Revolutions: Fidel Castro (1970) Played by Bernard Horsfall (28 January 2013) The Disciples (1999) (TV) Played by Armando Roblan (9 January 2013) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-died-before-people-they-played/794309.md?page=2)