# Celebrities who have killed people (in a non-military context) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910 "2006-11-18T01:54:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/1 "2006-11-18T01:54:44Z")
I’m trying to think of celebrities who have killed people, either deliberately or accidentally. The only stipulations here are that the celebrity in question is not famous for being a criminal (people with a criminal _past_ qualify,) and that the death did not happen in a military context. Someone like John Kerry is out, as is anyone who is famous specifically for being a soldier. I have one already: Matthew Broderick: killed someone in an auto accident. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/2 "2006-11-18T01:58:23Z")
[Fatty Arbuckle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_Arbuckle)? ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/3 "2006-11-18T02:04:00Z")
John Landis, as director — wasn’t he held responsible for the death of Vic Morrow? I suppose you could also dig up any celebrity starlet who’s ever had an abortion, but why? ---
**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/4 "2006-11-18T02:05:46Z")
Laura Bush, same. Alice Walton (daughter of Sam), too. I’m not really sure if she counts as a celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/5 "2006-11-18T02:10:21Z")
Drummer Jim Gordon wasn’t exactly a front-rank celebrity, but he was well known for his work with Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, and Joe Cocker. He’s currently doing life for killing his mother. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/6 "2006-11-18T02:11:50Z")
OJ Simpson Robert Blake ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/7 "2006-11-18T02:16:52Z")
There is a fairly well-known writer named [Anne Perry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry) who was convicted of killing a friend’s mother as a teenager. Horrible crime. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/8 "2006-11-18T02:17:25Z")
Oscar winner Gig Young killed his wife and himself. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/9 "2006-11-18T02:21:41Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] There is a fairly well-known writer named [Anne Perry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Perry) who was convicted of killing a friend’s mother as a teenager. Horrible crime. [/QUOTE] Which is, incidentally, the situation that Kate Winslet’s big-screen debut, _Heavenly Creatures_, was based on. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/10 "2006-11-18T02:37:24Z")
Ha! Car accident Schmar accident! [Charles S. Dutton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001165/), quite a talented actor, killed a guy in a knife fight. Served time for murder, then began his acting career after being released from prison. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/11 "2006-11-18T02:39:18Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Which is, incidentally, the situation that Kate Winslet’s big-screen debut, _Heavenly Creatures_, was based on. [/QUOTE] That’s right…forgot about that. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/12 "2006-11-18T02:40:26Z")
TV & film actor Charles S. Dutton (Roc, Alien[sup]3[/sup]) served hard time for stabbing a guy to death before he was famous. > [@](#): > > John Landis, as director — wasn’t he held responsible for the death of Vic Morrow? Nope, he was acquitted. Even though he was clearly guilty of, at least, reckless endangerment of two underage, undocumented child actors no less! ---
**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:** [November 18, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/13 "2006-11-18T02:48:45Z")
John Wilkes Booth was a major stage celebrity of his time. Possibly [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas\_InceWilliam Randolph Hearst. Basically, if Thomas Ince was murdered (and it’s unclear as to whether he was shot or not), then he had to have been killed by some celebrity. I don’t know if pro boxers fit the OP, but you do have Emile Griffith, who killed Benny “Kid” Paret in the ring. I once interviewed Griffith and kept thinking, “This guy killed a man.” ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/14 "2006-11-18T02:56:01Z")
When she was 17, Laura Bush ran a stop sign, struck another car, and killed her boyfriend. Boxer Duk Koo Kim was knocked out by Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and never regained conciousness. Investigators found a noted that Kim had written to himself before the fight that said “Kill or be killed.” And of course, Aaron Burr. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/15 "2006-11-18T03:00:42Z")
[Claudine Longet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudine_Longet) killed Spider Sabich, her lover. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/16 "2006-11-18T03:06:56Z")
Hockey player (and current Edmonton Oilers Coach) served time for vehicular manslaughter. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/17 "2006-11-18T03:15:08Z")
Don King: -Shot a guy who was attempting to rob one of his gambling houses (in 1954). That was ruled justifiable homicide. -apparently he also stomped to death an employee who owed him $600. He was originally convicted of second degree murder but that was dropped down to nonnegligent manslaughter. In wikipedia this one says citation needed. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/18 "2006-11-18T03:25:48Z")
[William S. Burroughs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Burroughs) shot and killed his girlfriend in a drunken game of “William Tell.” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/19 "2006-11-18T03:37:48Z")
Jack Abbott, who had a brief celebrity writing career (“In The Belly Of The Beast”) as Norman Mailer’s protege, fatally stabbed a waiter in New York after his release from prison (where he’d been serving time for another killing). Mailer’s famous comment (about the risk to society involved in getting Abbott released from prison): “Culture is worth a little risk”. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910/20 "2006-11-18T03:39:21Z")
What about Lead Belly? Oh, and there’s a famous person I’m thinking of, it’s right on the tip of my tongue (er, mind, I guess in this case), who accidentally shot and killed someone by accident-his brother, or a friend or someone. Dammit, it’s really bothering me now! OH! Adlai Stevenson, according to Wiki’s [List of Famous People responsible for a death](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_people_responsible_for_a_death) (That were famous for something else OTHER than killing someone, basically) Damn, poor guy. Some of them: Rebecca Gayhart-hit and run accident, killed a nine-year-old boy. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrities-who-have-killed-people-in-a-non-military-context/380910.md?page=2)