# Dead actors you still miss. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852 "2003-09-16T00:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/1 "2003-09-16T00:39:25Z")
I still miss \*\*Raoul Julia, Phil Hartman \*\* who died before their time. ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/2 "2003-09-16T01:04:57Z")
I really miss **John Candy** - he was funny. I saw a snippet or two of _Planes, Trains, and Automobiles_ yesterday on TV. Laughed my ass off. And, lest we forget, he lent his voice talents to many animated movies, including _Heavy Metal_ - his scene with Harold Ramis is classic. I miss **Burgess Merideth** for some damn, reason, too. As a _Star Wars_ fan, I also miss **Sir Alec Guinness**. I was happy just knowing he was around. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/3 "2003-09-16T01:09:43Z")
Cary Grant ---
**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:** [September 16, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/4 "2003-09-16T01:10:26Z")
Raoul Julia was the first name that came to mind. John Belushi ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/5 "2003-09-16T01:13:00Z")
Y’know, if you miss **Sir Alec** as I do may I heartily recommend his wonderfully warm diary ( done in his 80’s) called \*\*My Name Escapes Me \*\*. I read it about a week or so before his passing and it made losing him all that much more sadder. Funny thing is is that Sir Alec loathed his role in Star Wars, just loathed it. I miss **Groucho and his Brothers** in their prime. ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/6 "2003-09-16T01:21:07Z")
When I was a kid/early teen I thought River Phoenix was very cool. I think he had the potential for a long, interesting career. Another vote for Phil Hartman. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/7 "2003-09-16T01:29:43Z")
Boris Karloff Bela Lugosi Richard Burton Vincent Price Evelyn Ankers Carole Lombard Constance Bennett I’m sure **Eve** will be along soon with an even better list. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/8 "2003-09-16T01:38:29Z")
Well, I’m thinking more along the lines of people who should still be alive and working–not Jean Harlow, say, who’d be 93 . . . Gilda Radner Madeline Kahn Phil Hartman Cass Elliott Divine ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/9 "2003-09-16T01:45:29Z")
The Marxes are a good call, though at least they all lived fairly long lives. Phil Hartman died during my lifetime, and I miss him a lot. Every so often, a role will come along that just calls out for him. Zap Brannigan is one - of course, that role was written for him, so that only makes sense. Or I’ll see an old Simpsons or SNL (where he got to show his many talents). Very sad. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/10 "2003-09-16T01:49:57Z")
Ah, **Eve** is on the ball as always. Madeline Kahn was always so funny. Really the same story for her. You just can’t see anyone else playing her roles. ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/11 "2003-09-16T01:58:47Z")
**Eve** got it right with Madeline Kahn. She played every role to a “T.” Makes me think of Marty Feldman, who passed before his time as well. **Shirley** I’ll be sure to pick that one up. Yes, I know he was not fond of that role. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/12 "2003-09-16T02:23:07Z")
Easily the highest for me is Phil Hartman. Every time I see him I just shake my head and mutter “damn!” Well, I laugh at his humor too. But there’s always this little voice in the back of my mind wondering what was yet to come. The worst was when I heard they were thinking about a live action Troy McClue movie. That would have been so great. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/13 "2003-09-16T02:40:02Z")
I saw “Presumed Innocent” again not too long ago, and I couldn’t stop thinking how tragic it was that a wonderful screen presence like Raúl Julia died. River Phoenix showed a _lot_ of promise. Too bad he got mixed up with drugs. Michael Landon. ---
**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:** [September 16, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/14 "2003-09-16T04:46:44Z")
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. They will always be my all time favorites. (Gee, I’ll bet you didn’t see THAT coming, did you?) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/15 "2003-09-16T05:28:44Z")
J.T. Walsh. Mostly a character actor, but a damn fine one at that. He’d only be 60 this year. I already miss John Ritter. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Vampire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Space\_Vampire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Vampire)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/16 "2003-09-16T05:52:24Z")
Phil Hartman and Leslie Cheung. Both died violently and totally unexpectedly and bummed me out immensely. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/17 "2003-09-16T08:06:44Z")
Jeremy Brett. He WAS Sherlock Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![Nvme77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/18 "2003-09-16T08:13:34Z")
I miss Phil Hartman and not an actor, but Aaliyah the singer. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/19 "2003-09-16T08:22:41Z")
Some good names here. I miss River Pheonix. I think that [Brandon DeWilde](http://www.geocities.com/~childactors/brandondewilde.htm) went way too soon. I don’t know how old he would be today, (I should check) but he died at age 29 (I think) and had made the sucessful transition to acting as an adult. (He is very memorable as the teenaged boy who looks up to Paul Newman in “Hud.”) I also miss [Pete Duel](http://www.peteduelsite.com/). He was 31 or something when he died (presumably suicide) and he was pretty damned funny in a western series he did (“Alias Smith and Jones.”). He could have done a lot of great things had he lived. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852/20 "2003-09-16T12:32:02Z")
Phil Hartman, Gilda Radner, John Ritter, and Steve Barton (who should have been chosen for Dance of the Vampires on Broadway). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-actors-you-still-miss/201852.md?page=2)