# Does Portraying Jesus Foretell DEATH? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2000, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050 "2000-10-07T07:00:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/1 "2000-10-07T07:00:21Z")
A friend insists that everyone who has played Jesus in a modern major production (movie, play) has died an untimely death. Obviously he must be full of crap. But I did find the following on [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com): > [@](#): > > Antony Wheeler (died 17 August 1997) > > Playing Judas in a Greek production of Jesus Christ Superstar, Wheeler’s performance was supposed to conclude with Judas hanging himself, a stunt he’d successfully negotiated 20 previous times. This time he forgot to fasten the rope to his safety harness. Boy, that’s got to suck. But I didn’t find anything else about Christ actors croaking. Are there are any other actor deaths associated with Jesus besides this one? Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/2 "2000-10-07T07:02:57Z")
Jeffrey Hunter played Christ in “King of Kings,” and later died, but it was several years later. Between playing Jesus and dying he played Capt. Christopher Pike in the original pilot for Star Trek. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/3 "2000-10-07T07:11:54Z")
Isn’t Max Von Sydow still alive? He’d be pretty old by now. He played Christ in “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, I believe, which was made in the '60s. (I’ll have to check [imdb.com](http://imdb.com), though, to confirm which film he was in - but I know he played Christ at some point.) And Willem Defoe is still alive. It’s been over 10 years since he played in “The Last Temptation of Christ”. ---
**Author:** ![Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook_of_the_North_Shore)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/4 "2000-10-07T09:29:06Z")
Of course everyone that plays Jesus dies. What, you think playing Jesus makes you immortal? Oh you mean an _untimely_ death? Nevermind then. ---
**Author:** ![Wicked\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@Wicked\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wicked_Blue)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/5 "2000-10-07T13:31:03Z")
[Kaga ‘Chairman Kaga’ Takeshi](http://www.ironchef.com/biokaga.shtml) from Iron Chef was the first Japanese Jesus in the Japanese production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1976. He’s fine as far as I know. I just hope he doesn’t decide to be the first Japanese Superman… 😉 Rose ---
**Author:** ![jamesglewisf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a5b964/32.png) [@jamesglewisf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamesglewisf)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/6 "2000-10-07T13:46:02Z")
What about all of the people who portray Jesus in church Christmas productions? I know several personally who are still alive. David Hyde Pierce portrayed Dr. Niles Crane portraying Jesus on a Frasier episode. Niles is still alive. Or at least we think he is. Maybe he and Daphne died in a horrible Winnebago accident. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/7 "2000-10-07T13:46:32Z")
Robert Powell played JC in [Jesus of Nazareth](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0075520) in 1977 and he’s fine ---
**Author:** ![Nurlman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Nurlman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurlman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/8 "2000-10-07T14:27:35Z")
Ted Neeley played the lead role in the movie version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1973, and has pretty much been performing that same role on Boradway and in touring companies ever since. I saw him in a traveling company of JCS in 1997. If you do the math, you’ll notice that Ted had been playing Jesus for almost 27 years, nearly as long as Jesus himself managed to. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/9 "2000-10-07T14:51:22Z")
If you count all the men who played Jesus Christ Superstar, you’d have a small hamlet. Most of them are still around. ---
**Author:** ![BornDodgy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@BornDodgy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornDodgy)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/10 "2000-10-07T16:12:40Z")
I played god in a higly criticised primary-school play. I was 10 and the only bad effect it has had on me so far was that the teachers called me “god” from then on… I am also very blasphemic though I try to annoy as little ppl as possible… and still alive. I guess I ll be struck by lightning for this posting. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2000, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/11 "2000-10-07T21:21:57Z")
Well, looks like we have a ton of living Christ thespians and barely any dead ones… I _knew_ my friend was full of it and now I’ve got proof. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/12 "2000-10-09T15:20:22Z")
I thought not reading Alex Chiu’s website foretold death… ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/13 "2000-10-09T15:53:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nurlman \* > If you do the math, you’ll notice that Ted had been playing Jesus for almost 27 years, nearly as long as Jesus himself managed to. \*\* Bwwaaaaahaaahahahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/14 "2000-10-09T22:57:04Z")
Ian (Deep Purple) Gillan, the original Jesus in “Jesus Christ SUperstar” is still alive, too- though he will undoubtedly die one day, and when he does, it will seem untimely to himself and his loved ones. For PEte’s sake, EVERYONE dies, and few of us die at precisely the moment we’d like. That’s tue whether you’re an actor or a convenience store clerk, and it’s true whether you’ve played Jesus or Sherlock Holmes. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/15 "2000-10-09T23:31:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > \*\*If you count all the men who played Jesus Christ Superstar, you’d have a small hamlet. Most of them are still around. \*\* Hell, if you count all the men who’ve played Hamlet you’d have an immense Jesus Christ 😃 😃 😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![sliv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sliv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sliv)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/16 "2000-10-10T00:13:08Z")
Hmm, so it actually looks like your likelyhood of being able to grow to a ripe old age increases if you play Jesus at some point in your career. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/17 "2000-10-10T01:41:58Z")
No, really, I think this guy’s on to something. I checked, and from the 12th century up through the early part of the 20th century, over 30,850,000 individuals have played the role of Christ and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is now dead. I’d say that’s more than just coincidence. ---
**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:** [October 10, 2000, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/18 "2000-10-10T12:32:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Annie-Xmas \* > > \*\*If you count all the men who played Jesus Christ Superstar, you’d have a small hamlet. Most of them are still around. \*\* > > Hell, if you count all the men who’ve played Hamlet you’d have an immense Jesus Christ 😃 😃 😃 > > Cartooniverse \*\* Very good, Cartooniverse. I wondered who would get that obscure joke. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2000, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-portraying-jesus-foretell-death/36050/19 "2000-10-10T13:29:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yosemitebabe \* > \*\*Isn’t Max Von Sydow still alive? He’d be pretty old by now. He played Christ in “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, I believe, which was made in the '60s. > \*\* Still alive, still can’t act (in my opinion anyway, whatever do you foreigners see in him?). And yes, “TGSET” was made in the late sixties. They forced us to see it when I was in High School.