10 Famous Actors Who Died Before Completing Their Final Film

Heath Ledger, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (2009)

On January 22, 2008, Heath Ledger was found dead in his New York City apartment from an apparent overdose of prescription medications consisting of sleeping pills and antidepressants. His final film, director Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," was left incomplete. However, due to the nature of the plot involving a character who can travel to different worlds, actors/friends Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law were able to step into the role and complete the film, as it could be played off as the character's appearance changing with each new place. The salaries from the actors were donated to Ledger's daughter, Matilda.

Adrienne Shelly, "Serious Moonlight" (2009)

A bit more haunting than a drug overdose, what was first assumed to be the suicide of actor/writer/director Adrienne Shelly turned out to be her gruesome murder. After completing her final acting role in the film she also wrote and directed, "Waitress," Shelly was found hanging with a bed sheet from her shower curtain rod in her studio on November 1, 2006. After her husband, Andrew Ostroy, claimed it couldn't have been suicide, a 19-year old illegal immigrant from Ecuador by the name of Diego Pillco confessed to her murder. She had apparently caught him trying to steal money from her purse after breaking in. While "Waitress" had been completed, her script for "Serious Moonlight" had not yet been filmed. Her husband went on to produce it, while one of the stars of "Waitress," Cheryl Hines, directed.

Chris Farley, "Shrek" (2001)

In a strange twist, not only did Chris Farley die before completing voice-over work on his final film, "Shrek," but the film ended up not starring him at all. After passing away from an overdose of morphine and cocaine on the morning of December 18, 1997, it was revealed that work voicing the green ogre had already been 80-90 percent completed by the actor when he passed on. That wasn't enough, though, and the job was then given to fellow SNL veteran, Mike Myers.

Oliver Reed, "Gladiator" (2000)

Sometimes, an actor passing away mid-film can really be costly, and such was the case with Oliver Reed. Reed died from a heart attack while filming "Gladiator" in Valletta, Malta on May 2, 1999. Known for his alcoholism in real life, it was reported that he drank eight bottles of beer, three bottles of rum and many more shots of whiskey the night of his death. In order to complete the film, body doubles were used and then Reed's face was added digitally. The process cost upwards of three million dollars.

John Candy, "Wagons East!" (1994)

It's sad when great comedic actors go out on a bad note. Unfortunately, this happened with John Candy's death, as his final film, "Wagons East!" was released to critical panning in 1994. Even worse, the damning reviews can not even be blamed on the actor's death, as most of his scenes had been completed when he died of a heart attack in his sleep on March 4, 1994 while on location in Durango, Mexico. The remaining few scenes he had left to shoot were done with the aid of a body double, much like Oliver Reed, but without the heavy cost.

Natalie Wood, "Brainstorm" (1983)

The mystery surrounding the death of Natalie Wood is still debated to this day, with the case yet again being reopened back in January (HuffPo). However, until any new information is brought to light, the fact of the matter is simply that while filming "Brainstorm" on November 29, 1981, Natalie Wood drowned off the coast of Catalina Island, California while partying on a yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner, and co-star, Christopher Walken. Fortunately, most of Wood's scenes had been shot by the time she drowned, so the remaining were completed using a body double and dubbed dialogue.

Bruce Lee - "Enter the Dragon" (1973)/ "Game of Death"

In another case of mystery surrounding death, Bruce Lee passed away before completing dubbing work on his final film, "Enter the Dragon," on July 20, 1973 in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Officially ruled "death by misadventure," it was said by forensic scientist, Donald Teare, that Lee was killed by an acute cerebral edema caused by a reaction to the medication, Equagesic. However, others say this could not be so, as the substance wasn't present during Lee's initial collapse while recording dubbing at Golden Harvest studios moths before on May 10, 1973. In any case, "Enter the Dragon" was still released. However, the final film Lee was actually still filming at the time of his death, "Game of Death," remains incomplete, but the footage was released in the 2000 documentary, "Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey."

Bela Lugosi - "Plan 9 from Outer Space" (1959)

Legendary actor Bela Lugosi was pretty well washed up by the time he passed away of a heart attack on August 15, 1956. He was also taking medication for sciatic neuritis at this point in his life, and had become addicted to morphine and methadone to boot. So the offers weren't exactly flying in. In fact, Ed Wood was about the only director who would hire him. And so, Lugosi would die with his last role being Ghoul Man in "Plan 9 from Outer Space," the worst film ever made. To top it all off, he had only shot a few minutes of footage before dying (with no dialogue, mind you), and was replaced by a stand-in who looked nothing like him and spent the rest of the movie covering his face with a cape.