Sadly, 2020 has already proven to be a year
in which we've lost some big names, even in
just a few short months.
From founding fathers of comedy and veteran
character actors, to up-and-coming stars that
never got a chance to shine, here are the
actors we've lost in 2020 so far.
Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, the patriarch
of the Douglas dynasty, died in February 2020
at the age of 103.
His son, actor Michael Douglas, confirmed
his death via Instagram.
He wrote:
"He leaves a legacy in film that will endure
for generations to come."
Born in New York as Issur Danielovitch, Douglas
made his Broadway debut in 1941.
His career was interrupted by the outbreak
of World War II, but Douglas returned to the
stage after being honorably discharged from
the Navy in 1944 and before long, Hollywood
beckoned.
1949's Champion made him a star and gave him
his first of three Oscar nominations, but
his most famous picture is Stanley Kubrick's
Spartacus.
Douglas famously spoke out in favor of blacklisted
screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, insisting that
he was properly credited for his work on Spartacus.
Douglas later wrote in his autobiography:
"I think one of the most important things
in my career was the breaking of the blacklist."
In the same book, Douglas also discussed his
regrets.
After starring in a stage adaptation of One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, he tried for
years to get a film version made.
By the time it happened, Douglas was too old
to reprise the role of McMurphy, which went
to Jack Nicholson.
Douglas wrote:
"I made more money from that film than any
I acted in.
And I would gladly give back every cent, if
I could have played that role."
Terry Jones, best known for his work with
the groundbreaking British comedy troupe Monty
Python, passed away in January 2020 after
battling a rare form of dementia.
In a statement, his family said:
"We have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative
and truly loving man whose uncompromising
individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary
humor has given pleasure to countless millions
across six decades."
Jones was 77 years old.
Early in his career, he had been instrumental
in developing the unique stream-of-consciousness
style that made Monty Python's Flying Circus
the game-changing TV show it was, and he would
later go on to spearhead three of the group's
original feature films.
1975's Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which
he co-directed with Terry Gilliam, is regularly
ranked among the funniest films ever made.
Jones then went on to helm 1979's Monty Python's
Life of Brian, in which he played the titular
character's cantankerous mother and delivered
the film's most iconic line.
"Now you listen here, he’s not the Messiah,
he’s a very naughty boy… now go away!"
Finally, Jones directed 1983's Monty Python's
The Meaning of Life, the last movie to feature
all six pythons.
The remaining members of the influential troupe
paid tribute to Jones following his passing.
Fellow Python Michael Palin said:
"He was far more than one of the funniest
writer-performers of his generation, he was
the complete Renaissance comedian writer,
director, presenter, historian, brilliant
children's author, and the warmest, most wonderful
company you could wish to have."
Ugandan actress Nikita Waligwa, who starred
in the 2016 Disney film Queen of Katwe, died
from a brain tumor in February 2020.
She was first diagnosed with a tumor in 2016,
but thanks to a fundraising effort, was flown
to India for treatment and soon got the all-clear.
A second tumor developed, however, and this
time she couldn't be saved.
She was just 15 years old.
Queen of Katwe is a biographical drama about
real life chess player Phiona Mutesi, a poor
Ugandan girl who went from the slums of Katwe
to the World Chess Olympiads.
Walinga played Mutesi's real-life friend and
fellow chess star Gloria Nansubuga, who was
shocked when she heard the news.
She told the BBC:
"I couldn't bear to hear that someone who
acted as me in a film had died.
I loved her from my heart."
Actor David Oyelowo and Oscar winner Lupita
Nyong'o, who also starred in the movie, both
took to Instagram to pay tribute to the teen.
Nyong'o wrote:
"She played Gloria with such vibrancy.
In her real life she had the enormous challenge
of battling brain cancer.
My thoughts and prayers are with her family
and community as they come to terms with having
to say goodbye so soon."
Oyelowo echoed those sentiments, calling Waligwa's
battle "humbling to witness" in his own post.
He said:
"She was a ball of light.
Her light will live on."
Both a brilliant character actor and star
of numerous Oscar-winning movies, actor Jack
Kehoe passed away in January 2020.
The Queens-born actor lived in the Hollywood
Hills, but had been out of the spotlight since
suffering a stroke in 2015.
He was 85.
Kehoe joined the Army straight out of high
school and served three years with 101st Airborne
Division.
He trained in the performance arts under Stella
Adler after leaving the military, and soon
hit the stage, putting in an acclaimed performance
in the Eugene O'Neill play A Moon for the
Misbegotten.
This opened the door to Hollywood, where Kehoe
would establish himself as a capable foil
for some of the biggest stars of the time
and where he would star alongside some of
the world's most iconic actors, too.
Sally Kirkland, who co-starred with Kehoe
in The Sting, paid tribute to her late colleague
on Twitter.
She wrote:
"He was a wonderful character actor who was
unforgettable in Serpico and The Untouchables.
God bless his beautiful soul, journey home
to the heart of God."
Star of a number of different TV shows and
low-budget movies, Australian actor Harry
Hains passed away in January 2020 at the age
of 27.
His mother confirmed his death in an Instagram
post, writing:
"[He] had the world at his feet, but sadly
he struggled with mental illness and addiction.
A brilliant spark shone bright too short a
time [...] I will miss you Harry, every day
of my life."
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s
Office announced in early March 2020 that
Hains died of fentanyl intoxication.
Hains was genderfluid and spoke openly about
his desire to become the first genderfluid
icon.
When he sat down with Close-Up Culture to
talk about his musical project Antiboy, he
said that he'd always disliked the idea of
labels.
Hains explained:
"It's like feeling like something is wrong
with you because society has told you that
you need to behave and act a certain way,
and you see a professional and they diagnose
you with a mental disorder."
He continued:
"I would rather look at the environment and
see what is causing these feelings of negativity
and discomfort to solve the issue, rather
than put a Band-Aid over it."
New York actor Stan Kirsch, best known for
playing Richie Ryan in the Highlander television
series and for a memorable appearance on the
iconic sitcom Friends, tragically took his
own life in January 2020.
He was 51.
After sharing the news on Facebook, Kirsch's
wife Kristyn Green wrote:
"I want to thank everyone for the outpouring
of love and support."
Kirsch began his TV career with bit parts
on a variety of shows throughout the early
'90s.
He made his debut as streetwise punk-turned-immortal
Richard H. Ryan in 1992, and would go on to
appear in over a hundred episodes of Highlander
over the next six years.
An official statement on the show's Facebook
page read:
"Without Stan Kirsch, Highlander: The Series
would have been far less.
He brought a sense of humor, kindness and
youthful enthusiasm to the character of Richie
Ryan."
In the middle of his run on Highlander, Kirsch
landed a spot on Friends, playing the way-too-young,
still-in-high-school boyfriend of Monica.
Kirsch was also a well known acting coach.
Best known for playing Josephine on the CBS
sitcom King of Queens, character actor Norma
Michaels died in January 2020.
Her obituary confirmed that she passed away
peacefully at her Palm Springs home.
She was 95.
Michaels worked on seven episodes of King
of Queens, just one of the many comedies she
popped up in over the course of a career that
began back in the mid-50s.
In later years, she appeared on pretty much
every major sitcom or comedy from the '90s
and 2000s — with her final TV role being
an appearance in the hit cop comedy Brooklyn
Nine-Nine.
"She's going so slow there we are..”
“Ah… my glasses…”
“Yeah let’s go and fight for it."
But Michaels wasn't a one-trick pony.
In fact, she had some serious acting chops,
too.
Paying tribute to Michaels, screenwriter Christopher
Kubasik recalled being blown away by her skill
when he worked with her on the fantasy drama
series The Booth at the End.
Kubasik tweeted:
"It was so committed and sensitive a performance.
I could feel an unexpected energy spread across
the crew as everyone got the show.
[...] In that moment, I was so grateful to
Norma."
William Bogert, who was best known for his
role as Brandon Brindle in the '80s sci-fi
sitcom Small Wonder, died in January 2020.
The actor passed away in his home state of
New York at the age of 83.
Bogert made his debut starring in a 1964 political
ad called "Confessions of a Republican," in
which he delivers a monologue about the dangers
of trusting Republican presidential nominee
Barry Goldwater.
The ad went viral in 2016 when people started
to notice "eerie similarities" between Goldwater
and Republican then-candidate Donald Trump.
Bogert was a staunch Republican when he filmed
the ad, but his loyalties changed over the
years and he reprised the character in a campaign
video for Hillary Clinton.
Bogert started landing regular TV roles after
the ad aired, and went on to appear in 28
episodes of Small Wonder, which followed a
family of robotics engineers.
Bogert was also seen on the big screen, most
notably in 1983's WarGames, playing Matthew
Broderick's father in the Cold War sci-fi
classic.
Bogert's wife, Eren Ozker, was a puppeteer
best known for her work on The Muppet Show.
She passed away in 1993.
TV and theater actress Marsha Kramer passed
away in January 2020.
Her death was confirmed by director Jeff Greenberg,
who had worked with her on the ABC sitcom
Modern Family.
He tweeted:
"So sad to hear that my long time friend,
Marsha Kramer, passed away yesterday at the
age of 74.
She was so delightful in the 14 episodes she
shot as Margaret on Modern Family over the
last 7 years, but I'll always remember her
soaring aloft as Wendy."
Greenberg was referring to the 1979 Broadway
revival of Peter Pan, in which Kramer played
Wendy Darling opposite Sandy Duncan in the
title role.
She also appeared in a number of other stage
and small screen roles over the years, popping
up in everything from Dr. Ken to Days of Our
Lives.
Modern Family was her most notable screen
role, but Kramer also has a number of credits
on a range of sitcoms, including Malcolm in
the Middle and Frasier on which she played
the oft-mentioned, rarely-seen radio host
Tooty.
Brooklyn native John Karlen, best known for
his roles in Dark Shadows and Cagney & Lacey,
passed away in January 2020.
The Dark Shadows News Twitter page confirmed
that he died at a hospice in California, having
suffered a number of health setbacks over
the past decade.
A family spokesman later confirmed the cause
of death as congestive heart failure.
He was 86.
Karlen, a Korean War vet, made his acting
debut in 1960, replacing the late Rip Torn
in a Broadway production of the Tennessee
Williams classic Sweet Bird of Youth.
Six years later, he won the part of Willie
Loomis, the con artist who unwittingly frees
vampire Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows.
Karlen remained a fan favorite when the show
ended, attending events and conventions.
After winning a Primetime Emmy for his work
on Cagney & Lacey in 1987, he told the Chicago
Tribune:
"I'm 40 pounds heavier and I have a mustache,
but people still recognize me."
Karlen appeared in 124 episodes of Cagney
& Lacey, playing the latter's dependable husband,
Harvey.
It wasn't the meatiest of roles, but it was
one that Karlen relished all the same.
He later said:
"The secret of Harvey Lacey is that he's liked.
Harvey being shuffled into the background
doesn't bother me."
He reprised the role for 1996's Cagney & Lacey:
True Convictions, which was his last feature-length
performance.
Raspy-voiced actor Kevin Conway, famed for
his explosive performances on the stage and
screen, passed away in February 2020.
His long-time partner Geraldine Newman told
The New York Times that the Harlem native
died of a heart attack.
He was 77.
Conway joined the Navy after graduating from
Brooklyn's Bishop Loughlin High School in
1959.
When he left the military, he secured a mailroom
job at IBM and was actively working his way
up the company ladder when he decided he wanted
a change of direction.
He enrolled in acting classes and began landing
stage roles, first in Off-Broadway productions
and later on Broadway proper.
Conway played Doctor Treves in Bernard Pomerance's
The Elephant Man, a role he reprised for a
televised performance of the play.
Hollywood saw Conway as a tough guy when he
first went west.
The New Yorker threw his weight about in late-'70s
Sylvester Stallone flicks F.I.S.T. and Paradise
Alley, but as he got older the offers became
more varied.
He turned down the chance to play King Theoden
in The Lord of the Rings, a decision he came
to regret and sadly, he would never get an
opportunity quite like that again.
Still, Conway worked steadily as a voice actor
and narrator in the last few years of his
life.
Missouri-born actress Lynn Cohen may have
appeared in dozens of big films and TV shows
over the course of her career, but she was
perhaps best known for her role as the hilariously
frank housekeeper Magda in Sex and the City.
Cohen passed away in February 2020 at the
age of 86.
Described by Deadline as a staple in the New
York Theater community, Cohen earned several
awards for her work on the stage.
Her film debut came in 1983 when she played
a minor part in mystery drama Without a Trace,
but her career on the screen wouldn't start
to pick up steam until the late '90s.
She appeared in ten feature films between
1996 and 2000, when she made her debut on
Sex and the City.
Cohen had done TV before, but portraying Cynthia
Nixon's Ukrainian maid and nanny on the smash
hit HBO show exposed her to whole new levels
of fame.
"No no no no.”
“yes."
She reprised the role of Magda in the 2008
Sex and the City movie, as well as its 2010
sequel.
Several former Sex and the City cast members
took to social media after hearing about Cohen's
passing, the leading lady included.
Sarah Jessica Parker wrote in an Instagram
post:
"Beautiful Lynn Cohen.
Miranda's dear and necessary Magda.
Our dear SATC colleague.
Talent, grace, inspiration.
RIP."
Meanwhile, actor Willie Garson tweeted:
"Bless you and godspeed, our wonderful Magda
for 15 years of episodes and films, thanks
for your friendship and amazing talent."
Hawaii-born actress Kellye Nakahara died of
cancer in February 2020, surrounded by her
loved ones at her home in California.
She was 72 years old.
Nakahara was best known for her role as Nurse
Kellye on the classic army hospital dramedy
M*A*S*H. Her sister Nalani Coleman told CNN:
"She was a performer and an artist, and she
did her artwork to make people happy, which
in turn gave her joy.
People wanted to be near her, she was genuine
in her persona."
Nakahara was only supposed to be an extra
on M*A*S*H, but she had different plans.
She once explained:
"I put myself in every scene and nobody told
me to get out."
And that tactic worked perfectly.
She ended up featuring in 167 episodes of
the Korean War-set show, even playing the
lead on occasion.
Alan Alda, who portrayed surgeon Hawkeye Pierce,
told Fox News:
"She was adorable and brilliant in the part,
but you couldn't beat what she was as a person:
funnier and warmer and kinder than most people
I've known."
Actress and musician Ja'Net DuBois, best known
for playing fashionable divorcee Willona Woods
on the '70s sitcom Good Times, passed away
in her California home in February 2020.
According to her family she was 74 at the
time, although the New York Times reported
that public records indicated she may actually
have been older.
DuBois was born in Philadelphia, but moved
to New York to pursue a career in acting.
She appeared in several Broadway productions
and ran her own acting workshop for kids at
one stage, but by the 1960s Hollywood was
calling.
The ambitious performer was cast in Good Times
in 1974, portraying Willona Woods until 1979,
and appearing in a total 133 episodes of the
Norman Lear sitcom.
During her stint on Good Times, DuBois told
Lear that she wanted to explore new avenues,
and he suggested that she create a song for
The Jeffersons, one of the prolific producer's
many shows.
The result was "Movin' On Up", which, according
to the New York Times, became one of the era's
most iconic theme songs as well as an empowering,
aspirational song for black Americans.
DuBois' daughter, Kesha Gupta-Fields, later
said:
"It provided a lot of black people with an
anthem."
The Philly native went on to appear in a handful
of feature films in the years that followed,
but she was always more celebrated for her
TV work.
DuBois also won two Primetime Emmys for her
work on Eddie Murphy and Larry Wilmore's animated
series The PJs, in which she voiced the quarrelsome
housing project resident Mrs. Avery.
Swedish-born actor Max von Sydow, best known
to American audiences for playing Father Merrin
in The Exorcist and Ming the Merciless in
Flash Gordon, passed away in March 2020.
He was 90 years old.
The imposing European landed on Hollywood's
radar after appearing in a string of movies
by acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.
Von Sydow initially spurned U.S. advances,
but when the chance to play Jesus Christ in
The Greatest Story Ever Told came his way
in 1965, he decided to take his talents Stateside.
The Exorcist and Flash Gordon further established
him in America, though he would go on to be
typecast as a suave evil-doer in the years
that followed.
Most notably in 1983's Never Say Never Again,
where he played classic Bond villain Blofeld
in the Sean Connery spy flick.
Von Sydow stayed active late into his career,
appearing in a number of big Hollywood franchises.
He portrayed explorer Lor San Tekka in 2015's
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens,
and later appeared in three episodes of Game
of Thrones, playing the all-knowing Three-Eyed
Raven.
Director Edgar Wright led the tributes on
Twitter, calling Von Sydow a, quote, "iconic
presence in cinema for seven decades."
He is survived by his wife, Catherine, and
four sons.
Sadly, these aren't the only actors who have
left us in 2020.
Here are some of the other stars who enhanced
our lives before leaving us all too soon.
John Shrapnel
Esther Scott
Jason Davis
Raphael Coleman
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal
thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
