Bruce Dern

Bruce Dern in Marnie

Bruce Dern (1936 - )

Film Deaths

• Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (Cross of Iron; What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?) (1964) [John Mayhew]: Decapitated with a meat-cleaver (off-camera) by the younger version of Mary Astor, after first having his hand chopped off. (Note: Mary only appears in the 1960s sequences; the younger version of her character is never seen on-camera during the 1920s prologue.) (Thanks to Mac and stephen)
• Marnie (1964) [Sailor]: Beaten to death with a fireplace poker by Melody Thomas Scott, while Bruce is attacking Louise Latham. Shown in a flashback when Tippi Hedren finally remembers her long-repressed childhood trauma.
• The Wild Angels (1966) [Loser]: Shot in the back by a police officer during a chase; he dies of his injuries after his fellow gang members "rescue" him from the hospital. (Thanks to Mac)
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) [May]: Machine-gunned, along with the rest of Ralph Meeker's gang, in a garage. (Thanks to Mac, Sammy and Stephen)
• The Trip (1967) [John]: Although he survives the movie in reality, at one point he appears as a corpse in Peter Fonda's hallucination. (Thanks to Mac)
• The War Wagon (1967) [Hammond]: Shot to death by Kirk Douglas during a shoot-out between Bruce and Gene Evans against Kirk and John Wayne. (Thanks to Stephen and Harry)
• Psych-Out (1968) [Steve]: As a disillusioned countercultural artist, he deliberately sets on fire the gallery where his art work is showing, then stands stoically amid the flames, praying and waving to his would-be rescuers, as his sister Jenny (Susan Strasberg) looks on helplessly.
• Hang 'Em High (1968) [Miller]: Executed by hanging, along with five other prisoners. (Thanks to Patrick and Stephen)
• Castle Keep (1969) [Lt. Billy Byron Bix]: Killed out of picture as he leads his band of conscientious objectors around the corner and a shell lands and blows them all up. (Thanks to Brian)
• The Cycle Savages (1969) [Keeg]: Shot in the back while riding his motorcycle.  
• Bloody Mama (1970) [Kevin Dirkman]: Machine-gunned across the back by Shelley Winters when he tries to surrender to the police. (his character was (loosely) based on real-life gang member Alvin Karpis, who was still alive at the time of the film's release). . (Thanks to Stephen)
• The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971) [Dr. Roger Girard]: Crushed by falling rocks in the cave.
• The Cowboys (1972) [Asa 'Long Hair' Watts]: Dragged to his death after his leg gets tangled in his horse's reins, and A Martinez fires a shot to send the horse running. (Thanks to Stephen)
• The King of Marvin Gardens (1972) [Jason Staebler]: Shot to death by Ellen Burstyn.(Thanks to Mac)
• Silent Running (1972) [Freeman Lowell]: Commits suicide by blowing up the ship, after sending the final forest module out into space. . (Thanks to George)
• Black Sunday (1977) [Captain Michael J. Lander]: Machine-gunned by Robert Shaw when Robert's helicopter pulls alongside the hijacked Goodyear Blimp (after Robert first shoots Marthe Keller) he dies of his wounds shortly after igniting the fuse to blow up the blimp.
• Coming Home (1978) [Captain Bob Hyde]: Commits suicide by drowning himself in the ocean; we only see him walking into the sea at the end of the movie. (It could be interpreted that he's simply leaving his old life behind him, but the implication of suicide is very strong.)
• Tattoo (1981) [Karl Kinsky]: Stabbed in the back with his own tattoo needle by Maud Adams while having sex with her. (Nudity alert: Rear)
• Harry Tracy, Desperado (1982) [Harry Tracy]: Commits suicide off camera by shooting himself after being surrounded by posses and national gaurdsmen; we hear the shot and his body is shown afterwards in a wagon on display.
• Wild Bill (1995) [Will Plummer]: Shot to death by Jeff Bridges. (Thanks to Harry)
• Small Soldiers (1998) [Link Static]: Providing the voice of several "living" action figures, the first copy is destroy after his squad crash into a Pond, some of are destroy in different way during the final Battle, and the rest of the copies are "killed" when Gregory Smith knocks Tommy Lee Jones into a power line, creating an electromagnetic pulse that deactivates them. The remains of all his copies are later seen getting pick up and placed in Garbage Bags. (Thanks to Tommy and Dignan)
• The Glass House (2001) [Begleiter]: Stabbed in the stomach by Gavin O'Connor during a fight, while Stellan Skarsgård tries to bargain with Gavin (as siblings Leelee Sobieski and Trevor Morgan secretly look on in shock).
• Down in the Valley (2005) [Charlie]: Shot repeatedly by Edward Norton while Edward is riding away with Rory Culkin. (Thanks to ND)
• The Astronaut Farmer (2006) [Hal]: Dies (off-screen) of old age/natural causes; his body is shown afterwards when his grandchildren (Jasper Polish and Logan Polish) come into the bedroom and discover him. (Thanks to ND)
• The Hard Easy (2006) [Gene]: Shot in the chest,then later in the stomach by Henry Thomas in the desert.
• The Hole (2009) [Creepy Carl]: Killed (off-screen) by the nightmare entity from the hole; we only hear him screaming as the room grows dark. (Thanks to ND and Tim)
• Twixt (2011) [Sheriff Bobby LaGrange]: Hanged (off-screen) in the police station; his body is shown afterwards when Val Kilmer discovers him. (Due to the dreamlike nature of the story, it's ambiguous whether Bruce was killed by Alden Ehrenreich or whether he committed suicide.)
• Cut Bank (2014) [Georgie Witts]: Beaten to death with a crowbar offscreen by Michael Stuhlbarg. His body is shown afterwards when it is discovered by police and then again when it is visited in the morgue by John Malkovich, Billy Bob Thornton and Liam Hemsworth.
• The Hateful Eight (2015) [General Sanford Smithers]: Shot in the chest by Samuel L. Jackson when he pulls his gun on Samuel, after Samuel admits to killing his son (Craig Stark). His body is shown soon afterwards as Michael Madsen and James Parks take it outside. He appears later on in a chapter set before the event.
• White Boy Rick (2018) [Roman "Ray" Wershe]: In the ending narration (provided by the real Richard Wershe Jr.), Richard mentions visiting his grandparents' graves, implying that both Bruce and Piper Laurie died sometime after the events of the film.
• Freaks (2018) [Grandpa]: Shot in the chest by Grace Park when he stands in front of a bullet intended for his granddaughter (Lexy Kolker); he dies after speaking to Lexy.
• Badland (2019) [Reginald Cooke]: Shot by James Russo; he slowly dies while his daughter (Mira Sorvino) cries by his side followed by his funeral.
• Death in Texas (2020) [Reynolds]: Shot in the head by John Ashton, upon being shot in the chest by Ashton after Bruce tried reaching for his gun.

TV Deaths

• Thriller: The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk (1961) [Johnny Norton]: Slaughtered (off-screen), along with John Carradine, Paul Newlan, and Hal Baylor, after Jo Van Fleet transforms them into pigs. The episode ends as they are being loaded onto a truck on the way to the slaughterhouse.
• The Detectives: Act Of God (1961) [Jud Treadwell]: Fatally shot in the chest in a shootout with a traffic policeman, he hides out in an abandoned building unaware it is to be demolished the next day. He has possession of the proceeds of a jewel robbery and gang leader James Whitmore finds him just before the partly demolished building collapses, killing them both. (Thanks to Brian)
• The Outer Limits: The Zanti Misfits (1963) [Ben Garth]: Killed by the alien Zanti leader after he falls into a crevice; his body is shown afterwards when Olive Deering discovers him. (Thanks to Stephen)
• Wagon Train: The Eli Bancroft Story (1963) [Seth Bancroft]: Shot to death in a shoot-out with Robert Fuller. (Thanks to Harry)
• The Alfred Hitchcock Hour: Night Caller (1964) [Roy Bullock]: Shot to death by Felicia Farr after she mistakes him for the obscene phone caller who had been harassing her. (Thanks to Mac and Tom)
• Wagon Train: Those Who Stay Behind (1964) [Jud Fisher]: Shot to death by Robert Fuller as Bruce was trying to kill Peter Brown.
• Gunsmoke: South Wind (1965) [Judd Print]: Shot in the chest by James Arness just as Bruce tries to kill his son (Michael Davis) with a pitchfork. (Thanks to Harry)
• Gunsmoke: Ten Little Indians (1965) [Doyle Phleger]: Stabbed in the back when Nehemiah Persoff throws a knife at him while making love with a prostitute. (Thanks to Harry)
• Rawhide: Walk into Terror (1965) [Ed Rankin]: Killed in an explosion along with Claude Akins in a mineshaft, when Claude dropped something that was explosive.
• The Virginian: A Little Learning (1965) [Bert Kramer]: Shot in the chest when the gun went off during a struggle with Albert Salmi in the stable. (Thanks to Harry)
• The Big Valley: The Lost Treasure (1966) [Clovis]: Shot to death in a shoot-out with Lee Majors. (Thanks to Harry)
• Gunsmoke: The Jailer (1966) [Lou Stone]: Shot down by James Arness from behind the well as Bruce runs at him shooting wildly. (Thanks to Brian)
• The Big Valley: Four Days to Furnace Hill (1967) [Gabe Skeels]: Shot in the back by Lee Majors during a shoot-out. (Thanks to Brian)
• Gunsmoke: The Long Night (1969) [Guerin]: Shot to death, along with Russell Johnson, by James Arness after Bruce and Russell attempt to hold everyone in the saloon as hostages. (Thanks to George)
• Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987 TV) [Augustine St. Claire]: Stabbed to death in a botched robbery after he leaves the tavern. (Thanks to Robert)
• Into the Badlands (1991 TV) [TL Barston/Man in Black]: Killed in a shootout with Michael Metzger. However, in the closing "chapter" of the movie, we see Bruce stand up and climb back onto his wagon, implying that he's actually a ghost or some other supernatural entity in human form.

Noteworthy Connections

• Ex-husband of Diane Ladd.

• Father of Laura Dern.

Gallery

Bruce Dern (under hood) about to be hanged in Hang 'em high

Bruce Dern in The Incredible 2-headed Transplant

Bruce Dern in The Hateful Eight