Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster in Brute Force

Burt Lancaster (1913 - 1994)

Film Deaths

• The Killers (A Man Alone) (1946) [Ole 'The Swede' Andersen]: Shot repeatedly by Charles McGraw and William Conrad in his hotel room; we only see Charles and William firing, followed by a shot of Burt's hand sliding down the bedpost.

• Brute Force (1947) [Joe Collins]: Shot by Ray Teal during a prison break; he manages to make his way up through the burning guardtower and kill/throw off Hume Cronyn before dying.

• Criss Cross (1949) [Steve Thompson]: Shot to death, along with Yvonne De Carlo, by Dan Duryea in a hotel room; we only see Dan firing, followed by a shot of Burt and Yvonne's bodies lying on a chair. (Thanks to Cryptic)

• Vera Cruz (1954) [Joe Erin]: Shot to death in a shoot-out with Gary Cooper. we see both men fire, Burt at first appears to be okay, but then he drops to the ground as he's been hit (and his shot missed Gary). (Thanks to Zoran)

• Castle Keep (1969) [Major Abraham Falconer]: Killed, along with Patrick O'Neal, during a battle with German soldiers. (Thanks to Michael)
• The Gypsy Moths (1969) [Mike Rettig]: Falls to his death while skydiving, when he mysteriously doesn't open his parachute.

• Ulzana's Raid (1972) [McIntosh]: Shot to death by Apache warriors during a battle, while Burt is taking shelter under a wagon. (Thanks to Stephen)

• Executive Action (1973) [Farrington]: Dies (off-screen) of a heart attack, his death is mentioned by Robert Ryan after Robert hears from a telephone call. (Thanks to Michael)

• Scorpio (1973) [Gerald Cross]: Shot to death by Alain Delon. (Thanks to Michael)
• Conversation Piece (Gruppo di famiglia in un interno) (1974) [The Professor] Dies of sickness in bed compounded from the grief over the suicide of Helmut Berger.

• 1900 (Novecento) (1976) [Berlinghieri]: Commits suicide by hanging himself. 

• The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) [Dr. Paul Moreau]: Killed by his human-animal creations. (I haven't seen this version, but I have seen Charles Laughton and Marlon Brando's deaths in the respective 1933 and 1996 versions.) (Thanks to Michael)

• Twilight's Last Gleaming (Nuclear Countdown) (1977) [General Lawrence Dell]: Shot to death, along with Paul Winfield and Charles Durning (who's accidentally shot) by a SWAT team while they're trying to escape as they're circulating and shielding Charles at gunpoint. (Thanks to Michael)

• Go Tell the Spartans (1978) [Major Asa Barker]: Dies of a heart attack. (Thanks to Michael)

• Zulu Dawn (1979) [Colonel Durnford]: Stabbed in the chest with a spear by a Zulu warrior, after Burt falls into a ravine. (Historically inaccurate as Durnford was one of seventy or so men killed on rising ground in front of the wagon park, when a fresh regiment, the uMbonambi, was pressed into the battle). (Thanks to Stephen, Michael and Brian).

• Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) [Swede Andersen]: Shot repeatedly by William Conrad and Charles McGraw in Burt's apartment, while Steve Martin is in the kitchen. (Burt's role consists entirely of footage from The Killers edited together with the scenes featuring Steve.)

• Rocket Gibraltar (1988) [Levi Rockwell]: Dies (off-screen) of a heart attack; his body is shown afterwards when his grandchildren discover him. (Thanks to Robert)

• Field of Dreams (1989) [Dr. Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham]: Dies (off-screen) of old age/natural causes, several years before the story begins. He appears as a spirit on the field, initially manifesting himself as his younger self (Frank Whaley), but later changing to his older self when he's needed as a doctor. (Thanks to Niall)

TV Deaths

• Moses the Lawgiver (1975 TV mini-series) [Moses]: Dies of old age while crossing the desert, just after seeing the promised land in the distance. (Thanks to Johan)

• Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair (1990 TV) [Leon Klinghoffer]: Shot to death by terrorists. (I haven't seen this, but I'm familiar with the facts of the real-life incident.)

Notable connections

• Ex-Mr. June Ernst.

• Ex-Mr. Norma Anderson.

• Mr. Susan Martin.

Gallery

Burt Lancaster (with Yvonne De Carlo) in Criss Cross