Elisha Cook Jr. in 'The Killing'
Elisha Cook, Jr. (1903 - 1995)
For quite some time during Hollywood's Golden Age, Cook was known as "Hollywood's lightest heavy" and had a reputation for getting killed off in most of the movies he appeared in. As mentioned by Cook himself in some interviews, he may have a record for screen deaths pending.
Film Deaths
- Phantom Lady (1944) [Cliff Milburn]: Strangled by Franchot Tone in Elisha's apartment; his body is shown again afterwards when Thomas Gomez and Ella Raines discover him. (Thanks to JK)
- Dark Mountain (1944) [Whitey]: Shot first by a policeman outside a police station window, then shot to death by Robert Lowery to prevent him from squealing about their operation.
- Dark Waters (1944) [Cleeve]: Drowns in quicksand after being unable to free himself when his coat is snagged in a tree branch.
- The Falcon's Alibi (1946) [Nick Carpenter]: Slips and falls to his death from a fire escape while trying to get away from Tom Conway. (Thanks to Brian)
- The Big Sleep (1946) [Harry Jones]: Forced to drink poisoned whiskey by Bob Steele; his body is discovered by Humphrey Bogart (who had been listening to their conversation from the other room) moments later. (Thanks to Mac)
- Born to Kill (1947) [Marty]: Stabbed in the stomach with a knife by Lawrence Tierney.
- Behave Yourself! (1951) [Albert Jonas]: Stabbed in the back with a knife by Hans Conried.
- Shane (1953) [Frank "Stonewall" Torrey]: Shot in the chest by Jack Palance in the street, after Jack goads Elisha into drawing his own gun.
- Thunder Over the Plains (1953) [Standish]: Shot in the crossfire of a shoot-out between the Rangers and Hugh Sanders' gang; he dies shortly afterwards, after telling Randolph Scott about the written confession he had left in his office.
- The Killing (1956) [George Peatty]: Mortally wounded in a shoot-out with Vince Edwards at the gang's hideout; he manages to make his way back to his apartment and kill Marie Windsor before dying.
- Voodoo Island (1957) [Martin Schuyler]: Falls to his death from a rope bridge, after being panicked by the sight of a voodoo doll in his image.
- Baby Face Nelson (1957) [Homer van Meter]: Shot to death by the police.
- One-Eyed Jacks (1961) [Carvey]: Shot in the chest in a shoot-out with Ben Johnson when Ben tries to rob the bank.
- Black Zoo (1963) [Joe]: Eaten by lions at the whim of Michael Gough, as vengeance for abusing the zoo's animals.
- The Haunted Palace (1963) [Mikus Smith / Gideon Smith]: In a dual role, "Mikus" is portrayed in flashbacks, while his descendant "Gideon" is burned to death as a result of a curse that was inflicted upon Mikus in the past.
- Welcome to Hard Times (1967) [Hanson the Undertaker]: Shot in the chest by Aldo Ray when Elisha tries to reclaim his stolen horse.
- Messiah of Evil (1972) [Charlie]: Killed (off-screen) via unknown causes, but since much of the film's plot is disputable, it's left to the viewer to decide how Elisha met his end.
- Blacula (1972) [Sam]: Bitten on the throat and drained of blood by Ketty Lester after she comes back to life in the morgue.
- The Black Bird (1975) [Wilmer Cook]: Killed (off-screen) presumably by one of the goons in pursuit of the Falcon.
- Carny (1980) [On-the-Mark]
TV Deaths
- ALF: We're So Sorry, Uncle Albert (1988) [Uncle Albert]: Dies of a heart attack after seeing ALF.(Thanks to JK)