Ian Holm

Ian Holm's robotic head in Alien

Ian Holm (1931 - 2020)

"I can't lie about your chances, but... you have my sympathies."

Film Deaths

• Frankenstein (1968) [Dr. Frankenstein/Frankenstein's Monster]: As Dr. Frankenstein, he is presumably killed by his creation (also played by Ian). (I haven't seen this movie myself, so I don't know for certain whether either Frankenstein or the monster, or both, die in this.

• Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) [David Rizzio]: Stabbed multiple times by soldiers, while they're chasing him through the castle.

• Shout at the Devil (1976) [Mohammed]: Playing a non speaking character he is killed off screen by Reinhard Kolldehoff his body is later found by Roger Moore and Lee Marvin.

• Alien (1979) [Science Officer Ash]: Playing an android, he is decapitated with a fire extinguisher by Yaphet Kotto while Ian is trying to kill Sigourney Weaver; his severed head is then re-activated by the other crew members, and is finally burned with a flamethrower by Yaphet. (Thanks to James and Philip)

• Chariots of Fire (1981) [Sam Mussabini]: Dies (off-screen) of unspecified illness on some point after the events of the film.
• Dreamchild (1985) [Reverend Charles L. Dodgson a.k.a. Lewis Carroll]: Dies (off-screen) of pneumonia, in between the 19th-century flashback sequences and the 1932 "present-day" scenes.
• Hamlet (1990) [Polonius]: Stabbed to death through a curtain by Mel Gibson, who had mistaken him for Alan Bates.

• Kafka (1991) [Dr. Murnau]: Crushed by the gears of a pulley after one of his escaped human research subjects impales him onto the pulley chain.

• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) [Baron Frankenstein]: Killed (method unclear) by Robert De Niro.

• Existenz (1999) [Kiri Vinokur]: Machine-gunned across the torso by Jennifer Jason Leigh outdoors at night. (This later turns out to be part of a virtual-reality game, and not an actual death.)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) [Bilbo Baggins]: Is shown setting off in a boat (along with Elijah Wood) leaving for The Undying Lands; while it's arguable whether this could be considered a literal journey or a symbol of death, I'll go ahead and list it because several people have suggested it as a "death scene."

• The Day After Tomorrow (2004) [Terry Rapson]: Frozen to death (off-screen), along with Adrian Lester and Richard McMillan, after their generator stops working. We last see them drinking scotch and saying their last words to each other. (Thanks to Mathew)

• Lord of War (2005) [Simeon Weisz]: Shot in the head by Nicolas Cage, when Nicolas is forced to shoot him by Eamonn Walker, by holding his arm making him pull the trigger (he later appears as a ghost to Cage, presumably a drug induced hallucination). (Thanks to Gary)

TV Deaths

• The Lost Boys (1978 TV series) [J. M. Barrie]: Died of pneumonia.

• Holocaust (1978 miniseries) [Heinrich Himmler]: Commits suicide by cyanide poisoning.

• All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 TV) [Himmelstoss]: Presumably shot to death by French troops on the battlefield. (I haven't seen this version, but I have seen John Wray's death in the 1930 version.)

• Inside the Third Reich (1982 TV) [Dr. Joseph Goebbels]: Shot to death (along with Elke Sommer) by a German soldier, on Ian's own orders. (I haven't seen this, but its timeframe does cover the postwar period after Goebbels' death.) (Thanks to PortsGuy)

• King Lear (1998 TV) [Lear]: Dies of old age, compounded by heartbreak over the death of his daughter (Victoria Hamilton). (I haven't seen this version, but I'm familiar with the story.)

Connections

• Ex-Mr. Lynn Mary Shaw
• Ex-Mr. Sophie Baker
• Ex-Mr. Penelope Wilton
• Mr. Sophie de Stempel