John Lithgow

John Lithgow's death in Ricochet

John Lithgow (1945 - )

Actor and performer.

Film Deaths

• Obsession (1976) [Robert LaSalle]: Stabbed to death by Cliff Robertson. (Thanks to Arben)

• Blow Out (1981) [Burke]: Stabbed repeatedly with his own ice-pick by John Travolta, just after Lithgow kills Nancy Allen. (Thanks to Tal)

• Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) [John Valentine]: Presumably killed (off-screen) by Dan Aykroyd in the ambulance, after Dan transforms into a monster; the movie ends with Dan asking "You wanna see something really scary?", just as he had before turning into a monster and killing Albert Brooks at the beginning of the movie, so the implication of John's fate is pretty strong.

• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) [Lord John Whorfin / Dr. Emilio Lizardo]: Dies when his ship explodes after being hit by a laser blast from Peter Weller's ship.

• Mesmerized (My Letter to George, Shocked) (1985) [Oliver Thompson]: Poisoned by Jodie Foster.
• Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) [B.Z.]: Possibly fried to death (off-screen) in space, since those candy canes he ate caused him to continuously float all the way up from the sky to space, since space has no oxygen.

• Ricochet (1991) [Earl Talbot Blake]: Impaled through the back on a spike when he falls from the Watts Towers at the end of a fight with Denzel Washington, on top of receiving an electrical shock when Ice-T wires the tower. (Thanks to ND)

• Raising Cain (1992) [Carter Nix/Cain/Margo/Josh/Dr. Nix]: Playing a dual role as father and son (with the son having multiple personalities as well), the father "Dr. Nix" is stabbed repeatedly in the back and neck by the son "Carter" (in his "Margo" persona). (Thanks to ND)

• Cliffhanger (1993) [Eric Qualen]: Killed in a helicopter explosion at the end of a fight with Sylvester Stallone (who kicks John back into said falling helicopter as it plunges onto the rocks far below). (Thanks to Tal and Liz)

• Hollow Point (1996) [Thomas Livingston]: Crushed to death when Tia Carrere drops a metal container onto him. (Thanks to ND)

• Shrek (2001; animated) [Lord Farquaad]: Eaten by a dragon after it crashes through the window of the palace; the dragon then spits out his crown. (Played for comic effect, obviously.) He's seen still alive in the dragon's stomach in the musical number at the end of the film, leaving his fate unclear, but he is seen as a ghost throughout the Ride "Shrek 4D".

• Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) [Charles Rodman]: Dies of Alzheimer's Disease, with his son (James Franco) by his side. (Thanks to Tommy)

• Interstellar (2014) [Donald Cooper]: Dies off-screen of an unspecified cause. His death is mentioned in a video message sent by Casey Affleck to his father (Matthew McConaughey).

• Love is Strange (2014) [Ben]: Dies (off-screen) of an unspecified cause, presumably old age and/or complications from an injury sustained during the film. Alfred Molina and Charlie Tahan briefly discuss his (unseen) funeral.

• Best of Enemies (2015) [Voice of Gore Vidal]: Dies (off-screen) from pneumonia.

• The Accountant (2016) [Lamar Blackburn]: Shot in the head by Ben Affleck, as Jon Bernthal looks on in shock.

• Beatriz at Dinner (2017) [Doug Strutt]: Stabbed in the neck with a letter opener by Salma Hayek; he dies while Salma talks to him as Connie Britton and Amy Landecker walk in and scream in horror. This ends up being a dream sequence Salma is having. (John survives the film in reality)

TV Deaths

• My Brother's Keeper (1995 TV) [Tom Bradley/Bob Bradley]: Playing a dual role as twin brothers, "Tom" dies of AIDS-related complications. (Thanks to ND)

• Tales from the Crypt: You, Murderer (1995) [Dr. Oscar Charles]: Run over by a car, along with Isabella Rossellini, after Sherilyn Fenn's body falls on the emergency brake and starts the car rolling towards them. (Thanks to PortsGuy)

• Don Quixote (2000 TV) [Don Quixote de La Mancha/Alonso Quijano]: Dies of a terminal illness with his family and Bob Hoskins by his bedside, he appears as a ghost heading off into the afterlife.

• Dexter: The Getaway (2009) [Arthur Mitchell]: Bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer by Michael C. Hall; the scene cuts away just before the impact. We later see Michael dumping John's dismembered body into the ocean. (Thanks to Arben, Neil, Scott, ND, and Stephen)

Gallery

John Lithgow (with John Travolta) in Blow Out

John Lithgow's death in Cliffhanger

John Litgow's animated death in Shrek