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Orsonwelles

Orson Welles in The Stranger

Orson Welles (1915 - 1985) 

Film Deaths[]

  • Citizen Kane (1941) [Charles Foster Kane]: Dies of unspecified natural causes at the beginning of the movie; we see a close up of his mouth as he says his last words ("Rosebud"). The remainder of the film is a series of flashbacks depicting earlier events in his life. (Thanks to Mac and Tracey)
  • Journey Into Fear (1943) [Colonel Haki]: Shot by Jack Moss on the ledge outside a hotel room, he falls backwards, smashing through the window into the room. (Thanks to Brian).
  • The Stranger (1946) [Franz Kindler a.k.a. Professor Charles Rankin]: Impaled on one of the clock tower sculptures after being shot by Loretta Young. (Thanks to Tracey and Stephen)
  • Tomorrow is Forever (1946) [John Andrew MacDonald a.k.a. Erik Kessler]: Dies of a heart attack in his home.
  • MacBeth (1948) [MacBeth]: Stabbed in the chest at the end of a swordfight with Dan O'Herlihy. (Thanks to Tracey)
  • Black Magic (Cagliostro) (1949) [Joseph Balsamo a.k.a. Cagliostro]: Falls from the parapet after being stabbed at the end of a swordfight with Frank Latimore.
  • The Third Man (1949) [Harry Lime]: Shot to death (off-screen) by Joseph Cotten at the end of a chase through the sewers; we hear the shot, then see Joseph emerge from the sewer with a smoking gun in his hand. (Thanks to Mac and Tracey)
  • Othello (1952) [Othello]: Commits suicide by stabbing himself in the chest; he dies shortly afterwards while cradling Suzanne Cloutier's body in his arms. (Thanks to Tracey)
  • Trent's Last Case (1952) [Sigsbee Maderson]: Accidentally shot to death in a struggle with Miles Malleson on the golf course, when Miles tries to stop Orson from committing suicide. His body is shown afterwards when John McCallum discovers him, and the shooting is shown in a flashback later on.
  • Mr. Arkadin (Confidential Report) (1955) [Gregory Arkadin]: Presumably commits suicide (off-screen) by jumping from his private plane while flying over the ocean; we only see the empty plane afterwards. (Thanks to Tracey)
  • Three Cases of Murder (1955) [Lord Mountdrago]: Fatally injured when he falls down a flight of steps at the Houses Of Parliament. He dies shortly after learning that Alan Badel has died and he will not be 'free' of him even in death.
  • Touch of Evil (1958) [Captain Hank Quinlan]: Shot to death by the mortally-wounded Joseph Calleia just as Orson is about to kill Charlton Heston at the canal. (Thanks to Mac and Tracey)
  • Crack in the Mirror (1960) [Hagolin/Lamerciere]: Playing a dual role, "Hagolin" is strangled with a scarf by Juliette Greco; Juliette and Bradford Dillman then dismember the body (off-screen) to dispose of it. ("Lamerciere" survives the movie.)
  • The Tartars (1961) [Burundai]: Killed in a battle with Victor Mature.
  • Chimes at Midnight (Camanadas a a medianoche; Falstaff) (1965) [Falstaff]: Dies of natural causes, compounded by heartbreak after being abandoned by Keith Baxter.
  • A Man for All Seasons (1966) [Cardinal Wolsey]: Dies of heart attack, with Nigel Davenport by his side.
  • Casino Royale (1967) [Le Chiffre]: Shot in the head by an assassin who physically emerges from Orson's monitor screen. (Played for comic effect)
  • House of Cards (1968) [Leschenhaut]: Falls to his death when he breaks through a railing while backing away from Barnaby Shaw as Barnaby points a gun at him.
  • The Immortal Story (1968) [Mr. Charles Clay]: Dies of old age/natural causes.
  • The Battle on the River Neretva (The Battle of Neretva; Bitka na Nervetvi) (1969) [Chetnik Senator]: Shot repeatedly by his commanding officer (Dusan Bulajic) as he urges him to retreat instead of to keep fighting.
  • Blood and Guns (Tepepa) (1970) [Colonel Cascorro]: Shot in the chest by Tomas Milian, after Orson shoots Tomas.
  • Start the Revolution Without Me (Two Times Two) (1970) [Narrator]: Shot in the back by Donald Sutherland just as Orson is about to reveal the ending of the story; his body falls off a bridge into the water. (Played for comic effect)
  • Ten Days' Wonder (La Decade prodigieuse) (1971) [Theo Van Horn]: Commits suicide by shooting himself (off-screen), after Michel Piccoli confronts him about his guilt in Marlene Jobert's murder. We only hear the shot as we see Michel walking away from the house.
  • The Transformers: The Movie (1986) (animated) [Unicron]: Mostly destroyed when Rodimus Prime (Judd Nelson) opens the Autobot Matrix of Leadership inside Unicron's body. The "Monster Planet's" head, left to orbit the planet Cybertron, proceeds to slowly regenerate... (Which was released a year after his death). (Thanks to Herbert, Andrew, Ernie and Gordon)

TV Deaths[]

  • King Lear (1953) [King Lear]: Dies of old age, compounded by heartbreak over the death of his daughter (Natasha Parry).

Notable Connections[]

  • Ex-husband of Paola Mori

Gallery[]