Early death, but not forgotten!

1. Christopher Reeve

Christopher D'Olier Reeve was born September 25, 1952, in New York City, to journalist Barbara Johnson (née Barbara Pitney Lamb) and writer/professor F.D. Reeve (Franklin D'Olier Reeve). He came from an upper-class family; his paternal grandfather was CEO of Prudential Financial, and one of his ...

Was also a Superhero in Real Life!

2. Dana Reeve

Actress | Everyone's Hero

Dana Reeve was born on March 17, 1961 in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Everyone's Hero (2006), Loving (1983) and Above Suspicion (1995). She was married to Christopher Reeve. She died on March 6, 2006 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

3. Corey Haim

Actor | The Lost Boys

Corey Haim was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Judy Haim, an Israeli-born data processor, and Bernie Haim, a clothing sales representative. He has a sister, Carol, and a half-brother, Daniel. His family is Jewish. He was raised mostly in Willowdale.

Corey appeared in 26 episodes of the early 1980s ...

4. Stephen Boyd

Actor | Ben-Hur

Stephen Boyd was born William Millar on July 4, 1931, at Glengormley, Northern Ireland, one of nine children of Martha Boyd and Canadian truck driver James Alexander Millar, who worked for Fleming's on Tomb Street in Belfast. He attended Glengormley & Ballyrobert primary school and then moved on to...

5. Buddy Holly

Soundtrack | Big Fish

Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His ...

6. Helga Anders

Actress | Mädchen, Mädchen

Helga Anders was born on January 11, 1948 in Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria. She was an actress, known for Mädchen, Mädchen (1967), Im weissen Rößl (1967) and Amerika oder der Verschollene (1969). She was married to Roger Fritz. She died on March 31, 1986 in Haar, Bavaria, Germany.

7. Brittany Murphy

Actress | Clueless

Brittany Murphy was born Brittany Anne Bertolotti on November 10, 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sharon Kathleen Murphy and Angelo Joseph Bertolotti. Her father's ancestry is Italian, and her mother is of Irish and Slovak descent. Her father moved the family back to Edison, New Jersey as a native New...

8. Ritchie Valens

Soundtrack | La Bamba

Ritchie, the 'California Kid' was from a family of poverty stricken fruit pickers and was the first rock star to originate from the West Coast and one of the innovators of 'Latino rock. In an eight month career he scored three hits with 'Come On Let's Go', 'Donna' and 'La Bamba' before being killed...

Died with The Big Bopper and Buddy Holly at a plane crash!

9. The Notorious B.I.G.

Soundtrack | Fast X

Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and Selwyn George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. ...

10. Roy Black

Actor | Grün ist die Heide

He attended secondary school in Augsburg and completed his Abitur. Meanwhile, he taught himself to play the guitar and performed for the first time in 1960 with his beat band "Roy Black and his Canons". The record producer Hans Bertram provided Roy Black with studio recordings, who switched from ...

11. Michael Jackson

Soundtrack | Michael Jackson: Thriller

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joe Jackson (no relation to Joe Jackson, also a musician), had been a guitarist, but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Michael's ...

12. Aaliyah

Soundtrack | Romeo Must Die

Talented. Beautiful. Modest. These three words described R&B singer-turned-actress Aaliyah perfectly.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane (Hankerson) and Michael Haughton. Her uncle was music manager Barry Hankerson and her brother is director Rashad Haughton. Aaliyah was ...

13. Melanie Thornton

Soundtrack | A Night at the Roxbury

Melanie Thornton was born on May 13, 1967 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. She was a music artist and actress, known for A Night at the Roxbury (1998), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Melanie Thornton: Love How You Love Me (2000). She was married to Christian Thornton. She died...

14. River Phoenix

Actor | My Own Private Idaho

River Phoenix was born River Jude Bottom in Madras, Oregon. His mother, Arlyn (Dunetz), a Bronx-born secretary, and his father, John Bottom, a carpenter, met in California in 1968. They worked as itinerant fruit pickers, and later joined the Children of God religious group (John was originally ...

15. Lucy Gordon

Actress | Spider-Man 3

Lucy Gordon was born on May 22, 1980 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Spider-Man 3 (2007), The Four Feathers (2002) and Serendipity (2001). She died on May 20, 2009 in Paris, France.

16. John Ritter

Actor | Sling Blade

Jonathan Southworth Ritter was born in Burbank, California, on September 17, 1948. He was the son of legendary country singer/actor Tex Ritter (born Woodward Maurice Ritter) and his wife, actress Dorothy Fay (née Dorothy Fay Southworth). The couple married in 1941 and had their first child, Tom ...

17. Sharon Tate

Actress | Valley of the Dolls

Sharon's early life was one of constant moving as her father served in the military. When she lived in Italy, she was voted "Homecoming Queen" of her high school. After being an extra in a few Italian films, Sharon headed to Hollywood where she would again start as an extra. Her first big break ...

18. Montgomery Clift

Actor | From Here to Eternity

Edward Montgomery Clift (nicknamed 'Monty' his entire life) was born on October 17, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska, just after his twin sister Roberta (1920-2014) and eighteen months after his brother Brooks Clift. He was the son of Ethel "Sunny" Anderson (Fogg; 1888-1988) and William Brooks Clift (1886-...

19. Judy Garland

Actress | The Wizard of Oz

One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Era, Judy Garland was a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals.

She was born Frances Ethel Gumm on 10 June 1922 in ...

20. Chris Penn

Actor | Reservoir Dogs

Christopher Shannon Penn was born on October 10, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, the third son of actress Eileen Ryan (née Annucci) and director, actor, and writer Leo Penn. His siblings are musician Michael Penn and actor Sean Penn. His father was from a Lithuanian Jewish/Russian Jewish family, ...

21. Grace Kelly

Actress | Dial M for Murder

On November 12, 1929, Grace Patricia Kelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to wealthy parents. Her girlhood was uneventful for the most part, but one of the things she desired was to become an actress which she had decided on at an early age. After her high school graduation in 1947, Grace ...

22. Guillaume Depardieu

Actor | Ne touchez pas la hache

Guillaume Depardieu was born on April 7, 1971 in Paris, France. He was an actor, known for The Duchess of Langeais (2007), Tous les matins du monde (1991) and Pola X (1999). He was married to Elise Ventre. He died on October 13, 2008 in Garches, Hauts-de-Seine, France.

23. Barbara Rudnik

Actress | Solo für Schwarz - Tod im See

Born 1958 in Wehbach an Der Sieg and raised in Kassel, Germany. After finishing Realschule (high school) she worked as book club agent. Her job led her to Munich, where she was discovered as an actress by students of the academy for film and theater. In 1978 she started her education in the Zinner ...

24. Heavy D

Actor | The Cider House Rules

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 - November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group which included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and ...

25. Michael Landon

Actor | Little House on the Prairie

Michael Landon was born Eugene Maurice Orowitz, on Saturday, October 31st, 1936, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. In 1941, he and his family moved to Collingswood, New Jersey.

When Eugene was in high school, he participated -- and did very well -- in track and field, especially javelin throwing, ...

26. Dan Blocker

Actor | Bonanza

Dan Blocker is one of the true television immortals, having played Hoss Cartwright -- the heart and soul of Bonanza (1959) -- for 13 seasons, before his untimely death in 1972 at the age of 43. "Bonanza" was the most popular TV series of the 1960s, ranked #1 for three straight seasons (1964-65 ...

27. Natasha Richardson

Actress | The Parent Trap

Natasha Jane Richardson was born in Marylebone, London, England, to director and producer Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave. She was the sister of actress Joely Richardson, the niece of actors Corin Redgrave and Lynn Redgrave, and the granddaughter of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel ...

28. Matthew Garber

Actor | Mary Poppins

Matthew Garber was a British child actor. Both of his parents were theatrical actors, but neither was particularly famous.

In 1963, Garber came to the attention of actor Roy Dotrice (father of Karen Dotrice) who was seeking potential child actors. Roy recommended Garber to the casting department of ...

29. Andy Hallett

Actor | Angel

Andy Hallett is from the tiny Cape Cod village of Osterville, part of the town of Barnstable. He attended Barnstable High School and then Assumption College in Worcester. Always shy, he didn't begin singing until Patti LaBelle invited him onstage at a concert. After moving to Los Angeles he worked ...

30. Bob Crane

Actor | Hogan's Heroes

Bob Crane was born in Waterbury, CT, the youngest of two sons. In school he was known for being a class clown and an intense music lover. His favorites were jazz and big band. Bob's specialty was the drums. After graduating from Stamford High School in 1946, he turned his attention to his love for ...

31. Phil Hartman

Actor | NewsRadio

Phil Hartman was born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. His surname was originally "Hartmann", but he later dropped the second "n". He was one of eight children of Doris Marguerite (Wardell) and Rupert Loebig Hartmann, a salesman. He was of German, Irish, ...

32. Pete Duel

Actor | Alias Smith and Jones

Born on 24 February 1940 in Rochester, New York, Pete Duel moved to West Hollywood in 1963 following a tour with the National Road Company's "Take Her, She's Mine". After landing small guest spots on various TV series, Pete was cast in a recurring role alongside Sally Field on Gidget (1965) in 1965...

33. Adrienne Shelly

Actress | Waitress

The late Adrienne Shelly was born in Queens, New York, to Elaine Langbaum and Sheldon Levine. After graduating Jericho High School in Jericho, New York, she enrolled at Boston University and majored in film production. She dropped out after her junior year and moved to Manhattan, where she made a ...

34. Leslie Howard

Actor | Pygmalion

Leslie Howard Steiner was born in London to Lilian (Blumberg) and Ferdinand "Frank" Steiner. His father was a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, and his English mother was of German Jewish and mostly English descent. Leslie went to Dulwich College, then worked as a bank clerk until the outbreak of World ...

35. Bobby Driscoll

Actor | Peter Pan

Bobby Driscoll was a natural-born actor. Discovered by chance at the age of five-and-a-half in a barber shop in Altadena, CA. and then convincing in anything he ever undertook on the movie screen and on television throughout his career spanning 17 years (1943-1960). Includes such notable movie ...

36. Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer

Actor | Second Childhood

Carl Switzer was an American child actor, singer, dog breeder, and hunting guide from Paris, Illinois. He became famous for portraying Alfalfa in the film series "Our Gang" during the 1930s. His character was one of the most memorable characters ever portrayed in the series. Later in his career, ...

37. Mary Kay Bergman

Actress | South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

Mary Kay Bergman did not have a face known to many - her voice was recognized more than anything else in the world. Although she was a big voiceover star in the 1990s, her true claim to fame was Trey Parker and Matt Stone's critically acclaimed adult animated television series, South Park (1997), ...

38. Sal Mineo

Actor | Exodus

Salvatore (Sal) Mineo Jr. was born to Josephine and Sal Sr. (a casket maker), who emigrated to the U.S. from Sicily. His siblings were Michael, Victor and Sarina. Sal was thrown out of parochial school and, by age eight, was a member of a street gang in a tough Bronx neighborhood. His mother ...

39. Christa Helm

Actress | Let's Go for Broke

Christa Helm was born on November 10, 1949 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for Let's Go for Broke (1974), Wonder Woman (1975) and Legacy of Satan (1974). She was married to Gary Clements. She died on February 12, 1977 in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.

40. The Big Bopper

Soundtrack | True Romance

The Big Bopper (real name: Jiles Perry Richardson Jr. ) was an American singer, songwriter, and disc jockey from Texas. His best known song compositions were" Chantilly Lace" (featuring a flirtatious phone conversation) and "White Lightning" (a rockabilly hit). Richardson was killed in an airplane ...

41. Natalie Wood

Actress | Rebel Without a Cause

Natalie Wood was an American actress of Russian and Ukrainian descent. She started her career as a child actress and eventually transitioned into teenage roles, young adult roles, and middle-aged roles. She drowned off Catalina Island on November 29, 1981 at age 43.

Wood was born July 20, 1938 in ...

42. Anna Nicole Smith

Actress | Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Anna Nicole Smith was born on November 28, 1967 in Houston, Texas, USA. She was an actress and producer, known for Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), Be Cool (2005) and Illegal Aliens (2007). She was married to J. Howard Marshall II and Billy Smith. She died on February 8, 2007 in Hollywood...

43. Haing S. Ngor

Actor | The Killing Fields

Haing S. Ngor was a native of Cambodia. Before the war, he was a physician & medical officer in the Cambodian army. He became a captive of the Khmer Rouge. He was imprisoned & tortured. In order to escape execution, he denied being a doctor or having an education. He moved to the U.S. as a refugee ...

44. Dieter Schidor

Actor | Cross of Iron

Dieter Schidor was born on March 6, 1948 in Bienrode [now Brunswick], Lower Saxony, Germany. He was an actor and producer, known for Cross of Iron (1977), Kurze Kindheit, langer Abschied (1987) and Group Portrait with a Lady (1977). He was married to Michael McLernon. He died on September 17, 1987 ...

45. Manfred Seipold

Actor | Il nocciolo della questione

Manfred Seipold was born on March 7, 1941 in Berlin, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Heart of the Matter (1983), La nouvelle malle des Indes (1981) and Zahnschmerzen (1975). He died on March 26, 1989 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

46. Werner Pochath

Actor | Joko invoca Dio... e muori

Werner Pochath was born Werner Pochlatko on September 29, 1939 in Vienna, Austria. A champion skating figure in his youth, Pochath studied acting at the prestigious Max Reinhardt Seminar in his native Vienna. Werner made his stage debut in a 1959 theatrical production of "Die Courage." Pochath ...

47. Sam Cooke

Soundtrack | Innerspace

Sam Cooke was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was one of eight children of Charles Cook Sr., a Baptist minister. When Sam sang as a little boy in church, everyone made note that his voice had "something special". He sang in church and in local gospel choirs until a group called...

48. Diether Krebs

Actor | Sketch-up

Diether Krebs was born on August 11, 1947 in Essen, Germany. He was an actor and writer, known for Sketch-up (1984), Bang Boom Bang - Ein todsicheres Ding (1999) and Komm in die Wanne, Schätzchen (1971). He was married to Bettina von Leoprechting. He died on January 4, 2000 in Hamburg, Germany.

49. Jeffrey Hunter

Actor | The Searchers

Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr. on November 25, 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana, an only child. His parents met at the University of Arkansas, and when he was almost four his family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In his teens, he acted in productions of the North Shore Children's ...

50. Lee Quigley

Actor | Superman

Lee Quigley was born on August 13, 1976 in Lambeth, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Superman (1978). He died on March 10, 1991 in Eastbourne, England, UK.

Plays Superman as Baby Kal-El! Dies much to young with 14 Years!