[IMG:L]The tragedy of Heath Ledger‘s death is only punctuated by the acclaim he is receiving for his roles as The Joker in The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, Hollywood has a long history of actors achieving their zenith after their passing. When Ledger‘s Joker goes down in history, he will join these Top 10 Posthumous Performances. All due respect to any performers who could have been numbers 11 and 12, may they rest in peace.
10. Oliver Reed in Gladiator
Veteran British actor Reed died of a heart attack before finishing his role of Proximo, the slave owner who buys and trains Maximus. Clever editing and the use of doubles hid any traces of his death to let Reed leave his final mark on movie audiences.[PAGEBREAK]
9. Marlon Brando in Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Superman II was shrouded with controversy. Midway through the shoot, Richard Donner was replaced by director Richard Lester, and the studio decided to reshoot all of Brando‘s scenes with a less expensive actor. The footage still existed though, and more than 20 years later, editors reassembled Donner‘s cut, including Brando‘s lost performance as Jor-El. [PAGEBREAK]
8. Tupac Shakur in Gridlock’d
Death hasn’t stopped rapper/actor Tupac from releasing new albums, but he did have to stop appearing in front of the camera. His last theatrical release (two others went straight to video) showed a committed actor who could have easily crossed over–or had a dual career–had tragedy not occurred. [PAGEBREAK]
7. Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harris died so close to the film’s release that he remained on some tip sheets for red carpet events. The film shows him in all his vibrant glory as the loving magical Professor Dumbledore. [PAGEBREAK]
6. Massimo Troisi in Il Postino
Troisi actually chose this film over his own health. Doctors warned him of his heart condition, but he decided to portray the title character anyway–a postman in love with a beautiful woman. The sweetness inspired audiences, and an Oscar nomination was Troisi’s legacy. [PAGEBREAK]
5. Bela Lugosi in Plan 9 From Outer Space
Made famous in Tim Burton‘s Ed Wood, the B-movie director used the last remaining film clip of his actor friend to bill his next feature as Lugosi‘s final performance. The rest of the film was shot using a double who always turned away from the camera. Ironically, Martin Landau went on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Lugosi in Ed Wood. [PAGEBREAK]
4. Bruce Lee in Game of Death
Technically, Enter the Dragon was also posthumous as Lee died weeks before its release. Still, Lee’s real legacy is the unfinished Game of Death. In most of the released film, a double is used, but in the final fight scene–Lee‘s last remaining footage–his martial arts expertise is at its best. [PAGEBREAK]
3. James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause
Talk about a legacy. Rebel Without a Cause became the defining role of Dean’s brief career. Of course, the Oscar-winning Giant, in which Dean played cowboy-turned-oil tycoon Jett Rink, was also released after Dean‘s automobile accident, but Rebel defined a whole generation of teen angst–and the definitive image of a screen icon. [PAGEBREAK]
2. Spencer Tracy in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
The very-ill Tracy must have known this would be his last starring film role. He filmed the movie throughout his deteriorating condition, in conspiracy with director Stanley Kramer who refused to replace him, with no trace of weakness apparent on screen–but he couldn’t know he’d win the Best Actor Oscar for it. His co-star and real-life love Katharine Hepburn knew, however, and you can see it on her face in their touching scenes together. [PAGEBREAK]
1. Brandon Lee in The Crow
This is definitely one of the most senseless deaths, as well as creepy about the circumstances surrounding it. Lee, son the Bruce Lee, was killed when a prop gun fired a blank casing into his stomach. One year later, The Crow, in which he plays a man rising from the grave a year after his death, was released. Computers digitally placed Brandon Lee into the few scenes he had yet to shoot, and it is a heartbreaking performance full of tragic irony.
