Common Causes of Death
Hollywood and pistols go together like Anthony and Cleopatra. Upon research, we discovered that from a total of 3,516 deaths shared amongst 3,509 unique films, shooting was responsible for 1,054 fatalities.
The actor with the unfortunate tag of 'most shot' in all of Hollywood is Spaghetti Western specialist Lee Van Cleef, having met his maker a huge 21 times by a loaded weapon. That's more than any cat can lay claim to.
Very close behind is he of Desperado fame Danny Trejo, who succumbed to the bullet on 20 occasions throughout his acting career.
You may be surprised to hear Hollywood actors died a total of 179 separate ways across 3,509 flics, taking into account reduced variance in regards to female actors.
Female characters were killed in 95 unique ways, while Male characters were killed in 147 – an increase in variety of 54.74%.
Click an actor's name for more details
Top 20 female deaths
Top 20 male deaths
Top 40 causes
Won't Somebody Think of the Children
Have you ever recoiled in horror watching a movie intended for children at the very adult-like nature of the moving images unfolding before your eyes? You know, like the infamous Looney Tunes scene that sees big-eared Bugs Bunny fire at an audience member in the throes of a coughing fit?
Whether meant for a younger, or mature audience, violence will always be violence - irrespective whether film makers slap PG-13 or R ratings over horror movies or cartoons in a feeble attempt at censorship.
Our analysis found that out of a total of 141 unique causes of death across the selected ratings of G, PG, R and X rated movies, those rated G and PG shared 45.3% of their causes of death with movies rated R and X.
Indeed, of the 64 instances where the cause of death portrayed in G, PG, R and X rated movies were common, we recorded onscreen portrayals of death that included drug overdosing, shooting, strangulation, hanging, being eaten alive, suicide and even decapitation!
Check out the numbers we've collated below to find out the most common causes of death split by movie rating.
Click the ratings for more details
Most Creative Killers
Which directors plying their trade in Tinseltown sought the most creative methods to kill off their crew?
After analysing the 200 actors and actresses put to death the most frequently, Tim Burton and Ridley Scott came out as the joint-most imaginative killers, boasting 10 unique deaths each across 10 separate characters.
Tied at second were James Cameron and Tim Burton, both responsible for 10 unique fatalities apiece, with celebrated director Steven Spielberg propping up the podium places with 9 unique deaths to his name.
You may be surprised to hear that Michael Bay is just off the top five list. Yes, despite his love for explosions, the former intern of George Lucas managed to find an additional 7 ways to kill off the top 200 most killed actors and actresses in film history, outside of kerosene fuelled eruptions.
Click a director's name for more details
Data and Methodology
Our data was taken from a combination of the following sources: IMDB, the Open Movie Database, and the aptly named Cinemorgue. All data collated underwent review, testing, and sampling to ensure its accuracy. A death was recorded in the instance it was referenced directly, aired on-screen, or heavily implied.
A special mention to 'Voice Actor deaths', which were included in animated movies that saw the actor assume a leading role.
Please be aware that the information provided is meant solely for entertainment purposes, and there is a possibility it is not entirely 100% accurate, up-to-date, or definitive.
