The year 2020 saw the death of far too many icons, from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Little Richard. And when it comes to Hollywood, there were plenty of losses. From those who acted in movies and the stage, to sitcom stars, television hosts, reality show stars, musicians, writers, producers, and more, it was a rough year for losses in entertainment.
Among the many Hollywood stars that sadly passed in 2020, there were a number of action movie stars. Not all of these individuals had starring roles in action movies, but many of them were mainstays in the action movie scene, and beyond.
Here are just a few of the action movie stars that left this world in 2020.
Sean Connery
The first actor to play James Bond, Connery's career went on an upward rise after he perfected that iconic role for seven movies from 1962 through to 1983. His list of action films beyond Bond movies is extensive, from Highlander in 1986 to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and Dragonheart and The Rock in 1996.
While he officially retired from the business in 2006, Connery did some voice work later on in life. He died in his sleep at the age of 90 in October.
Michael Lonsdale
Throughout his lengthy career, this British-French actor appeared in more than 180 movies and TV shows. In terms of English-speaking roles, his most well-known one was as Hugo Drax in Moonraker, the James Bond film from 1979. Most of the action movies he appeared in were French-language movies, like 1974's Caravan to Vaccares. But he also had other roles, like Papa in the 2005 Steven Spielberg movie Munich.
Lonsdale passed away in his home in Paris in September. He was 89.
Chadwick Boseman
Breaking hearts around the world was the death of 43-year-old Boseman, who, though he had been acting since the early '90s, became a household name after playing the title character in Black Panther and several other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He holds the distinction of being the first Black actor to headline an MCU movie.
Though he was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, Boseman didn't disclose the news publicly and even continued to act while receiving treatment. In August, the respected actor passed away from complications relating to cancer.
Kelly Preston
Sometimes, action movie "stars" aren't necessarily the main characters in the film that kick some serious butt. Sometimes, they are people who often appear as supporting characters in such films. While most of Preston's top-ranked movies were in other genres, she did have a couple of action movie credits to her name that make her worthy of this list, like the 2000 sci-fi action movie Battlefield Earth and 2007's Death Sentence.
Preston was only 57 when she passed away in July, two years after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis.
Sir Ian Holm
A trained stage actor who has racked up numerous awards, Holm is best known to a new generation of fans as Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. But his list of action movie roles is lengthy, dating all the way back to the late '60s, including others like Alien, The Fifth Element, and The Day After Tomorrow. His final movie role was in 2014's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Sir Ian was 88 when he passed away in June; his death was related to his Parkinson's disease.
Irrfan Khan
Considered to be one of the most talented actors in Indian cinema, American audiences probably first recall seeing Khan in Slumdog Millionaire back in 2008. But he has appeared in many movies since the late '80s in a wide variety of genres. In terms of action movies, some of his credits include The Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World, Life of Pi, and New York.
Khan was diagnosed with a tumor in 2018 and passed away in April 2020 following a colon infection. He was just 53.
Brian Dennehy
Fans of the series The Blacklist may notice that a new actor had to step in for the eighth season to play Liz's grandfather. The reason? Sadly, Dennehy passed away in April at the age of 81 from cardiac arrest due to sepsis.
A prolific stage, television, and movie actor, some of his most notable action movie credits include First Blood (1982) and F/X (1986), both of which rank among Dennehy's 10 highest rated movies, and 1990's Blue Heat.
Honor Blackman
MCU fans know Blackman as Cathy Gale in The Avengers as well as the iconic Bond girl Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger. She most recently appeared in television series, like Hotel Babylon, Casualty, and By Any Means.
Blackman died at the age of 94 in April from natural causes.
Lee Fierro
She didn't have a particularly prolific acting career but Fierro does have one of the most memorable roles in one of the most iconic, trend-setting action-adventure-thriller movies in history: Jaws. She played Mrs. Kintner, the mother of a victim who walked up to the police chief, lifted her veil and slapped him straight across the face.
In an interesting story, Fierro reportedly convinced director Steven Spielberg to change the dialogue in the scene because she didn't agree with the profane wording. Sadly, Fierro died in April from COVID-19. She was 91.
Andrew Jack
Those in the industry know Jack as a talented dialect coach, having worked with more than 200 actors including Hollywood elite like Robert Downey Jr. for Chaplin and Pierce Brosnan for the James Bond films. He also created and taught the Middle-earth accents, Elvish, and Black Speech for The Lord of the Rings. But Jack was also an actor himself.
His most notable role was as Resistance Major Caluen Ematt in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He was working on The Batman reboot at the time of his death. Jack passed away in March at age 76 from COVID-19.
Max von Sydow
His most recognizable role was in 1973's The Exorcist, in which he played the priest who tried to exorcise the demon from young Regan, played by Linda Blair in one of the most brilliant child acting performances ever. But von Sydow has been in everything from Minority Report to Robin Hood and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. On television, he was most recently in Game of Thrones playing a very pivotal character: the Three-eyed Raven.
Von Sydow was 90 at the time of his death in March; no cause of death was noted.
Lynn Cohen
While many know Cohen for playing Magda in Sex and the City as well as the 2008 movie, she also portrayed Mags in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Along with appearing in a variety of TV shows throughout her career, from Law & Order to NYPD Blue and Blue Bloods, she also had roles in action movies like Munich and Eagle Eye.
She passed away in February at the age of 86; no cause of death was revealed.
Kirk Douglas
He wasn't a guns-blazing action star by today's standards, but Douglas made his mark on the Hollywood action scene. He was a massive star in the '50s with an enduring career that focused primarily on western and war films.
One of the last living actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood, he lived to the ripe age of 103 before passing away in February. Douglas suffered a stroke in 1996 that made it difficult for him to speak, but the cause of his death was not disclosed. Some of his most notable action movies include Spartakus, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and There Was a Crooked Man.
Jack Kehoe
Though he was better known for comedy-dramas and was never really a leading man, Kehoe had roles in some of the biggest movies around, like The Untouchables, Young Guns II, and D.O.A. In the action genre specifically, he can be seen in movies like Dick Tracy, Falling Down, and his last appearance in 1997's The Game, after which he retired from the business.
He passed away in January at the age of 85 after having a stroke.
Robert Conrad
Actors of this generation have nothing on Conrad who was not only a talented actor but also a stuntman who did his own stunts in movies. Some of his action film credits include the 1977 movie Sudden Death and 1979's The Lady in Red.
Conrad, however, was best known as a television actor for roles in The Wild Wild West and Baa Baa Black Sleep, and as host of his own weekly national radio show, The PM Show with Robert Conrad. But fans never forgot his action star roots. He died in February at the age of 84 from heart failure.