We’re only three months into 2026, and the year has already hit fans hard. Between headline-grabbing scandals, we’ve barely had a moment to breathe, let alone grieve. Several beloved actors have already passed away this year, some in their 80s after long, celebrated careers, others far too young, still getting their stride. A few names dominated timelines for a day or two before the algorithm moved on. Others? You probably didn’t even see the tributes. So here we are, pausing the scroll. Remembering the faces, the films, the work. Because careers that spanned decades shouldn’t disappear in 24 hours. Here is a list of Hollywood actors who died in 2026 (so far).
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris didn’t just play tough guys. He built the template, then dared Hollywood to keep up. Born Carlos Ray Norris on March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma, he died March 19, 2026, at 86, leaving behind a career that punched harder than most scripts ever could.
Before the fame, he was stationed in Korea with the United States Air Force. That’s where martial arts hooked him. By 1962, back home, he wasn’t easing in. He opened schools, created American Tang Soo Do, and trained names like Steve McQueen and Donny Osmond. Casual.
His real turning point came in 1972, squaring off with Bruce Lee in “Way of the Dragon.” That fight didn’t just land. It stuck. Through the ’80s, films like “Missing in Action” and “Delta Force” turned him into a box office regular. Then “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1993–2001) locked in his legend across nine seasons.
And then the internet did its thing. Suddenly, Chuck Norris jokes painted him as a force of nature. He leaned into it, while also writing books like “Black Belt Patriotism” in 2008 and backing causes he believed in, sometimes loudly.
Off-screen, he gave back. Kickstart Kids, the United Fighting Arts Federation, work with the U.S. Veterans Administration. Not bad for a guy people joked could count to infinity. Twice.
Matt Clark
If you’ve watched a Western, chances are you’ve seen Matt Clark without checking the credits. He died on March 15, 2026, in Austin, Texas, aged 89, after surgery complications. Born November 25, 1936, in Washington, D.C., he went from George Washington University to the U.S. Army, then straight into New York theatre. He even understudied Martin Sheen in The Subject Was Roses.
Hollywood quickly spotted him. From In the Heat of the Night to The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clark became a familiar face in dusty towns and tense standoffs. Then he switched gears. The Driver, Return to Oz, even Buckaroo Banzai. Not bad for a guy nearly boxed into one genre.
Most will remember him pouring drinks in Back to the Future Part III (1990). Fitting, really. A Western lifer returning to the saloon.
TV kept him busy too. Bonanza, Magnum, P.I., Walker, Texas Ranger. He showed up, did the job, and made it stick.
Clark leaves behind his wife Sharon, seven children, and a long list of roles you’ve probably seen more than once without realising.
James Van Der Beek
James Van Der Beek, 47, spent decades being “that guy” you grew up watching, whether you admit it or not. From 1998 to 2002, Dawson Leery turned Dawson’s Creek into appointment viewing, then 1999’s Varsity Blues locked in his teen idol status. He kept things interesting too, even poking fun at himself in Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.
In 2023, he learned he had stage 3 colon cancer, later sharing, “I was doing everything.” Sauna. Cold plunges. Football drills. Life didn’t slow down, until it did.
He died on February 11.
Jesse Jackson
At 83, Jesse Jackson leaves behind a life that never really slowed down. Born October 8, 1941, in Greenville, he grew up under Jim Crow laws, riding segregated buses and attending divided schools. That sticks with you.
By his early 20s, he was marching beside Martin Luther King Jr., helping organise protests that pushed real change. Then came politics. In 1984 and 1988, he ran for president as a Democrat and didn’t just show up—he placed third, then second. No Black candidate had gone that far before Barack Obama.
Even after a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2017, Jackson stayed involved, backing voting rights campaigns and wage reform. In November 2025, he was hospitalised in Chicago with complications from progressive supranuclear palsy. He died on February 17, closing a chapter that shaped American activism for over six decades.
Sidney Kibrick – 2 January
Sidney Henry Kibrick will always be Woim to anyone who grew up on Our Gang shorts.
Born in Minneapolis, he got spotted by an agent at five while out watching a movie. Acting paid the bills, but he treated it like a job. By 11, he walked away, studied at the University of Southern California, and built a career in real estate.
He stayed close to George “Spanky” McFarland, showed up for reunions, and outlived every regular member of the gang.
He died in Los Angeles at 97.
Bret Hanna-Shuford – 3 January
Broadway lost actor and creator Bret Hanna-Shuford, 46, who died after a 2025 diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and peripheral T-cell lymphoma. His husband, Steven R. Hanna, shared the news on Instagram.
A Wagner College theatre grad, Hanna-Shuford hustled in the early 2000s on Beauty and the Beast, Wicked, The Little Mermaid, and Cirque Du Soleil’s Paramour, plus tours like South Pacific and Dreamgirls.
His children’s book, Good Night, Break a Leg, lands summer 2026.
T.K. Carter – 9 January
Born in New York City and raised in Southern California, Thomas Kent “T.K.” Carter did stand-up at 12, Neil Simon plays in high school, and kept grinding in the industry. Horror fans remember him as Nauls in The Thing. Sitcom viewers remember him on Punky Brewster.
He died at 69.
Kianna Underwood – 16 January
Kianna Underwood, who showed up on All That’s final season in 2005, died after a hit-and-run in January in Brooklyn, New York. She was 33. WABC7 reported she crossed an intersection in Brownsville when an SUV struck her, then a second car hit her and dragged her several feet. Police said the drivers kept going.
Underwood also voiced Fuchsia Glover on Little Bill and Dakota in the 2001 animated musical Santa Baby! She even stepped onstage as Little Inez during the first national tour of Hairspray.
Charles C. Stevenson Jr. – 19 January
Charles C. Stevenson Jr. ‘s first onscreen credit came in a 1982 episode of Voyagers!, and he kept rolling for nearly 40 years, stacking 115 screen credits across Dynasty, L.A. Law, Cheers, The West Wing, Will & Grace, Six Feet Under, and Scandal.
Casting loved him in a collar, too. He played clergy at least two dozen times. “In his own words, his job was ‘marrying or burying people,’” his son Scott said.
Stevenson died of natural causes on Jan. 19 in Camarillo, California. He was 95.
Floyd Vivino – 22 January
If you grew up in the Northeast with a TV that pulled in weird UHF channels, you probably met Floyd “Uncle Floyd” Vivino before you learned what “cult classic” meant. In 1974 he launched The Uncle Floyd Show, mixing piano, puppets, sketches, and that checkered jacket with the clashing porkpie hat.
In 1999 he played piano for 24 hours and 15 minutes to fund cystic fibrosis bills.
He died on January 22, 2026, at 74, after years of health problems.
Yvonne Lime – 23 January
Yvonne Glee Lime Fedderson, born April 7, 1935, in Glendale, trained at Pasadena Playhouse and got noticed in Ah, Wilderness!. Hollywood kept her busy from 1956 to 1968, with The Rainmaker, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, and TV stops like Father Knows Best and The Andy Griffith Show.
In 1959, at 24, she and Sara O’Meara founded International Orphans, Inc., which became Childhelp and later helped more than 14 million children.
She died January 23, 2026, at 90.
John Stamos said, “Her smile, her warmth, and her fierce unwavering dedication to protecting children left an imprint on my heart and on the world. Through Childhelp, she helped save and protect millions of children who never would have had a voice without her. That is not just a legacy, it is a living miracle.”
Alexis Ortega – 24 January
The friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man just lost one of his own. Alexis Ortega, the Mexican voice actor who brought Tom Holland’s Peter Parker to life for Latin American audiences, has died at 38.
If you watched Captain America: Civil War in Spanish back in 2016 and heard that nervous, fast-talking teen swing into the MCU, that was Ortega. He continued voicing Holland’s Spidey in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017 and Avengers: Infinity War in 2018, helping introduce a new generation to Marvel’s youngest Avenger.
Ortega also voiced Tadashi Hamada in Big Hero 6, worked on the Spanish dubs of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Finding Dory, and Cars 3, and even stepped in for recent MrBeast content adapted for Spanish-speaking viewers.
Catherine O’Hara – 30 January
Comedy lost one of its sharpest minds on January 30, 2026. Catherine O’Hara, 71, died at her Los Angeles home after a pulmonary embolism following a battle with rectal cancer. And yes, there was only one of her. As Michael McKean put it, “Only one Catherine O’Hara, and now none.”
Born March 4, 1954, in Toronto, she once told The New Yorker, “Everybody in my family’s funny. Being funny was highly encouraged in our family, I think.”
From Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice to Kate McCallister in Home Alone, from Christopher Guest mockumentaries with Eugene Levy to Moira Rose’s wigs on Schitt’s Creek, she stayed unpredictable. “[W]hen in doubt, play insane,” she said. She did.
Demond Wilson – 30 January
Demond Wilson, the man who kept his cool while everyone else lost theirs on Sanford and Son, has died at 79. He passed away on January 30, 2026, at his home in Palm Springs, California, from complications related to prostate cancer.
Sanford and Son ranked in the Top 10 for five of its six seasons and peaked at No. 2 behind All in the Family. In 1974, when Foxx walked out over a salary dispute, Wilson carried the show himself. Not bad for a guy who debuted on Broadway at 4, danced at the Apollo at 12, and served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968 with the 4th Infantry Division, where he was wounded.
He later headlined Baby… I’m Back! in 1978 and played Oscar Madison on The New Odd Couple from 1982 to 1983.
Off-screen, Wilson became a pastor and author, writing Christian books and his memoir, “Second Banana: The Bittersweet Memoirs of the Sanford & Son Years.”
Blake Garrett – 8 February
Blake Garrett, the former child actor you probably remember from How to Eat Fried Worms, has died at 33. His mom, Carol, confirmed to TMZ that he passed away on Sunday, just days after undergoing emergency surgery in Oklahoma. The family is still waiting for autopsy results. Carol said he’d been in intense pain, diagnosed with shingles, and had been self-medicating. She believes the death may have been accidental.
Born in Dallas, Texas, he started acting young, performing in local stage productions before landing a spot at age 10 on Barney’s Colorful World International Tour, tied to Barney & Friends.
In 2006’s How to Eat Fried Worms, he played the bully’s henchman and won a Young Artist Award. “I play the bully’s henchman,” he told The Oklahoman in 2006. “There were rows of bicycles, and they let me have first pick… The guys who could ride worked on that scene.”
Tom Noonan – 14 February
Tom Noonan, born April 12, 1951, in Greenwich, Connecticut, died on February 14, 2026, aged 74, leaving behind a career you’ve definitely seen, even if you didn’t clock the name. Trained at Yale School of Drama, the 6’6” actor terrified audiences as Francis Dollarhyde in Michael Mann’s Manhunter and broke hearts as Frankenstein in The Monster Squad. As Fred Dekker said, he was “the proverbial gentleman and scholar,” delivering an “indelible performance.” From Heat to What Happened Was…, he never phoned it in.
Robert Duvall – 15 February
Robert Duvall has died at 95. His wife, Luciana, confirmed he passed peacefully at home on February 15, 2026. Born January 5, 1931, in San Diego and raised in Annapolis, he studied at New York’s Neighborhood Playhouse with Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, even sharing an apartment.
From Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) to Tom Hagen in The Godfather and Lt. Col. Kilgore’s “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” in Apocalypse Now, he built a career on precision. He won an Oscar at 52 for Tender Mercies (1983), later wrote and directed The Apostle (1997) and Wild Horses (2015), and earned the National Medal of Arts in 2005. As Luciana wrote, “To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything.”
Eric Dane – 19 February
On February 19, 2026, Eric Dane died at 53 from ALS complications, and Hollywood lost its resident troublemaker with a grin. Born November 9, 1972, in San Francisco, he went from Sequoia High to Seattle Grace Hospital, turning Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy into a fan obsession in 2006. “He was the funniest man,” said Patrick Dempsey. After announcing his ALS diagnosis in 2025, Dane fought publicly, partnering with I AM ALS while filming Euphoria from a wheelchair.
Robert Carradine – 23 February
Robert Carradine has died at 71. You knew him as Lewis Skolnick in 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds, the unlikely hero who turned pocket protectors into pop culture. He stuck with the franchise through three sequels, but his résumé ran deeper. Born to actors Sonia Sorel and John Carradine, he debuted on Bonanza in 1971 and hit the big screen in 1972’s The Cowboys with John Wayne.
Daughter Ever Carradine wrote, “I knew my dad loved me… I always knew he had my back.” Hilary Duff added, “My heart aches for him.” From Mean Streets to Lizzie McGuire, he kept showing up.
Diane Crump (May 18, 1948 – January 1, 2026)
Born in Milford, Connecticut, Diane Crump became the first licensed woman to ride in a U.S. pari-mutuel race on February 7, 1969, at Hialeah Park. A year later, she rode Fathom in the Kentucky Derby and finished 15th. That finish line mattered less than the fact that she crossed it at all.
Crump racked up 228 career wins before retiring in 1998, then moved into training and therapy programs. Churchill Downs president Mike Anderson called her “an iconic trailblazer who admirably fulfilled her childhood dreams.” She was 77.
Eva Schloss (1929 – January 3, 2026)
Eva Schloss survived things most people can’t put into sentences. Born in Vienna, she fled Nazi Austria, hid in Amsterdam, was betrayed, survived Auschwitz-Birkenau, and lost her father and brother before she turned 16.
Later, she studied art, married Zvi Schloss, raised three daughters, and became Anne Frank’s posthumous stepsister after her mother married Otto Frank in 1953. For years she stayed quiet. Then she spoke everywhere. Schools. Forums. Public halls.
King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “privileged and proud to have known her.” She died in London at 96.
Michael Reagan (March 18, 1945 – January 4, 2026)
Michael Reagan grew up adopted by Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. Acting came first. Falcon Crest happened. But radio stuck. The Michael Reagan Show ran nationwide. He wrote about family and faith, spoke often at the Reagan Presidential Library, and guarded his father’s legacy with focus.
Fred Ryan called him a “steadfast guardian of his father’s legacy” who “used his voice to champion freedom, personal responsibility, and the principles that defined his father’s presidency.” Scott Walker remembered him as “a wonderful inspiration.”
He died in Los Angeles after cancer. He was 80.
Bob Pulford (March 31, 1936 – January 5, 2026)
Bob Pulford squeezed five decades of NHL life into one résumé and still had energy left to steady franchises. Born in Newton Robinson, Ontario, raised in Weston, he joined the Maple Leafs at 21 and lifted four Stanley Cups by 31.
After 1,079 games and 643 points, he helped organize players as the NHLPA’s first president, coached the Kings, then spent over 30 years guiding the Chicago Blackhawks.
Gary Bettman said Pulford “left an indelible mark on the game.” He died at 89.
Jawann Oldham (July 4, 1957 – January 5, 2026)
Jawann Oldham stood 7 feet tall and turned Cleveland High School into a problem for everyone else. Back-to-back state titles in the mid-1970s earned that squad the Seattle Times’ “Team of the Century” title. His jersey got retired in 2011.
Drafted No. 41 in 1980, he played 10 NBA seasons for eight teams across 329 games, then took basketball overseas, helping build leagues in Asia.
He died at 68. He leaves behind his daughter, Jasmine.
Elle Simone Scott (November 28, 1976 – January 5, 2026)
Elle Simone Scott didn’t tiptoe into food media. Born LaShawnda Sherise Simone Scott in Detroit, she started as a social worker before the 2008 recession wiped out her job, car, and home.
She pivoted. Cruise ship kitchens. New York City. Culinary school. In 2016, she became the first Black woman on America’s Test Kitchen. That same year, she was diagnosed with stage-1 ovarian cancer and chose honesty over silence.
Carla Hall called her “a force and a trailblazer.” Scott died at 49.
Jim McBride (April 28, 1947 – January 6, 2026)
Jim McBride wrote country songs that didn’t beg for attention. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, he grew up on the Grand Ole Opry, graduated Lee High School in 1965, then chased songwriting until it chased him back.
After Conway Twitty cut an early song, McBride moved to Nashville in 1980. Then Alan Jackson collaborations hit hard. Chattahoochee. Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow. Five No. 1s followed.
Jerry Salley said McBride was “instrumental in helping write America’s Country Music Songbook.” He died at 78.
Glenn Hall (October 3, 1931 – January 7, 2026)
Between 1955 and 1963, Glenn Henry Hall started 502 straight NHL games. He won the Calder Trophy in 1956, a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1961, and the Conn Smythe in 1968 even though the St. Louis Blues lost the Final.
Gary Bettman called him “sturdy, dependable, and a spectacular talent in net.” Hall died at 94.
Hans Herrmann (February 23, 1928 – January 9, 2026)
Hans Herrmann delivered Porsche its first overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1970, then retired because he promised his wife he would.
Born in Stuttgart and trained as a pastry chef, he raced for Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, earned a Formula One podium in the 1950s, and became known for calm under pressure when pressure was lethal.
Thomas Laudenbach said, “The passing of Hans Herrmann has deeply affected us all. He was one of Porsche AG’s most successful factory racing drivers.” Marcus Breitschwerdt added that his charisma made him beloved by fans and fellow drivers.
He died at 97.
Jim Hartung (June 7, 1960 – January 10, 2026)
Jim Hartung built a gymnastics life from backyard equipment his father made. He turned Nebraska into a powerhouse, earning 22 All-America honors and seven NCAA titles, including back-to-back all-around championships in 1981 and 1982.
He missed the 1980 Olympics due to the boycott, then helped lead the U.S. men to team all-around gold in 1984. Still the only time that’s happened.
Hartung later judged internationally and coached at the University of Nebraska for 19 seasons. He died of a heart attack at home in Lincoln. He was 65.
Bob Weir (October 16, 1947 – January 10, 2026)
Bob Weir was the glue in the Grateful Dead. They had songs that wandered without getting lost. Sugar Magnolia. Truckin’. Dead & Company shows as recently as August 2025.
He died at 78 after cancer complicated by lung issues.
Margo Price said, “Bob was a sage- a profoundly wise, musical guru… Bobby vibrated with magic.”
Erich von Däniken (April 14, 1935 – January 10, 2026)
Erich von Däniken made millions ask questions scholars didn’t want to answer. Chariots of the Gods? sold worldwide, shaped decades of UFO culture, and earned nonstop criticism from academia.
He trained as a cook, managed hotels, served prison time for early financial crimes, then built a writing career that sold over 70 million books. He also designed Mystery Park in Interlaken.
He died in Unterseen, Switzerland, at 90.
Dave Giusti (November 27, 1939 – January 11, 2026)
Dave Giusti reinvented himself. Starter to elite reliever. Born in Seneca Falls, New York, he starred at Syracuse University, debuted in MLB in 1962, then found his stride with the Pirates.
In 1971, he led the National League with 30 saves and helped Pittsburgh win the World Series. He finished with 100 wins, 145 saves, and 1,103 strikeouts.
He died at 86.
Claudette Colvin (September 5, 1939 – January 13, 2026)
Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat on March 2, 1955. Nine months before Rosa Parks. She was arrested. She stood firm.
She became a plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the case that ended bus segregation in Montgomery. In a 2009 NPR interview, she said, “It felt like Sojourner Truth was on one side pushing me down, and Harriet Tubman was on the other side of me pushing me down. I couldn’t get up.”
She later worked decades as a nurse’s aide in New York. She died at 86.
Sal Buscema (1936 – January 24, 2026)
Sal Buscema drew Marvel into deadlines and history. Spider-Man. Hulk. Avengers.
He died at 89.
Sly Dunbar (1952 – January 26, 2026)
Sly Dunbar built rhythms people still live inside. As half of Sly and Robbie, he reshaped reggae, dub, and pop.
He died at 73.
John Brodie (1935 – January 23, 2026)
John Brodie won NFL MVP in 1970, quarterbacked the 49ers, then moved into broadcasting and senior golf.
He died at 90 in Solana Beach, California.
Kevin Johnson (1970 – January 21, 2026)
Kevin Lamar Johnson played defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles and won an ArenaBowl with the Orlando Predators. He died at 55 in Los Angeles. His death was reported as a homicide.
Virginia Oliver (1920 – January 21, 2026)
Virginia “Ginny” Oliver worked as a lobster trapper into her hundreds. Maine called her the Lobster Lady.
She died at 105.
Dr. William H. Foege (1936 – January 24, 2026)
Dr. William Foege helped eradicate smallpox and later served as CDC director. He died at 89 from congestive heart failure at his home in Atlanta.
Francis Buchholz (1954 – 2026)
Francis Buchholz played bass for Scorpions.
He died at 71.
Manolo Villaverde (1936 – 2026)
Manolo Villaverde starred in ¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.?, making Cuban-American life visible on TV when it rarely was.
He died at 89.
Phil Goyette (1933 – 2026)
Phil Goyette won four Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens.
He died at 92.
Roger Allers (1949 – 2026)
Roger Allers co-directed The Lion King. Childhoods everywhere felt that.
He died at 76.
Stephen “Cat” Coore (1956 – 2026)
Cat Coore co-founded Third World and helped reggae stretch without breaking.
He died at 69.
Ralph Towner (March 1, 1940 – January 18, 2026)
Ralph Towner co-founded Oregon, recorded for ECM, and blended jazz, classical, and folk into something personal. Astronauts named lunar craters after his compositions. That’s not a normal career arc.
He died in Rome at 85.
Valentino Garavani
Valentino Garavani, better known simply as Valentino, the Italian couturier whose disciplined elegance and signature “Valentino red” helped define postwar glamour, died January 19, 2026, at his home in Rome. He was 93.
John Forté
John Forté, the Grammy-nominated recording artist and producer celebrated for his work with Fugees and Refugee Camp All-Stars, died January 12, 2026, at his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts. He was 50.
Scott Adams
Scott Adams, 68, died Tuesday after metastatic cancer. He built “Dilbert,” then torched it with Trump-era blogs and a livestream calling Black people a “hate group.” Want a takeaway? Keep your brand louder than your politics, fact-check your feed, and log off sooner. “There’s only one direction this goes now.”
