Two of the most famous mothers in film comedy, two members of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast and the man who played Tom Hagen in The Godfather all died in the first half of 2026. By the end of August the list also included Jurassic Park’s leading man and the star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. These are the best-known actors who have died in 2026 so far, in the order they died.
1. Catherine O’Hara (January 30, aged 71)
Kate McCallister in Home Alone, Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice and the Emmy-winning Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek. She died at home in Los Angeles after a brief illness.
2. James Van Der Beek (February 11, aged 48)
Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek. He had revealed his colorectal cancer in 2024 and spent his last year urging men to get screened.
3. Robert Duvall (February 15, aged 95)
Boo Radley, Tom Hagen, Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore and the Oscar-winning country singer of Tender Mercies. He died at home in Virginia.
4. Eric Dane (February 19, aged 53)
“McSteamy” in Grey’s Anatomy and Cal Jacobs in Euphoria. He died of ALS less than a year after announcing his diagnosis.
5. Chuck Norris (March 19, aged 86)
Bruce Lee’s opponent in The Way of the Dragon and the star of Walker, Texas Ranger. He died suddenly in Hawaii.
6. Nicholas Brendon (March 20, aged 54)
Xander in all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His family said he died in his sleep.
7. Valerie Perrine (March 23, aged 82)
Oscar-nominated for Lenny, and Eve Teschmacher in Superman. She had lived with Parkinson’s disease for years.
8. Nathalie Baye (announced April 18, aged 77)
Four-time César winner who worked with Truffaut, Chabrol and Dolan. She died at home in Paris.
9. Anthony Head (announced June 5, aged 72)
Rupert Giles in Buffy, Uther in Merlin and Rupert in Ted Lasso. He died of complications from pneumonia, three months after his Buffy co-star Nicholas Brendon.
10. Sam Neill (July 13, aged 78)
Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and the husband in The Piano. His family called his death in Sydney sudden and unexpected.
11. Brenda Fricker (mid-July, aged 81)
Oscar winner for My Left Foot and the Pigeon Lady in Home Alone 2. She died in Dublin.
12. Hayden Panettiere (August 16, aged 36)
Claire Bennet in Heroes and Juliette Barnes in Nashville. No cause had been released when her death was announced.
13. Tim Curry (late August, aged 80)
Dr Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Wadsworth in Clue and Pennywise in It. He had worked mainly as a voice actor since a stroke in 2012.
14. Stephanie Cole (September 18, aged 84)
Mrs Featherstone in Open All Hours, Diana Trent in Waiting for God and Sylvia in Coronation Street.
Home Alone and its sequel lost two of their adult stars in the same year: O’Hara, the mother who forgot Kevin, and Fricker, the woman who befriended him in Central Park.