Throughout the history of cinema, the untimely death of actors has at times coincided with them delivering their best performance. This sad recurrence in cinematic history has brought audiences to the edge of their feelings, as these final roles seem to be forever intertwined with the idea that something in the personal life of these actors and actresses was brooding alongside the energy that brought those portrayals to life.
Film festivals and the well-known awards circuits have constantly recognized the power behind these final performances, ultimately giving the world highly emotional moments in which life is celebrated after death. Posthumous nominations such as the ones James Dean or Chadwick Boseman received after their respective deaths were celebrated by critics, audiences and the industry alike. These posthumous nominations and winners at the Academy Awards are the best of their kind,spanning all the way backfrom the second ceremony ever to the present decade.
Massimo Troisi – Il Postino (1995)
Il Postino (The Postman)is an adaptation of the ’80s fiction bookBurning Patience. The film follows real-life poet Pablo Neruda, who, while living in political exile on a small Italian island, forms a friendship with Mario, a local postman. Their encounter changes their perspectives on life as Mario becomes influenced by Neruda’s political views and poetry, while the poet learns that the people living on a small island weren’t as simple-minded as he thought.
The film’s greatest strength is Massimo Troisi, who, besides co-writing the film, stars in it as Mario. Parallel to his work onIl Postino, he had health struggles, even postponing heart surgery, so he could complete filming. One day after wrapping up, he suffered a fatal attack which ended his life. He would go on to receive two Academy Award nominations for both his acting and writing.
What Makes It Great
Troisi was known as“the comedian of feelings.”His films would often give a comedic spin to emotionally complex situations. InIl Postino, he plays a character who at first glance appears to be simple and naïve, but turns out to be a complex human being who is craving for something more in his life. Through the pseudo-father figure of Neruda, he becomes that something more he so desperately wants to be. He realizes that becoming more aware of certain aspects of life, such as political and spiritual identities, also brings with it heavier conscious work. Troisi’s performance comes together, presenting the most vulnerable moments of Mario’s life in which he reflects on his newfound ideas and beliefs. By balancing along the fine line between tragedy and comedy, Troisi delivered a unique performance worth revisiting.
Ralph Richardson – Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apesretells the classic Tarzan story through a modern and mature lens. The film follows the story of a child stranded alone after a shipping disaster in the 19th century, who is eventually raised by apes on the Congolese coast. Twenty years later, he is found by a Belgian explorer who takes it upon himself to return the now grown man to civilization.
Upon his return, he is reunited with his grandfather, who sees in him his long-departed son. Ralph Richardson’s performance as the 6th Earl of Greystoke, the protagonist’s grandfather, was one of the most celebrated aspects of the film, earning him nominations for Best Supporting Actor at both BAFTAs and Oscars, which he sadly did not live to see as he passed away a year before the film came out.
Ralph Richardson’s performance is at its core a channeling of sadness and grief into a tender state of love and comfort. The 6th Earl of Greystoke is a man who, at the first glance of his grandson,is reminded of his departed son. The pain and inability to come to terms with his death are channeled in his immediate love for his grandson. Richardson delivered a poetic final performance, bringing to life a character who seeks peace before the end of his life.
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottomis a dramatization of August Wilson’s 1982 play of the same name, which follows a turbulent recording session in 1927 in which the titular Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), known as “The Mother of Blues,” comes into conflict with Levee Green (Chadwick Boseman), her talented horn player who wishes to obtain a recording contract of his own, and thewhite music executives who want to control her output.
Boseman, who had become one of Hollywood’s freshest new leading men, was also dealing privately with colon cancer. Some months beforeMa Raineypremiered, he passed away, leaving behind, in his final performance, his brightest moment. For his work on the film, he earned a string of Best Actor nominations, and won a Golden Globe. His Academy Award nomination made him the first black actor to ever be nominated posthumously for an Oscar.
Boseman takes the viewer through a rollercoaster of emotions, as his performance is more than just the story of a boisterous man who wants to break free from conventions and restraints. Through his characterization of Levee, Boseman pours through observations of what it means to be black in America, the complicated process of dealing with generational trauma and the frustrating sensation left by a society which has no apparent interest in fairness towards minorities. In Boseman’s performance, Levee is a short fuse who mostly plays it cool, but when that cool veneer breaks, he delivers the core moments of the film through passionate monologues and discussions.
James Dean – East of Eden (1955)
After his breakthrough inRebel Without a Cause, James Dean concluded his brief career with two Academy Award-nominated performances, the first of which was for his role inEast of Eden. This John Steinbeck adaptation by the master Elia Kazan concerns Cal Trask (Dean), the son of a California farmer who feels his father only cares for his brother. After embarking on a business venture to gain his father’s favor, Cal finds himself dealing with his estranged mother, and falling for his brother’s girlfriend. Dean’s tragic performance earned him his first of two posthumous Oscar nominations for Best Actor.
Dean’s magnetic screen presence captured the spirit of the times: a changing society that had moved past the post-war era in which youth now played a predominant part in the shaping of the cultural zeitgeist. Part ofwhy James Dean remains so iconicis that he was one of those keystone figures who helped establish the coming-of-age archetypes in cinema, and inEast of Edenhe brings to life all the internal turmoil of youth with intensity and tenderness.
In his struggle for love and meaning, Cal is a universal figure who appeals to young people regardless of their time. His struggle with the pains that come with the loss of innocence is honored through a complex and heartbreaking performance. Dean’s eyes resemble the ones of a stray dog who doesn’t know where to go, and he moves through genuine expressions of a confused young person who is at a loss for ideas as to what to do with so much conflict in his heart.
Jeanne Eagels – The Letter (1929)
Hollywood’s Pre-Code erawas one of originality and boldness. Dark themes, approaches and techniques to film were very present in the mainstream and were the precursor to the daring reinventions of cinema that came later in the century. Led by a terribly sad performance by Jeanne Eagels,The Letteris a perfect example of this era. The story centers on Leslie Crosbie, the wife of a plantation owner in Malaysia, who, in her loneliness and boredom, finds a lover. He eventually takes up with another woman, enraging Leslie, who shoots him. As she is taken to trial, the truth behind her actions is on the verge of being known.
Modern audiences would be quick to categorize performances of this first wave of non-silent films as melodramatic and overly theatrical, but a closer look at Eagle’s delivery brings way much more to the table than that. Her performance is great because it portrays pain in a raw and unfiltered way, and how the strength of emotions can change the course of human lives.
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Through mostly procedural situations in which Leslie faces public scrutiny for her actions, Eagels channels hopelessness and desperation in an emotionally honest way, baring her pain to others. The actress herself struggled with turmoil within her life, which blended together with her performances. Her complications with substance abuse caused her to pass away a few months after completingThe Letter. She would go on to become the first posthumous nominee at the Oscars.
Spencer Tracy – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967)
Spencer Tracy was one of the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. His four-decade career ended with Stanley Kramer’s classicGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The plot revolves around a young white woman who brings her African American fiancé to meet her liberal, upper-class parents. The film delves into the prejudices and societal expectations of the time as the family grapples with their own biases and societal norms.
Spencer Tracy’s performance inGuess Who’s Coming to Dinneris one of the film’s standout elements. As Matt Drayton, Tracy portrays a character who initially grapples with the shock of his daughter’sdecision to marry a black man. He brings a profound sense of authenticity and emotional depth to the role, capturing the internal conflict of a well-meaning, liberal-minded father who is forced to confront his own biases.
Tracy had a history of alcohol abuse which led to his health being in a very poor state by the time he reached 60. Only seventeen days after the completion ofGuess Who’s Coming to Dinner,he died of a fatal heart attack at age 67. His brilliant performance in the film delivered him his final nomination for Best Actor at the Oscars, which he had previously won twice.
James Dean – Giant (1956)
The epic George Stevens’ filmGiantchronicles the life of a rich Texas family as they deal with love, land disputes, and changing times in the first half of the twentieth century. At the core of the family is the marriage between Jordan “Bick” Benedict (Rock Hudson) and, Leslie Lynnton Benedict (Elizabeth Taylor). James Dean wraps up the leads as Jett Rink, a ranch hand who develops a crush on Leslie, and is despised by Bick. The film was the final lead role for Dean, who died in a car accident after wrapping up filming. His performance earned him his second and final Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Dean’s last rolecould very well be his best. As a fragile but defiant ranch hand who goes on to become a wealthy oil tycoon, Dean incorporates a series of feelings which evolve as the sprawling film goes on. His portrayal captures the essence of an individual, who struggles with inadequacy, unrequited love, and the isolation that comes with his growing power. He rages through a variety of emotions that come and go. At first, he is quiet and amicable, and as he finds success in life, he goes on to be corrupted by his power, but showing cracks in his façade.
Peter Finch – Network (1976)
Networkis a 1976 Sidney Lumet film which satirizes the world of news, and the effects the media have on people. The plot centers around Howard Beale (Peter Finch), a veteran news anchor whose declining ratings lead to his firing. In his frustration, Beale states on live television that he will commit suicide on air. What comes next is the network’s exploitation of Beale’s unhinged state, as his wild comments have made the ratings go up. As his influence grows, the lines between news and entertainment fade away.
In a twist of fate, Finch passed away after completing the film. This tour-de-force performance is his not only his most popular one, but also his crowning achievement, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor posthumously. His co-star Beatrice Straight earned an Oscar as well,the shortest performance ever to do so.
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Finch brings a mesmerizing intensity and authenticity to the character. His descent into madness is disturbing, but it is objectively entertaining as it appeals to primitive elements of human nature. This situation of a man on the edge of his existence being in the public eye required a commanding performance, and Finch delivers in every scene. From his original breakdown to his establishment as the “mad prophet of the news,” the comedy and tragedy trade blows in one of film’s most celebrated acting works.
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight
The second installment in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy proved to bethe crowning achievement of the saga. The film follows Batman’s confrontation with the Joker, an anarchic mastermind of chaos who drowns Gotham in violence and insecurity as he plots highly-elaborate and unpredictable plans, which Batman seems to always be a step behind. The film is mostly remembered for Heath Ledger’s game-changing performance as The Joker. The Australian actor committed to the role in a way that had never been seen before in a superhero movie, which brought up Oscar talk even before the film premiered. Part of what made the performance so anticipated was the news of Ledger’s passing shortly before the film reached audiences.
Whether it was Ledger’s physical transformation, mannerisms, demented charisma, or the hauntingly unpredictable nature he brings to the character, nearly anyone who witnessed his performance was in awe. Iconic catchphrases, dark humor, and obscure motivations were part of what makes his turn as the Joker one of the most beloved performances in recent memory. Ledger swept the entire awards circuit, leading up to winning the Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor posthumously.
