For some actors, their Hollywood swan song was the finest of their career. We are thinking of John Wayne whose final movie was The Shootist, for example, a quiet and elegant western about the last days of a dying cowboy. Then there’s late actor Peter Finch who won an Oscar for his final performance in Network, an outstanding movie from Sidney Lumet that stands among the finest of 70s cinema.
But in this list, we take a look at those Hollywood greats whose final performances were in terrible movies. We all want to go out on a high but career-wise, that isn’t what happened for the following legendary actors. Thankfully, they all have a legacy of great movies behind them so it matters not that their last roles were in cinematic disasters.
Wonderwell (2023)
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher died in 2016 due to Atherosclerotic heart disease. Her passing was mourned not only by her family and friends but also by her many fans who had grown up watching her in the Star Wars movies.
Outside of that galaxy far, far, away, Fisher also had roles in The Blues Brothers, Hannah and Her Sisters, and When Harry Met Sally, alongside other movies that stand as the best of her career.
But her final movie role was in Wonderwell, a coming-of-age fairy tale that was filmed in 2016 but wasn’t released until 2023, apparently because of extra work needed on the visual effects. The fact that it was released at all is a miracle. Wonderwell is a terrible movie with little of merit beyond Fisher’s final role as a kindly witch who comes to the aid of a girl who has fallen into another realm.
The special effects are admittedly pretty good but the movie, which is more an uncomfortable metaphor for puberty than a fully-fledged fantasy piece, is boring and exploitative.
Absolutely Anything (2015)
Robin Williams
Robin Williams is one of the most beloved actor-comedians of all time. He tickled our funny bones with his hilarious performances in Aladdin, Mrs Doubtfire, and Night at the Museum. He made us cry (in a good way) with his dramatic roles in such movies as Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, and The Fisher King. And he showed his incredible acting range in movies where he played against type, such as Insomnia and One Hour Photo.
Sadly, Williams took his own life in 2014 at the age of just 63. His death shocked the world, more so because of how his life ended. His final movie role was voiceover only, as a talking dog in the abysmal sci-fi comedy Absolutely Anything. Despite the presence of actor Simon Pegg, the direction of Monty Python stalwart Terry Jones, and the comical voice belonging to Williams, the movie was quickly dismissed as a failure due to a shortage of laughs and a laboured script.
Still, let’s not dwell on Williams’ final movie or his tragic passing. Instead, let’s remember the incredibly talented man who, with his acting work in movies and television, blessed us with many years of pathos, fun and laughter.
Canadian Bacon (1995)
John Candy
John Candy was one of the biggest comedy stars of the 1980s with roles in such classic movies as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Spaceballs, and Uncle Buck. His career faltered a little in the 1990s although he did star in one great movie during that decade, 1993’s Cool Runnings, before his death at the age of 43, the result of a heart attack while filming the 1994 comedy western Wagons East.
That movie, about a ragged bunch of misfit settlers who hire Candy’s grizzled cowboy, can be considered one of the actor’s worst movies. But the last time he was seen on screen was in Canadian Bacon, a posthumously released comedy from US documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. It had a fine ensemble cast, including Alan Alda and Rip Torn, but despite its semi-interesting plotline about the US starting a Cold War against Canada, it didn’t capture the interest of critics or movie audiences.
Candy stars as Sheriff Bud Boomer in this movie but despite his comedic talents, he isn’t able to save this satirical misfire.
Sir Billi (2012)
Sean Connery
Sean Connery is perhaps most famous for his role as James Bond but let’s not forget his stand-out turn as Indy Sr in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as his other incredible performances in such movies as The Man Who Would Be King, The Untouchables, and The Hunt For Red October.
Connery retired from acting following his terrible on-set experiences while making 2003’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but that didn’t turn out to be his final movie. His last ever performance was voice only for the charmless animated comedy Sir Billi. The plot, if you’re interested to know, is about a retired veterinarian living in a remote Scottish village who encounters a goat who thinks he’s a dog.
The movie’s premise doesn’t raise the excitement levels though it’s not the plot that is the biggest problem. It’s the crude animation that really harms this cartoon feature as it’s amateurish to behold and far from what we have come to expect from animated movies today. At least Connery didn’t get to show his face in this one as if he did, we imagine he would have looked rather embarrassed.
Street Fighter (1994)
Raul Julia
Released after his death in 1994, Street Fighter is one of the worst video game adaptations ever made. The movie was headlined by Jean Claude Van Damme (who is no stranger to awful movies) as the heroic Colonel William F. Guile who goes up against Julia’s boo-hissable villain General M. Bison with the aid of his crack team.
The movie has terrible fight scenes and a paper-thin script, so isn’t worth your time unless you’re a die-hard fan of Capcom’s gaming franchise. Julia does his best with his less-than-inspired final role – he even researched various dictators and crime lords so he could incorporate their traits and mannerisms into his performance – but this wasn’t enough to save this uninspired action flick from ‘game over.’
This isn’t the movie we should remember Raul Julia for. Instead, we should consider his performances in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Presumed Innocent, and The Addams Family when celebrating his mostly successful career.
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
Bela Lugosi
Back in the 1930s and 40s, Bela Lugosi starred in some of those decades’ best horror movies. He is perhaps most remembered for his role as the titular count in 1931’s Dracula but also worthy of note were his roles in The Raven, The Black Cat, and The Wolf Man.
Of course, Lugosi wasn’t only known for his work in horror films but it was his success in that genre that caused him to be cast in various horror spoofs during the last years of his long career. His final role was in Plan 9 From Outer Space, a clunky sci-fi outing from the notoriously bad director Ed Wood that is considered one of the worst movies ever made.
The movie tells the tale of alien invaders who attempt to resurrect the dead. Lugosi got top billing as ‘Ghoul Man’ but you shouldn’t expect to see him on screen for long. The actor died before the movie was finished so when his character is seen on screen, it’s often a double (who was significantly taller than Lugosi) that we see performing with a cape over his face to hide his identity.
Wicked Stepmother (1989)
Bette Davis
Legendary actress Bette Davis died in 1989 at the grand old age of 81. With a career spanning 50 years, she delivered many memorable performances, most notably in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, in such classic movies as Dark Victory, Mr. Skeffington, and All About Eve.
Later on in her career, she captivated audiences with her performances in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Death On The Nile, and The Whales of August, but unfortunately, despite starring in some of the finest movies ever made, her final performance was as a chain-smoking witch in Wicked Stepmother.
The notoriously prickly actress doesn’t have a great amount of screen time in the movie, however, as she withdrew from the production shortly after filming began, allegedly due to ill health, though some have cited other reasons, such as her having issues with the movie’s terrible script.
We might never know the real reason why she walked away from Wicked Stepmother but one thing’s for sure, after seeing this failed picture, you’ll understand why she might have had grievances with this appalling black comedy.
Year One (2009)
Harold Ramis
The last time we saw Harold Ramis on screen was via visual effect magic in 2021’s nostalgic Ghostbusters reboot but his last official movie appearance was in Year One, a farcical comedy that he also directed.
Among Year One’s comedic cast were Jack Black, Micheal Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, but despite their incredible talents, they were unable to raise many laughs due to the lame script that was full of childish humour.
As well as this movie being Ramis’ last as an actor, it was also his last as a movie director, though he did direct a few episodes of The Office before his death in 2014. He is sadly missed but at least we have his memorable performance as Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters movies to remember him by, as well as his acting turns in Stripes, Groundhog Day (which he also directed), and As Good As It Gets.
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Orson Welles
Orson Welles is the legendary actor-director behind Citizen Kane, the movie many hail as the greatest of all time, as well as other classic movies, including The Third Man, Touch of Evil, and The Long Hot Summer. Welles is considered to be one of Hollywood’s finest filmmakers and performers, and if you have seen any of his aforementioned works, you will understand why.
His last official movie is 2018’s The Other Side of the Wind which was given a posthumous release after spending 48 years in development. However, his last acting role was as the voice of the villainous Unicron in this first movie to be based on the Transformer toys that were popular at the time of its release. Welles recorded his lines 5 days before he died in 1985 so he mercifully never got to see the finished result, not that we think he would have watched it anyway.
The movie is yet another example of a big Hollywood Studio pushing out a movie to capitalize on the success of a toy and as was so often the case in the 80s – see also The Care Bears Movie and My Little Pony: The Movie – this animated Transformers flick failed to impress critics or the movie’s target audience.
In recent years, The Lego Movie and Barbie have shown us what filmmakers can do with toy properties, so it’s just a shame that Welles wasn’t given the same level of quality material when he gave his final film performance.
Something Wicked (2014)
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy made her astonishing (and hilarious) movie debut in 1995’s Clueless and in the years following, she had acting roles in such great movies as Don’t Say a Word, 8 Mile, and Sin City. But despite her incredible acting talents, the latter part of her career was littered with such movie flops as The Ramen Girl, Deadline, Across the Hall, and the movie that would prove to be her last, 2014’s Something Wicked, a by-the-numbers psychological thriller about a pair of newlyweds who don’t go on to have a life ‘happily-ever-after.’
Murphy didn’t have a ‘happily-ever-after’ either. Several months after filming wrapped on what would be her final film, she passed away at the age of 32 under disputed circumstances. According to the coroner’s report, she died from pneumonia with contributing factors of iron deficiency anaemia and multiple drug intoxication. But following her death, a separate inquiry led her father to believe she had been poisoned (source).
Murphy’s passing is still mired in mystery but let’s not dwell on her untimely death or her terrible final movie. Instead, let’s remember the incredibly talented actress who delighted audiences in Clueless and her other celebrated movies.
What do you think of this list? Are there any other actors who think deserve a mention? Let us know in the comments below.