Indiana Jones Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

"I've followed you on many adventures...but into the great unknown mystery, I go first, Indy!"

―Wu Han

The character Wu Han from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom may have passed on, but thankfully the actor who played him, David Yip, is still with us. And luckily the guy who plays the fedora donning, whip-cracking teacher/archaeologist Dr. Jones is still on earth too. Sadly, many actors who have also followed Indy on many adventures, stood in his way, or even tried to kill him have passed away. And there are some you probably didn't even realize were no longer with us. But thanks to the permanence of film, they will always be with us, so we can remember them now and forever.

Here are the Indiana Jones actors, from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, you may not know passed away.

Indy had many sidekicks, but the one we all got the most kick out of was Marcus Brody, he of "got lost in his own museum" fame. Brody was a great source of support, both financially and emotionally, to Dr. Jones in two films, and was played with excellent comical rhythm by Denholm Elliott ("Does anyone here speak English?"). Elliott was a well respected actor of stage and screen: his career kicked into gear when Laurence Olivier picked him to play his son on stage back in 1950. He even netted an Academy Award nomination for playing Mr. Emerson, an English tourist, in 1985's A Room With A View. One of his other classic 1980s gigs was playing a helpful butler to both Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in Trading Places. While we last saw Brody riding off into the sunset in Crusade, Elliot's final real life years were also spent in sunshine, in Ibiza, Spain, but in sickness. He had contracted AIDS through an unknown origin, and died of tuberculosis brought on by the virus in 1992.

Raiders' Army Intelligence agents, Musgrove and Eaton, don't have enough "intelligence" between them to lick a stamp, and that's why they meet with Professor Jones and push him to be the brains behind their pressing expedition to beat the Nazis to the lost Ark finish line. Laurel & Hardy-like, with the thin Eaton, played by Don Fellows, and the rotund Musgrove, by William Hootkins, they get the ball rolling, but don't exactly convince Indy that their "top men" are on "top" of anything. This isn't the only movie the two have shared billing on, as they crossed paths several times before including 1977's Valentino, 1986's Haunted Honeymoon, and 1989's Superman IV. Any possible future partnership ended when Hootkins (who also played Jek Porkins in Star Wars) died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Fellows (one of the last surviving members of the original Broadway cast of South Pacific) followed in 2007 of a undisclosed causes.

Just saying "Nazi face melt" conjours up images of Raiders of the Lost Ark's Major Arnold Toht seeing the contents of the ark and paying the price for it. Ronald Lacey, the British actor who portrayed him, suffered from bowel cancer and died of liver failure at the age of 55 in 1991. In that short life, Lacey kept plenty busy with 170 roles to his name, mainly playing bad guys mouthed with that one-of-a-kind evil smile. Many ended up dying in other horrible ways. No other character of his surpassed Toht in public consciousness, and that wasn't even Lacey's curtain call with the series, as he had an uncredited cameo in The Last Crusade as a Gestapo Nazi. 

Michael Sheard, who had auditioned to play Toht but lost out to Lacey, ended up playing the U-Boat Captain in Raiders, and the plumb role of Adolf Hitler in the Last Crusade. Sheard died in 2005.

Pat Roach is, besides Ford, the only actor to appear in all three of the original Indiana Jones trilogy films. He's probably best known as the bald Nazi mechanic who gets his head chopped off by a plane's propeller mid-fight with Indy. That wasn't even his only character in Raiders, much less the only who tussled with Jones and ended up dead — he also played the large Sherpa in Nepal went up in flames. In Temple of Doom, his Thuggee Chief Guard mined for trouble with Indiana, and got his head pulverized by a rock crusher for his troubles. In Last Crusade he was on the hunt for both Jr. and Sr., but staved off death as that scene was cut from the film. Roach was also a wrestler and stuntman, whose burly build helped him book small roles in Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon, Bond flick Never Say Never Again, and Willow. He also auditioned for, but didn't get, the part of Darth Vader. He died of throat cancer in 2004.

Lessons are learned hard in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and one of them is to never challenge Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) to a drinking contest. The "Australian Climber," played by Patrick Durkin, tried his best to go toe to toe with the bar's owner, but couldn't keep up. He passed out with a giant smile on his face, much to the chagrin of those who had bet on him to win. During his 40 year career, he climbed many professional heights, including a steady career on British television, and yet his drunken climber not only left an impression with audiences, but his co-stars. On set, he recited the classic poem Horatius, which apparently had touched Harrison Ford so much that he was "speechless and in tears," and so "overwhelmed [that he] couldn't go on filming for another hour." The actor died of an undisclosed nature in 2009.

"He fought Indiana Jones, James Bond, Luke Skywalker and Rambo — there's not many people who can say that," Terry Richards, Jr. proudly told the BBC upon his senior father's sudden passing in 2014. Yes, Terry Richards had pieced quite the resume in 81 years of life. A stuntman by trade and actor when needed, he worked on 9 different James Bond films versus four different 007s, The Princess Bride, Total Recall, TV's The Avengers, and even suited up as a Wampa in Empire Strikes Back, but had his scenes cut from the finish product. He acted as a body double for such talents as George Kennedy, Christopher Lee, Dave Prowse, Tom Selleck, and Donald Sutherland. A lot of actors only get 15 minutes of fame, but Terry got 15 seconds — as Raiders' swashbuckling "Arabian swordsman" who challenges Indy to a marketplace duel, only to be gunned down by Dr. Jones' handy pistol.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's main baddie, Mola Ram, is the kind of man to literally steal your heart, with no intention of returning it. Graphic heart wrenching scenes like that, in a movie rated PG, eventually led to the creation of the PG-13 rating. Besides a part in Gandhi, the world outside of India probably didn't realize the man behind the Ram, Amrish Puri, was one of the most prolific actors to ever appear in the franchise, with over 300 credits to his name. A well known screen villain in Bollywood, Puri at first rebuffed the chance to play the part, refusing to audition, but Spielberg and his crew won him over, and for his incredible work as the high priest called him his "favorite villain. The best the world has ever produced and ever will." In 2005, after a fall in his home, Puri died of a brain hemorrhage.

Philip Stone's regal and refined Captain Phillip Blumburtt in Temple of Doom may not have been his best known work, but he certainly looked really sharp in that uniform. It's hard to picture Stone with hair, but the actor who once had his young promising career derailed by tuberculosis, and used to strap on a toupee when performing. Then one day, based on a director's suggestion, he said goodbye to it, and his bald head made him stand out in a crowd — and to a crowd. His best known bald roles come thanks to Stanley Kubrick –Delbert Grady, The Shining's ghostly former caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, and Alex DeLarge's delicate and deflated "Pa" in A Clockwork Orange. He also appeared in Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, but was given a tuft of hair. Stone died at the age of 79 in 2003.

"Nice try Lao Che!" Just when you think Indy has the upper hand — ducking out of Club Obi Wan (yes, named for the Jedi), and escaping into the Shanghai streets from the clutches of the notorious Chinese gangster — Lao Che is the one who gets the last laugh on the good Doctor, sending him indirectly to the Temple of Doom. And what a sinister laugh Lao Che had, although not as sinister as his son's Kao Kan's cackle. Che was portrayed by Roy Chiao, a Shanghai-born actor who at one time joined the U.S. Army and served as a translator. He later broke into acting and became known as the "Lion" of Mandarin cinema, working with the likes of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung, and later with Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport. Chiao died of heart disease in 1999, at the age of 72.

When Don Ruter "D.R." Nanayakkara was cast in his final role, as the village Shaman in Temple of Doom, he didn't speak a word of English. Spielberg fed him his dialogue line by line — giving unintentional, happy-accident dramatic pauses to his scenes. As the village's spiritual rock, he and the Chieftain (Dharmadasa Kuruppu, who died in 1998) rock Indy's world by telling them about their stolen Sankara Stones, and sets our hero's course onto one of his toughest adventures he'll ever face. Nanayakkara may not be a household name, unless your house is in Sri Lanka. A staple of Sinhala cinema, in 1968 alone he appeared in eleven movies, and was twice nominated as a Best Actor for a Sarasaviya Award (Sri Lanka's equivalent to the Oscars). When  He contracted AIDS and died 12 months later of tuberculosis related to the virus in 1989, at age 73.

In Temple of Doom, Denawaka Hamine and Ruby de Mel are teary-eyed mothers begging Indiana Jones and his companions to find their stolen children. Their conveyance of loss and pain affected not only our heroes, but the audience as well. In the end, it's a relief to all once their children are freed and run into their parents' arms, seeking that warm motherly embrace.  Like fellow countryman D.R. Nanayakkara, Hamine and de Mel are both beloved stalwarts of the Sri Lankan film industry, and have each won awards for their respective careers that have spanned decades. Outside of Temple, Hamine and de Mel worked together the year prior on a film titled Sister Mary, and ten years later on the French television show Des héros ordinaires. The two have separately worked with D.R. Nanayakkara, with Hamine netting the most collaborations with him at 7 other films. Hamine passed at age 96 in 2002, while de Mel died at age 86 in 2004.

There were several lucky merchants invited to the Maharaja's tasty Temple of Doom banquet at Pankot Palace, but there were none possessing quite the bizarre tastes and appetite of the nameless one Indian actor Frank Olegario had played. Not to be confused with the "snake surprise" guy, Olegario is the turbaned and bearded merchant who is quick to slurp down the best parts of a beetle's innards, and relish in its deliciousness by letting out a massive burp — much to the disgust of Willie Scott and Short Round. Later in the dinner, he teems with excitement when dessert is served, his favorite dish: Chilled Monkey Brains. Olegario had a varied career, appearing on the TV series The Saint and The Avengers, and more stereotypical roles, including "Man with Fez" in the James Bond flick Diamonds Are Forever. He died in 1988 at age 59.

Indiana Jones has fought and survived Nazis, jungle tribes, gangsters, death cults, and even the wrath of God ... but his biggest fear is the approval and love of his namesake, Henry Jones, Sr. The elder Jones is more scholarly than adventurous when compared to his son, but his charm, wit and heart beat just as fast as the scion. It's a shame he was only introduced in the third installment, because Sean Connery's work as the first Dr. Jones resulted in one of the most memorable supporting roles in a blockbuster film. To see a vulnerable, older, kooky James Bond get into much trouble with his son was a treat that we were all so lucky to feast on. The Elder Dr. Jones didn't saddle up for film #4, as Connery couldn't be lured out of his retirement, which he made official in 2006. He died peacefully in his sleep of pneumonia and heart failure on Halloween in 2020.

Harrison Ford, who played River Phoenix's father in Mosquito Coast, suggested him for the part as young Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade.  This fun flashback opening act to the Last Crusade inspired George Lucas to further these adventures in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which ran for 2 seasons on ABC — albeit with Sean Patrick Flannery in the title role. Brimming with talent and sex appeal, Phoenix's potential was limitless, and the only thing that could stop him was himself. Some of his best movies include Stand By Me, My Own Private Idaho and Running on Empty — for which he nabbed an Academy Award nomination. Halloween has not been a kind date to men who have portrayed Jones boys in The Last Crusade. Connery left us on that day in 2020, and in 1993 at the tender age 23, River Phoenix tragically died of a drug overdose.

While Sir Laurence Olivier was once considered for the role, Robert Eddison ultimately landed the eternal duty of The Last Crusade's Grail Knight, protector of the cup of Christ. The casting director chose ... wisely. The Knight stuck around in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon, ever watching guard over the relic, and sporting chain mail nonstop for over 700 years, before Indy and company showed up.  It was his best known role, but otherwise, Eddison had a long storied career in theater, especially in Shakespearean productions, working alongside such titans as Ian McKellen, Maggie Smith and Daniel Day-Lewis. He also worked in the British television industry, including playing the wizard Merlin in a 1979 production of The Legend of King Arthur. Unlike his character, Eddison didn't achieve eternal life and said goodnight at 83 years of age, dying of bronchial pneumonia in 1991.

The man with the "Panama Hat" is a thorn in Indiana's side x 2. When Jones was younger, he stole the Cross of Coronado from Panama Hat and his band of grave robbers, before being forced to hand it back over. A quarter of a century later, Indiana is a grown man, but still battling Panama Hat for the possession of the valuable crucifix. Dr. Jones believes it belongs in a museum, while Panama Hat shouts back at him the classic line, "So do you!" The older man under the Panama Hat was Canadian Paul Maxwell (née Maxim Popovich), a Yale trained actor who also appeared in The Pink Panther Strikes Again, A Bridge Too Far, and a thorn in Ripley's side in Aliens. He also was a stage and voice actor, lending his pipes to the supermarionation series Thunderbirds. Maxwell died at the age of 70 in 1991.

In the fourth installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, John Hurt played Harold "Ox" Oxley, a longtime colleague of Indy who studied with him under the tutelage of Marion Ravenwood's father Abner. Prior to the events in the film, Ox and Marion have been kidnapped in Peru while searching for crystal skulls, and Marion's son Mutt Williams seeks out Dr. Jones. They all get tangled up with usual suspect Nazis seeking the skulls for their own aims. Hurt's thin frame and raspy voice made him stand out in this small role, and in such films as 1984, Alien, Spaceballs (where he spoofed his own Alien gut busting), Midnight Express and The Elephant Man — with the latter two earning him two Academy Award nominations. He was continuously working up until he passed on in 2017 at the age of 77.