Actors Tragically Killed In Plane Crashes

For those of us who are invested in pop culture, it can be terribly sad when those stars who have brightened our lives with their shine depart our earthly plane too soon. From actors to musicians to athletes, these are people whom we welcome into our homes just as readily as old friends; they tell us stories, sing us songs, and make us feel a little better about the world around us. Unfortunately, despite how it can sometimes appear, they are also mortal, and subject to the whims of fate just like the rest of us. 

Of all the ways that we can check out unexpectedly, perhaps the most dramatic is to die in a plane crash; such events are exceedingly rare, and particularly when a movie star perishes in an aviation accident, it can seem quite literally like a star falling from the sky. Here are some of the most notable names in Hollywood who have met with that fate, leaving behind not only their loved ones and adoring fans, but also their legends.

Berry Berenson followed a winding road to Hollywood. The daughter of a diplomat, she made her name as a fashion photographer, and through her actress sister Marisa, she became acquainted with a gaggle of film stars, many of whom posed for her camera. One of those was "Psycho" star Anthony Perkins, who was privately gay at a time when it was considered aberrant. In an attempt to "cure" himself, Perkins had been in therapy, and he had pointed out Berenson in a Vogue Magazine spread for his therapist as the type of woman that attracted him. The pair would meet by chance years later, and despite Perkins' sexual orientation, they married — and remained so for the rest of his life, having two children together.

Berenson dabbled in acting during her marriage to Perkins, appearing in the thriller "Remember My Name" with her husband and in the 1982 Paul Schrader film "Cat People," among others. Perkins died of AIDS in 1992, with Berenson by his side; her fate would, unfortunately, be no less dramatic. On September 11, 2001, 53-year-old Berenson was aboard American Airlines flight 11 when it was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center. Memorializing her in a 2014 HuffPost column, her friend, actress and author Carole Mallory, called her, "the personification of unconditional love."

Argentinian Carlos Gardel probably did more to popularize the tango than any other artist in history. As a recording artist, he recorded tunes like "Mi Noche Triste," which featured melodramatic, story-driven lyrics, whereas most tango compositions of the time were instrumental; as an actor, he appeared in early Argentine talkies such as 1931's "Las Luces de Buenos Aires," giving off an effortlessly cool, elegant vibe while often showcasing his singing talents. He is an icon who is adored in Argentina to this day — even though his life was cut tragically short nearly a century ago. 

In 1935, while in the middle of a South American tour, Gardel's private plane went down in Colombia; everyone aboard perished, including his faithful musical collaborator Alfredo Le Pera. So beloved was Gardel that, after his death, his remains took a circuitous journey back to Argentina, which included stops in New York, Rio de Janeiro, and Montevideo, all of which drew thousands of mourners. Gardel's death came at the absolute peak of his fame; he was only 45 years old, and in Argentina, he is still a legendary figure.

British actor Leslie Howard began his career on the stage during the silent film era, making his silver screen debut during the dawn of the talkies in 1930. His stage presence served him well in the early days of Hollywood; his acting and directing chops were such that he mounted his own production of "Hamlet," in which he also starred, and in his short film career, he made his mark in multiple classic films. He held down the lead role in the first film production of the George Bernard Shaw play "Pygmalion," starred in adaptations of "Of Human Bondage" and "Romeo and Juliet," and appeared in a key role in "Gone With the Wind."

At the advent of World War II, Howard went to work making Allied propaganda films — and improbably, he became the rare Hollywood actor to die a soldier's death. On June 1, 1943, Howard and 16 others were killed when their passenger plane, traveling to Bristol, England from Portugal, was shot down over the Bay of Biscay by Axis aircraft; the exact details of the incident are unknown, as the official record will remain sealed until 2043. 

Carole Lombard was one of the most talented actresses of her generation, and one of the first true superstars of the big screen. Beginning her career as a child actress, she was a success in the silent era, starring in over 20 pictures — and when the talkies arrived, she was one of a handful of actors who had no trouble with the transition, thanks to her sultry voice. 

The star of countless screwball comedies of the '30s and an Academy Award nominee for 1936's "My Man Godfrey," the multi-talented actress was perhaps as well-known for her whirlwind, storybook romance with matinee idol Clark Gable, whom she married in 1939; her career was going full tilt when the U.S. entered World War II, and, like many actors, she helped out with a publicity tour to sell war bonds in 1942.

Most of the trip was completed by train, but fatefully, she chose to board a flight home at its conclusion, a DC-3 which was also ferrying Lombard's mother, MGM executive Otto Winkler, and a group of Army pilots from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. In part due to the fact that warning beacons had been disabled, over the fear of Japanese bombers appearing on the mainland (Pearl Harbor was, of course, fresh in everyone's memory), the plane strayed from its course — and plunged into a cliff on the side of Mount Potosi, about 30 miles outside of Vegas. A distraught Gable never fully recovered; although he married twice more, he was buried next to Lombard upon his death in 1960.

Exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer is responsible for a slew of low-budget '60s and '70s flicks with titles like "Skyscrapers and Brassieres," "Mondo Topless," and "Supervixens," which may give you an idea as to his proclivities. For much of this time, his partner in crime — both onscreen and off — was his wife Eve Meyer, a former pin-up model and Playboy Playmate whom he married in 1952. Eve appeared in a goodly number of Meyer's films, and worked as an associate producer on several, including the exploitation classics "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" and "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," the latter of which holds the distinction of being the only film to be co-written, with Russ Meyer, by legendary film critic Roger Ebert.

In 1977, at the age of 48, Eve Meyer became a casualty in one of the deadliest events in aviation history: the Tenerife airport disaster, which took place on the tiny island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Two passenger planes, both of which had been diverted from a larger airport due to a terrorist attack earlier in the day, were taxiing in preparation for takeoff when they collided with each other and burst into flames; nearly 600 people lost their lives. 

Veteran character actor Christian Oliver carved out a career for himself that spanned nearly three decades, making his debut in the 1994 spin-off "Saved By the Bell: The New Class." The German-born actor amassed a huge body of television and video game credits; he did not often venture into feature films, but when he did, he tended to make it count. Among his credits are the 2006 Steven Soderbergh drama "The Good German," in which he starred alongside the likes of George Clooney and Cate Blanchett; and "Speed Racer," the 2008 adaptation that, despite its mixed reception, stands as one of the most ambitious and singular works in the filmography of the Wachowskis.

On January 4, 2024, Oliver was aboard a small aircraft, flying to the island of St. Lucia with his two young daughters, when the single-engine plane experienced serious mechanical issues, crashing into the ocean shortly after takeoff. Oliver had been on vacation after completing his latest film, "Forever Hold Your Peace," which he had also co-produced; the film's director Nick Lyon, speaking with The New York Times, lamented the fact that Oliver would not see it released. "It was a big project for us," he said. "We had talked about it for years." Oliver was only 51 years old.