Things We Learned About Action Stars After They Died

Action stars come across as invincible on the big screen. No matter the obstacles they face, no matter the overwhelming odds in front of them, they overcome it all in the end. In the real world, though, no one can outrun death when the grim reaper comes knocking. If it's your time, it's your time — regardless of the level of your celebrity.

After the death of famous people, it's common for their family and friends to discuss their most cherished memories about them. Sometimes, these stories are well-known to their fans. Other times, they reveal key information that only those close to them would know — whether the facts are sad, funny, interesting, or even heartwarming.

Look at someone like the late Paul Walker, for instance. He was a mega star thanks to the "Fast & Furious" franchise, but after he died in 2013, a story surfaced that he was offered a ridiculous amount of money to play a superhero and turned it down. This is only one of several things we learned about action stars after they died, so let's explore more fascinating details about these dearly departed individuals.

Chadwick Boseman achieved international celebrity when he secured the role of T'Challa, better known as Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He appeared in "Captain America: Civil War," "Black Panther," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Avengers: Endgame" as the popular superhero from Wakanda, while he started to secure bigger roles in movies like "Da 5 Blood" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." In August 2020, Boseman died from cancer. He was 43 years old.

The news shocked the world, as it appeared to come out of nowhere. It wasn't known to most before his death, but Chadwick Boseman had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, and had kept his diagnosis private while he continued to work as an actor. According to The Hollywood Reporter, directors Ryan Coogler and Spike Lee didn't even know about Boseman's cancer when they collaborated on "Black Panther" and "Da 5 Blood."

One of the people who was aware of Boseman's condition was his agent, Michael Greene. According to Greene, "Chadwick did not want to have people fuss over him. He was a very private person." Greene added that Boseman experienced "hard-core pain" while filming "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," but he desperately wanted to do it because of the opportunity to work with Denzel Washington and bring playwright August Wilson's work to the screen.

The son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee followed in his famous father's footsteps, becoming an action star. He starred in "Showdown in Little Tokyo" and "Rapid Fire" before taking the role that defined his career: Eric Draven in Alex Proyas' "The Crow." However, the supernatural film is also remembered for the tragic death of Brandon Lee that happened on set. In March 1993, Lee died after a prop gun sequence went wrong and a projectile lodged in his abdomen. He was only 28 years old.

Thirty years after his death, Lee's family spoke to CNN, remembering their fondest memories of him. There were revelations such as how Lee subdued a robber in his own house until the police arrived, as well as details of how he was expelled from school for encouraging his fellow classmates not to take class too seriously.

One of the memories that Lee's sister, Shannon, shared was about her brother's aspirations as an actor. While he was influenced by his father and a competent martial artist in his own right, Lee envisioned himself becoming more of a serious actor than simply an action hero. "He would have loved the opportunity to stretch and do dramatic roles," Shannon said. According to her, Lee auditioned for the part of Lloyd Dobler in 1989's "Say Anything" and really wanted it, though it went to John Cusack in the end.

In the late '90s, Paul Walker scored major roles in popular teen movies, such as "Pleasantville," "She's All That," and "Varsity Blues." However, Walker's most notable success would come in the early 2000s when he was cast as Brian O'Conner in the "Fast & Furious" series. Walker's character became as pivotal to the high-octane franchise as Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto, as they raced their way to the top of the box office on multiple occasions. In 2013, Walker became an action movie star who suffered a tragic death when he died in a car crash. He was 40 years old.

In the 2018 documentary "I Am Paul Walker" (via Deadline), Walker's manager, Matt Luber, spoke about his former client and a major job offer that came his way in the mid-2000s. While it was well-known that Walker had auditioned for the role of Superman before Brandon Routh soared in what would eventually become 2006's "Superman Returns," no one knew how much money Walker turned down at the time. "I think it was a $10 million deal, and he was the frontrunner," Luber said, while confirming that Walker had put on the famous suit, but when he saw himself in costume, he decided it wasn't for him.

Looking through David Carradine's filmography, there's an array of fantastic performances to single out. Most fans may remember him as Bill from Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" series, while others will always see him as Kwai Chang Caine from the '70s action series "Kung Fu." Without question, he had a memorable and celebrated career that ended in June 2009, after Carradine tragically died at the age of 72 from asphyxiation.

After Carradine's death, "Break" director Marc Clebanoff wrote an article for TheWrap where he discussed his experience working with the actor on the 2008 film. Clebanoff called the casting of Carradine as the Bishop "one of the best creative decisions I ever made as a director and producer." The filmmaker expressed how Carradine improvised a scene which called for him to hug a fellow performer. With each passing take, Carradine deviated further from the script, even kissing his co-star on the lips.

Clebanoff recalled the opening night of the film's release and how Carradine praised the movie during a Q&A. "A far cry from the man who challenged me to a sparring match on my set when he found out I was also a martial artist," the filmmaker said. "But even then it seemed David was always making a point of passing along his knowledge, as if assuming the mentor role wherever he was, be it with a younger actor, a new director, or even just a fellow martial artist."

For many viewers, Sir Sean Connery will always be their James Bond. He was the first actor to play 007, remaining a fan-favorite iteration of the world's most famous spy. Even after he wrapped up his time on Bond, Connery continued to be a popular figure in the action genre, appearing in movies such as "Highlander," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and "The Rock."

After Connery died from respiratory failure in 2020, at the age of 90, tributes poured in from across the entertainment industry, where people shared their special memories of the Scottish actor. Director Michael Bay wrote a heartfelt column for The Hollywood Reporter, where he discussed how Connery helped Bay out in a massive way when they worked on "The Rock" together in the mid-'90s.

Bay recalled a day in which he felt down because he was running over schedule and knew the executives were on their way to scold him. When Connery asked him what was wrong, Bay told him. Connery offered his backup. So, when Bay sat down to have lunch with the executives, Connery appeared and proceeded to dress them down while praising Bay as a director. Then, he told the suits they needed more money — to which they agreed. "He did it because he loved movies," Bay wrote. "He loved excellence and doing the best he could. His work ethic was bar none, the best I've ever experienced."

Say the name Charles Bronson, and the first image that comes to mind is "Death Wish" (and its endless sequels). As Paul Kersey, Bronson became the archetype for protagonists in revenge films. Heck, if it weren't for Bronson's Kersey, there would be no John Wick today. In 2003, the 81-year-old Bronson died of "respiratory failure and metastatic lung cancer," according to his death certificate.

Before becoming an action icon of the '70s and '80s, Bronson starred in the Western TV show "The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters," alongside a young Kurt Russell. Appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2018, Russell recalled his time filming with Bronson. Russell explained how they became close after he gave Bronson a remote-controlled airplane for his birthday. According to Russell, the gift touched Bronson, who said that no one had ever bought him a birthday present before.

When it was Russell's birthday, Bronson bought them a pair of skateboards to skate around the MGM lot. Russell revealed that there was a day when he was told they weren't allowed to do it anymore. When Bronson asked Russell why he wasn't skateboarding, he explained to him what had happened. "A couple minutes later, he had a skateboard and had my skateboard," Russell said. "And he said, 'Come with me.' And I think we went to the head of the studio, and we just walked by the secretary and walked in, and he said, 'Hi, we're going to be skateboarding around the lot.'"

If you grew up in the '70s, you would know Pat Morita for playing Arnold in the sitcom "Happy Days." However, he cemented his legacy as an action star after he appeared in "The Karate Kid" series as Mr. Miyagi. Morita's character had two proteges in the form of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank), whom he taught the lessons of karate in an effort to help them deal with bullies. In 2005, though, Morita died at the age of 73.

"The Karate Kid" legacy continued in the Netflix series "Cobra Kai," which saw Daniel meet his teenage bully, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) again. Yet, while Zabka's Johnny and his Cobra Kai crew might have been Miyagi and Daniel's nemeses in the first "Karate Kid" movie, it was different behind the scenes. In fact, Zabka revealed to "The View" how Mortia became something of a mentor to him. "'The Karate Kid' was my first film," Zabka said. "When I walked onto the set for rehearsals, there's Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio from 'The Outsiders.' Pat really took me under his wing, in a way that he was my Miyagi and as far as making me feel at place and at home."

Zabka explained how he asked Morita to let him know if he wasn't doing something right on set. He recalled specific advice from Morita about the importance of giving 100% during rehearsals, so it makes it easier when shooting takes place.

Bruce Lee requires no introduction to the world. He bridged the gap between martial arts and acting, establishing himself as one of the greatest action stars of all time. Throughout history, people have debated Lee's prowess as a martial artist, wondering how he would fare against some of the best fighters to have walked the Earth. After all, he more than held his own against Chuck Norris in 1972's "The Way of the Dragon."

One of the things that came out about Bruce Lee after he died at the age of 32 in July 1973 was the one opponent that he didn't think he could defeat. "Enter the Dragon" director Robert Clouse penned a book titled "The Making of Enter the Dragon," where he shared anecdotes of his time working with Lee. In a chapter (via Mass Appeal), Clouse recounted a story of when fellow martial artist Bolo Yeung visited Lee, who was watching a Muhammad Ali documentary and following it closely. "Bruce set up a wide full-length mirror to reflect Ali's image from the screen," Clouse wrote. "Bruce was looking into the mirror, moving along with Ali."

According to Clouse, Lee was aware that people wanted him to fight Ali at some point. However, he didn't believe he stood a chance against Ali, stating how Ali would destroy him because of how small his hand was in comparison to the boxer's.

Carl Weathers punched himself into action history as Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" series. If that wasn't enough, he starred in one of the greatest films of the '80s: John McTiernan's "Predator." Needless to say, Weathers confirmed his place in the pantheon of action stars before his passing in 2024 at the age of 76.

In the later years of his life, Weathers appeared as Greef Karaga in "The Mandalorian" series. Speaking on her podcast "The Sackhoff Show," Katee Sackhoff, who plays Bo-Katan Kryze in the "Star Wars" series, chatted to Brendan Wayne, who serves as a stunt double for Pedro Pascal, about the time when Weathers called her "boring." Sackhoff revealed how Weathers kept asking her to show more from her character. Eventually, Weathers told her, "What you're doing is boring." Sackhoff explained how she was taken aback by his comments at first, while Wayne also recalled a time when Weathers demanded more from him.

However, both performers agreed that Weathers wasn't trying to be hurtful or mean to them — he was merely honest about wanting to get more from the characters in the scene so he could react to them. In addition, Sackhoff expressed how they "learned to communicate better" after the incident.

If Jean-Claude Van Damme hadn't been fired from "Predator," Kevin Peter Hall would have never had his greatest claim to fame as the Yautja alien trophy hunter terrorizing Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch Schaeffer and his crew in the jungle. Sure, Hall played Harry in "Harry and the Hendersons" prior to this, but it was 1987's "Predator" that put the 7-foot-plus actor on the map as the real deal. Thereafter, Hall secured roles as Big John in "Big Top Pee-wee" and Leyor in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Unfortunately, Hall's time as an in-demand actor didn't last for too long, as he died in April 1991 at the age of 35.

While Hall received the opportunity to star in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," he was in the running for two starring roles in the series, as was discovered later on. A leaked memo from April 1987 showed that Hall was considered for both the parts of Geordi La Forge and Data; however, it's also clear that he was never the frontrunner for either role. Ultimately, LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner secured the parts of Geordi and Data respectively, while Hall later appeared as Leyor in the Season 3 episode titled "The Price."

When you think of Adam West, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Batman from the '60s TV series. West defined the Caped Crusader for a generation, as he and Burt Ward, who plays Robin in the show, became the dynamic duo of campy superhero shenanigans. The pair appeared alongside each other for three seasons, a movie, and reunited to lend their voices for two animated films in the 2010s. In June 2017, West died from leukemia at the age of 88. 

In 2025, Ward remembered how easy it was to work with West, describing how the pair clicked immediately when they did a screen test together. "Adam and I sat down, started talking, and within five minutes, the two of us were laughing," Ward told REMIND. "We never stopped laughing for more than 50 years. He was the funniest person and such a kind man. We just had a great time."

In addition to this, Ward revealed that he and West endured dangerous stunts on set. As Ward explained, he and West couldn't hold on too tightly to the poles they slid down to get to the Batcave, since the friction would burn their gloves and shoes. So, they had to alternate between holding on for a while and free-falling from 80 feet.