'80s Actors Who Died In 2025 And No One Noticed

2025 was a year in which we lost a significant number of high profile actors who enjoyed long periods in the public eye during the 1980s. Among them was Val Kilmer, who had an iconic role in the blockbuster fighter pilot movie "Top Gun" in 1986, and starred in "Willow in 1988. The actor died in April 2025 at the age of 65. Before that, we lost Gene Hackman, who died in February at 95 and whose 1980s work includes 1986's "Hoosiers" and four films in 1988 alone, including "Mississippi Burning." And later in the year, we were to lose many more legendary actors, including Diane Keaton, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, and actor-director David Lynch, all of whom were active during the 1980s.

But not every actor makes it to the A-list, and each year the world of show business loses countless actors whose smaller profile meant their deaths didn't attract the widespread obituaries that appear across the press following the deaths of superstars. Here are just a few of the actors from the 1980s whose deaths you might have missed.

Perhaps one actor who deserved far more coverage when their death was first announced in 2025 was TV actor George Wendt. Wendt was a familiar face on American TV sets in the 1980s, thanks to his role as Norm Peterson in the hit NBC sitcom "Cheers," which first came on the air in 1982.

Set in a bar in Chicago and featuring a warm cast of entertaining characters, the show was a huge success, making Ted Danson, who portrayed barman Sam Malone, a household name. However, Wendt didn't find himself becoming such a superstar after the show ended. As viewers will know, his character was famous for being greeted by the bar shouting "Norm!" as he entered. And to many Americans, Wendt simply was Norm; though his career continued long after "Cheers" came to an end, he was always associated with the character, and accordingly typecast.

Though Wendt's death on May 20 at the age of 76 was widely reported, obituaries typically noted that it was "Norm from 'Cheers'" who had died. Though local news in his home city of Chicago noted his frequent charity work, he arguably deserved much more.

The Chicagoan character actor Biff Wiff, who enjoyed a long and varied career, especially on TV, would have been a familiar face to many Americans, but received comparatively little coverage from the press at the time of his death. Having become established for his role in the 1980s sitcom "Night Court," he appeared in a huge number of popular TV shows in the decades after, usually in comedic roles.

Down the years, he appeared in everything from "Moonlighting" to "The Mentalist," from "Desperate Housewives" to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." However, in recent years, Wiff's career had enjoyed a resurgence among fans of cult comedy, with the actor appearing often in the Tim Robinson sketch show "I Think You Should Leave," in which he played numerous characters and became a fan favorite. He also had a small role in the mindbending 2022 hit movie "Everything Everywhere All At Once." Wiff had been suffering from cancer and had spent periods in hospital in recent years. He died on February 12, at the age of 76.

An actor who failed to receive the coverage he deserved outside his native land was the legendary Quebec actor Julien Poulin, whose impact on Quebec culture cannot be overstated. Having appeared in over 100 films during his long career, Poulin was a widely recognized figure in the world of French-Canadian cinema. However, like many actors of his generation, his career began on the stage, with his first major roles coming in the 1960s.

His most famous roles, however, came in the 1980s, when he starred in the "Elvis Gratton" short film trilogy, which went on to spawn the hugely popular feature film comedy "Elvis Gratton: le King des kings." His career as an actor continued until the 21st century, by which time he was also known as a vocal supporter of Quebec independence, using his skills as an orator to attempt to rally the public behind the cause. In 1998 he gave a speech, stating: "The time has come to tell the citizens of this country and the rest of the world that we are here with the fire lit in our hands and that we will be here with our songs and our music until the end of the night, until the day when the great day must dawn" (via City News). He died on January 4 at the age of 78.

Think of the biggest TV shows of the 1980s, and likely you are going to name something starring Wings Hauser. Hauser, who died March 15 of natural causes at the age of 78, was a renowned character actor who appeared in many famous TV shows and TV movies of the era, most notably "Vice Squad," in which he portrayed Ramrod, from its debut in 1982. He also appeared in "Magnum, P.I." in 1981, "The Fall Guy" in 1983, and "The A-Team" alongside Mr. T for two episodes in 1985.

Hauser was the father of Cole Hauser, who stars in "Yellowstone," and it was through this lens that some outlets chose to report the actor's death. Some publications, such as The New York Times, which once reported on Hauser's shows, didn't report his death at all. However, his death was mourned by many who worked with him and the fandoms of the individual franchises he touched with his presence during his long career, with posts on social media noting his passing.

You may not have known the name Peter, but if you have been a regular consumer of TV and movies over the last four decades you have undoubtedly seen his face — possibly multiple times. Jason, who died February 20 at the age of 80, came to prominence in 1987 when he starred in John Carpenter's "Prince of Darkness," his first collaboration with the legendary horror director.

Jason went on to star in several more Carpenter classics, including "Village of the Damned" and "They Live," and in the years that followed appeared regularly in cult movies such as "Arachnophobia" and "Alien Nation," and even had a small role in "The Karate Kid." He was also a regular feature on TV, with recurring roles in shows including "Desperate Housewives" and "Arrested Development," and, most famously, "Deadwood." However, despite being familiar, he never became a household name, which was perhaps reflective of his humble personality. In a 2019 interview with Geek Chic Elite he claimed: "I never tried to be the star, the play is the thing, I like to be a worker among workers. I like supporting my fellow actors, both on and off the stage because really, we're all in this together" (via Legacy).