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Actors Who Passed Away In 2021

The year 2021 has seen some heavy losses to the world of acting as some big names have left us.

Image Source: Getty Images/(L-R) Jason Merritt/TERM / Staff; Kevin Winter / Staff.

In the year 2020, we experienced the heavy loss of legendary actors including James Bond actor Sean Connery, Kirk Douglas, and Chadwick Boseman. This year too we have lost some amazing performers who had won the hearts of people. Although we may not be able to see them in new productions, they have left an impression with their legendary performances that will stay with us for a long time to come. Here are some of the actors who kept us entertained over the years and whom we will now miss deeply.

Jessica Walter

Source: Getty Images/Jason Merritt/TERM / Staff

Walter was best known for her roles as Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development and the voice of Malory Archer on the series Archer. She was 80 when she passed away due to an unknown cause. She has a successful career spanning six decades and she has been a part of over 170 films, television shows, and stage productions.

Norm Macdonald

Source: Getty Images/Jason Kempin / Staff

Stand-up comedian Norm Macdonald, best known as the anchor of Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update," passed away due to cancer. He was diagnosed nearly a decade ago but chose to keep it private. He was 61 years old.  

Ed Asner

Source: Getty Images/Kevin Winter / Staff

Ed Asner was best known as TV's beloved grumpy old man who played Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and voiced the character of Carl Fredricksen from the Disney movie UP. He passed at the age of 91 due to natural causes. 

Sonny Chiba

Source: Getty Images/David Livingston / Stringer

Japanese actor Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba best known for his roles in American films like Kill Bill and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, was a martial arts expert. He contracted COVID-19 this year and passed away at the age of 82. He had a career spanning five decades in both Japanese and American films.

Robert Downey Sr.

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Father of Robert Downey Jr., who was a filmmaker and actor best known for his 1969 underground film Putney Swope passed away this year at the age of 85. His son explained that he passed away peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the "ravages of Parkinson’s." 

Ann Ratray



 

Ann Willis Ratray started her career on Broadway and later went on to become an acting coach for aspiring actors including her own son, Home Alone's Devin Ratray, Merritt Wever of Nurse Jackie, Catch-22 star Graham Patrick Martin, among many others. She died at the age of 81 after a lengthy illness.

Joanne Linville



 

Joanne Linville passed away at the age of 93. She is best remembered for her guest-starring roles in Star Trek and The Twilight Zone. She has also been a part of numerous other TV shows including, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Hawaii Five-O, and films like The Goddess and A Star Is Born.

Ernie Lively

Source: Getty Images/Stephen Lovekin / Staff

Lively has had an acting career spanning 50 years and includes films like Passenger 57, The Dukes of Hazzard, Turner & Hooch, and guest appearances on TV shows like The X-Files, Seinfeld, and The West Wing. He was also the father of actress Blake Lively and even played her on-screen dad in the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. He passed away at the age of 71 due to heart complications.

Samuel E. Wright

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He was a legendary stage actor who is best known for voicing the character of Sebastian the crab from the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid. He passed away at the age of 72 due to prostate cancer. He is also known for playing the role of Mufasa in the original Lion King stage play.

Christopher Plummer

Source: Getty Images/Jason Merritt/TERM / Staff

The legendary actor is best known for his role as Captain von Trapp in the film The Sound Of Music and other high-profile films such as The Man Who Would Be King and All the Money in the World. He died at the age of 91 of natural causes.

Helen McCrory

Source: Getty Images/Jeff Spicer / Stringer

She was only 52 years old and died of cancer. She is best known for her roles in Peaky Blinders as Polly Gray and three Harry Potter films in which she played Narcissa Malfoy. She was also an acclaimed stage actor.