13 Crucial Death Scenes Ruined By Terrible Acting

Because even Oscar winners can't get everything right...

By Jack Pooley /

There are few scenes more important in a movie than a death: whether it's of a hero or a villain, it can be a pivotal, iconic and defining moment, and even if it's of a relatively anonymous character, it can signal a major, important shift in the plot. As much effort as writers and directors put into them, though, much of the end result rests with the actors, who are free to put their heart and soul into the scene, but may completely ruin it with acting that's either totally over-the-top or simply hilariously unconvincing. From some of the most iconic death scenes in cinema history to important scenes within the scope of the movies themselves, these 13 death scenes all had a job to do, and in each, dodgy performances diluted their sense of tragedy, shock and awe. More often than not, they result in either laughter or a hard cringe, or possibly both. From one of the hammiest performances to ever win an Oscar to the worst performance in a classically "so-bad-it's-good" movie, these misguided turns all derailed the original narrative intent, though in the case of the bad movies, at least it made them a little more memorable and entertaining... Here are 13 crucial death scenes ruined by terrible acting...