10 Actors Who Died As Heroes (& Then Lived To Become Villains)

A famous movie lawyer turned murderous psychopath once said "you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." He wasn't completely off the mark, because that's precisely what he did himself (and what he suggested Batman ought to), but there are some who have done both.

Despite the problems of typecasting and how often actors known for playing bad guys turn up repeatedly as other bad guys, breaking type is still possible. In fact, it can lead to surprisingly excellent performances as the likes of Matt Damon, Harrison Ford and Robin Williams proved over the years.

But beyond just actors who pulled off a face/heel turn, to borrow wrestling parlance, what of those who actually DIED playing heroes and then turned up later playing the villain. They're a special, small club of talents who fit both sides of Two Face's famous slogan...

10. Leonardo DiCaprio

Died A Hero - Titanic & Romeo + Juliet

The archetypal doomed babyface hero, DiCaprio's true breakout role was as Jack, the vagabond chancer who must surely have been the last Titanic passenger to get his ticket when he won it last minute in a poker game.

Alongside his take on Romeo, that sparkly-eyed, beautiful-haired pixie boy hero launched a career that DiCaprio didn't actually want. Perhaps that's why both of his biggest heart-throb roles died...?

But Became The Villain - Django Unchained

Far more befitting of his career since his breakout, DiCaprio's turn as the sadistic, hyper-violent Calvin Candie was a revelation that deserved an Oscar. He may have looked like an affected dandy, but his misguided Francophilia hid a steel-cold malevolence that bubbled boiling hot when crossed.

DiCaprio's performance is so genius that he almost seems to change his physicality, casting off those schoolboy good looks for something way more grotesque.