10 Best Swan Song Movie Performances

4. Burt Lancaster - Field Of Dreams

Rutts07UniversalSo if you want to really start splitting hairs, Burt Lancaster actually appeared in a few more television projects after Field of Dreams. But the famous ode to baseball was his last cinematic appearance, and it's pretty difficult to beat in terms of poignancy. His role was small but crucial -- he played Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, a baseball player who spent only one game in the major leagues and then retired to become a doctor. His bittersweet look back on his short-lived baseball career was an essential part of the film's emotional climax, but one that was filled with no regrets. Between 1989, the year Field of Dreams was made, and 1994, the year he died of a heart attack at age 80, he appeared in a handful of made-for-TV movies. But none of those matched the raw emotional power of his final film performance as Moonlight Graham.
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Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.