20 Actors Who Died In 2020

Recognising some of the acting greats who we sadly lost this year.

by Andrew Pollard
Black Panther Avengers Infinity War
Marvel Studios

On a multitude of levels, 2020 has been an utterly awful year for so many of us. With the world having ground to a standstill at times, each and every one of us have had their day-to-day life impacted in some way or another.

As we come to the end of this most tumultuous of years, it's only natural that we look back at the previous 12 months in addition to hoping for 2021 to bring some good news. When looking at what lies ahead for the film and TV industries, there's a glimmer of hope that there may be at least semi-normalcy on the horizon, with so many projects having been hit hard this year.

Of course, as we look back at the entertainment industry's 2020, there have been successes and failures, highs and lows, and sadly we have lost a number of hugely talented actors along the way. That is par for the course with life, not just with acting, mind, but that doesn't mean it makes these losses any easier.

Taking a moment to reflect on those lost this year, here are 20 acting stars who have sadly left us in 2020.

20. Kirk Douglas

Black Panther Avengers Infinity War
Universal Pictures

A true Hollywood great, Kirk Douglas stands as one of the biggest stars in the history of cinema.

At the grand old age of 103, Kirk passed away on February 5.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.