Living Cast Members of Classic Films

The Late Mary Anderson

I know I’m a bit late to this discussion about Mary Anderson, who played Maybelle Merriweather in Gone with the Wind, and her death a month ago, but I’ve been thinking quite a bit about over the past month, and figured I would write up an article in regard to her, and the stars of classic films that are still with us.

Ms. Anderson’s death means that just two actors with speaking parts in Gone with the Wind are still alive, and I figured-why not take a look at the AFI’s 50 Greatest Movies (the 1997 edition…if you like the article I’ll take a peak at positions 51-100) and see if any of the cast members of the other films are still with us (for the purposes of the article, I’ll limit myself to speaking roles in the films, and as this isn’t an exact science, please use the comments to make any corrections).

1. Citizen Kane (1941)

No living cast member of the greatest film ever made is still with us.  Sonny Bupp was the final actor to have a speaking role in the film to still be alive-he played Charles Foster Kane III in the movie, and died in 2007 at the age of 79.  It’s worth noting that, though she didn’t have a speaking role in the film, his sister Ann had a minor role in Gone with the Wind and is still living.

2. Casablanca (1943)

With minor actors in major films, being able to keep track of actors is a bit of a chore, but from the looks of things, one member of the cast of Casablanca is still alive: Madeleine LeBeau, who at nineteen starred as the beautiful Yvonne (Rick’s mistress).  The most recent major cast member of the film to die was Joy Page, who played the newlywed whom Rick helps win at roulette.

3. The Godfather (1972)

Some of these films are obviously more recent than others, and while the godfather himself is no longer with us (Marlon Brando died in 2004), major stars of the film Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, Diane Keaton, and yes, even Abe Vigoda are still alive.

4. Gone with the Wind (1939)

As I mentioned above, there are only two cast members of Gone with the Wind still alive: Olivia de Havilland who turns 98 in July and won an Oscar nomination for her work as Melanie Wilkes, and the actor who played her son Beau, Mickey Kuhn, who is 81.

5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

With the death of the title character, the only major actor in Lawrence that is still alive is Omar Sharif, who won an Oscar nomination for his work as Sherif Ali and recently turned 82.

6. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Dialogue gets tricky here, as the last person with actual dialogue to still be alive was Meinhardt Raabe (he played the coroner), who passed away in 2010.  However, Jerry Maren, a member of the Lollipop Guild, did sing in the film and at 94 is still with us.

7. The Graduate (1967)

Mrs. Robinson passed away a few years back, but most of the major players in this film are still alive, including Dustin Hoffman (Ben), Katharine Ross (Elaine), and William Daniels (Mr. Braddock).  Hoffman and Ross both won Oscar nominations for their work in the film.

8. On the Waterfront (1954)

Karl Malden’s death in 2009 put a hit on a few of these films, but one major character in the film is still alive: Eva Marie Saint, who won an Oscar for her work as Edie.  This role was Saint’s debut, and she was pregnant when she won the Oscar.

9. Schindler’s List (1993)

By my count, all major actors in this, one of the newest films on the list, are still alive, including Oscar nominated actors Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson.

10. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

62 years after it debuted, Debbie Reynolds, at the time a mere ingénue on the MGM lot, is still alive and fondly recalls Kathy Selden for moviegoers everywhere.  I’d have to re-watch the film to know if Rita Moreno speaks in the film, but she is also still alive (and played Zelda Zanders).

Karolyn Grimes

11. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

While every major adult actor in the film has passed away, a number of the Bailey children are still alive, including 73-year-old Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu and said the classic line, “every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.”

12.  Sunset Boulevard (1950)

The only major cast member from the film still living is Nancy Olson, who is 85 as of this writing.  Ms. Olson won her sole Oscar nomination for the film playing Betty Schaefer, the woman scorned by Joe Gillis.  Olson is largely retired from acting but makes occasional appearances, including in the TV show Big Love and the recent film Dumbbells.

13. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

One of the interesting things about researching all of these write-ups is that it seems like most films have one actor that hung on long past the rest.  In the case of this David Lean classic, it is Geoffrey Horne, who at 80-years-of-age is the only principle member of the cast still alive.  Horne played Lieutenant Joyce in the films, and would go onto a number of character parts before retiring from acting after starring in (of all things) Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy.

14. Some Like It Hot (1959)

With Marilyn long gone, and Tony Curtis recently passing away, the only major character I can find (film fanatatics-take to the comments if I’m missing someone obvious for any of these) is Nehemiah Persoff, who plays Little Bonaparte in the film.  Persoff is 94-years-old.

15. Stars Wars (1977)

As we know from all of the announcements recently, not only are Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill still alive, they’re also going to be reprising these characters soon.

16. All About Eve (1950)

With the death of Celeste Holm in 2012, I can find no one in this impressive cast still alive.

17. The African Queen (1951)

Theodore Bikel, who won an Oscar nomination in 1958 for The Defiant Ones, made his screen debut opposite Hepburn and Bogie, and played the First Officer in this film.

18. Psycho (1960)

Though both Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh have passed, a number of smaller characters in this film are still alive, including Vera Miles (Marion’s sister Lila), John Gavin (Marion’s boyfriend Sam) and Pat Hitchcock (Marion’s co-worker, and also Alfred Hitchcock’s daughter).

19. Chinatown (1974)

Most of the cast of Chinatown is still alive, albeit largely retired, with Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, and Diane Ladd all amongst us.

20. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Another Nicholson classic, the cast of this film is largely kicking, including Oscar winner Louise Fletcher and Brad Dourif, who received an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Award for his screen debut as Billy Bibbit.

21. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

I’m as amazed as you are that this isn’t our third film with no living cast members, but Darryl Hickman, who played the role of Winfield Joad, is still alive at the grand old age of 82.  Hickman, a celebrated child star, at one point was in a monastery and eventually became a television executive.

Keir Dullea

22. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Douglas Rain (the voice of HAL 9000) is still alive, and would eventually be nominated for a Tony Award for his work in Vivat Regina!.  Several other stars including Gary Lockwood (Frank Poole) and Keir Dullea (David Bowman) are also around from the film.

23. The Maltese Falcon (1941)

It always hurts a cast exponentially if there aren’t younger female or child actors in the film, which is the case with The Maltese Falcon.  The last living film star I can find from the movie is Elisha Cook, Jr., who died in 1995 and played Wilmer.  

24. Raging Bull (1980)

The film won Robert de Niro his Best Actor Oscar and he continues to act in movies (getting nominated two years ago for Silver Linings Playbook).  Oscar nominees Cathy Moriarty (Vickie) and Joe Pesci (Joey), as well as Pesci’s onscreen wife Theresa Saldana are all still alive as well.

25. E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

All of the principle human characters in the film are still with us, including Henry Thomas (Elliott), Robert MacNaughton (Michael), Dew Wallace (Mary), and of course Drew Barrymore (Gertie).  The primary voice of E.T., Pat Welsh, died at the age of 79 in 1995.

26. Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Tracy Reed (who played Miss Scott, the lover of General Buck Turgidson in the film) died in 2012 (she was the youngest major cast member in the film), though a couple of actors still are alive from the film, including James Earl Jones (who played Lothar Zogg) and Shane Rimmer (who played Ace Owens).

27. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

All five members of the Barrow Gang (Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Estelle Parsons, Michael J. Pollard, and Gene Hackman) were not only Oscar-nominated for the film-they’re also clearly blessed with good genes, as all five (as well as Gene Wilder, who had a small part in the film) are still alive.

28. Apocalypse Now! (1979)

With the exceptions of Brando and Dennis Hopper, most of the cast of this film (including Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, and Laurence Fishburne) are still with us.

29. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Two of the Hopper Boys are still alive (Billy Watson and Gary Watson), though I don’t know if either of them have speaking parts in the film so I’m not sure if this should count (I haven’t seen this movie in a while-any experts know?).

30. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Our fourth film that appears to have absolutely no living cast members in speaking parts, the last living cast member appears to be Bruce Bennett, who died in 2007 (he played Cody, and earlier in his career was one of the Tarzans).

31. Annie Hall (1977)

Most of the main cast members, including Diane Keaton, Woody Allen, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, and Christopher Walken are all still with us.

32. The Godfather, Part II (1974)

Like its predecessor at Number Two, most of these cast members are still with us, including Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Robert de Niro, and Talia Shire.

33. High Noon (1952)

From what I can tell, no speaking cast member of this film is still alive.  The last one that I know speaks at some point in the film that was still alive appears to be Sheb Wooley, who died in 2003 at the age of 82 (he played Ben Miler).

34. To Kill a Mockingbird (1961)

Gregory Peck has passed, but principle characters Mary Badham (Scout), Phillip Alford (Jem), and Robert Duvall (Boo Radley) are still with us.

35. It Happened One Night (1934)

Another film with no living members, the last living cast member appears to be the Oscar-winning star of the film Claudette Colbert, who was 92 when she died in 1996.

36. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

All three of the Oscar-nominated stars of the film (Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, and Sylvia Miles) as well as multiple supporting cast members (including Bob Balaban and Brenda Vaccaro) are still kicking.

37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

In 2005, the last two speaking cast members in the film (Virginia Mayo and Teresa Wright) passed away.  I feel like maybe one of the kids might still be alive (particularly Marlene Aames who played Luella), but I can find no evidence to support this fact.

38. Double Indemnity (1944)

Jean Heather, who played Lola Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck’s stepdaughter) was probably the youngest cast member in the film, and lived the longest, dying at the age of 74 in 1995.

39. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Many cast members of this classic are still alive, including Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, and Tom Courtenay.

40. North by Northwest (1959)

A few cast members in Hitch’s classic thriller are still alive including star Eva Marie Saint and supporting player Martin Landau.

41. West Side Story (1961)

Though Natalie Wood (Maria) died tragically in a drowning accident, most of the other actors including Richard Beymer (Tony), George Chakiris (Bernardo), Rita Moreno (Anita), and Russ Tamblyn (Riff) are still alive.

42. Rear Window (1954)

By my count there are very few speaking parts in this film, but we’ll stretch to characters with names here so that we can give Harry Landers, who was Miss Lonelyhearts guest (he was uncredited) some press as he’s still alive at 92.

43. King Kong (1933)

Fay Wray’s death in 2004 meant that all main characters in this film had passed away.  It’s still worth wondering whether she would have won the Oscar had she taken on the role of Rose Dawson Calvert in Titanic (she was offered the role before Gloria Stuart took it, and was more famous than Stuart which likely would have built up her sympathy factor).  Also, fate is a cruel mistress, as it would have been so poetic if (as Peter Jackson had originally intended) she would have done the classic “Beauty killed the beast” line at the end of the remake (she died before the scene was shot).

44. The Birth of a Nation (1915)

The highest-ranking film on this list that I haven’t seen, Lillian Gish, the film’s star, seems to have been the longest-lived cast member.  22 when the film came out, she would go on to live seven more decades before dying in 1993 just eight months shy of her 100^th birthday.

Mickey Kuhn

45. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Wikipedia incorrectly lists Wright King (who plays the collector) as the only living member of this cast, but I do believe that Mickey Kuhn (whom you’ll remember from the Gone with the Wind article) as a Sailor has a speaking part and is also still living.

46. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Most of the younger cast members in the film (including Malcolm McDowell and Adrienne Corri) are stil alive.

47. Taxi Driver (1976)

Almost all of the main stars of the film are still alive, including Robert de Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Jodie Foster, and Albert Brooks.

48. Jaws (1975)

Though only one of the men who went out in search of the beast is still alive (66-year-old Richard Dreyfuss), Lorraine Gary, Carl Gottlieb, and the girl who started it all Susan Backlinie are all still around.

49. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1939)

Adriana Caselotti (the voice of Snow White) appears to have been the longest-lived here (though there’s a big cast-someone might be hiding from me), as she passed away at age 80 in 1997.

50. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Rounding out the Top 50 (like I said-if there’s lots of interest in the comments I’ll take a crack at the next fifty), and though Butch Cassidy is no longer with us both the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) and Etta Place (Katharine Ross) are.

There’s a look at the Top 50 films-did I miss anyone or accidentally kill off someone (or bring someone back to life)?  How much would you like them to pull together a bunch of these actors for a TCM panel?  Share in the comments!