Predator Franchise Actors Who Passed Away

The star attraction of the "Predator" movies is, of course, the titular aliens. While the original "Predator" was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best vehicles of the '80s, the franchise has grown well beyond just him. This saga has since swapped out human protagonists and even places and times in human history, with the only constant being those nefarious Predator beasts chasing down their human prey. But despite the emphasis on those creatures, there are still human beings in this saga and they've sometimes delivered just as much entertainment as its otherworldly villains. After all, there's a reason some of Schwarznegger's most famous one-liners originated from the first "Predator."

Unfortunately, several of the actors behind those human characters (and even one alien suit performer in the original two "Predator" features) are no longer with us. Although those figures are gone from this mortal coil, their contributions to the "Predator" saga and the pop culture landscape as a whole will remain with us for a long time to come. For a number of these actors, their participation in the "Predator" films is just the tip of the iceberg in their artistic legacies. So with all due respect to the "ugly motherf*****" that still drives the franchise, let's pause to appreciate the human characters in the "Predator" franchise by paying tribute to the performers in these movies who are tragically no longer with us.

It's staggering to consider just how many iconic movies of the 1970s and '80s featured Carl Weathers in some capacity. Beyond his work as Apollo Creed in the "Rocky" films, Weathers also appeared in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" as well as fellow sci-fi classic "Predator." 

In the latter, Weathers portrayed Colonel Al Dillon, a close pal to fellow Vietnam veteran Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The lasting influence of Weathers in "Predator" can best be summed up by the famous GIF of him and Schwarzenegger's characters locking hands for the most macho hand-clasp of all time. Even the subtlest pieces of body language from Weathers were memorable enough to take on their own life beyond the movies they inhabited.

Long after his exploits in "Predator," Weathers kept up a steady acting career that included TV shows like "Arrested Development," "Chicago Justice," and the key role of Greef Karga in "The Mandalorian." Though he never returned to the "Predator" franchise, Weathers had plenty to keep him busy as a performer. Starting in 1995, Weathers even worked as a TV director, including helming two episodes of "The Mandalorian" in 2020 and 2023.  But Carl Weathers' career came to a halt in February 2024 when the actor passed away from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the age of 76. Weathers left behind a pop culture legacy that went beyond just his unforgettable work in "Predator."

Sonny Landham's "Predator" character, Billy Sole, gets a very important distinction in the movie. He is the first human being in the film (and the entire franchise) to realize they're being hunted by those ruthless Predator aliens. That achievement isn't enough to keep Billy alive the entire film, as he, like most other "Predator" characters, perishes at the hands of the film's extraterrestrial foes. But playing Billy was not the be-all and end-all of Landham's career. He had a smattering of genre film roles in the late 1970s and '80s, including roles in such features as "The Warriors" and "48 Hrs." He also reunited with fellow "Predator" star Carl Weathers in the 1988 movie "Action Jackson."

By the time the 2000s rolled around, Landham had switched gears in his career aspirations and got into politics, with the performer aiming for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Those plans would eventually collapse after Landham delivered a string of racist remarks on a radio show. The Kentucky Libertarian Party and Landham would very quickly part ways, which put an end to the actor's political ambitions. Rather than return to acting after that disgraceful event, Landham led a quiet life until his passing at the age of 76 from congestive heart failure. His important role in the "Predator" franchise was just one facet of a bizarre and controversial legacy that Landham left behind.

There would be no "Predator" without Kevin Peter Hall, who played the main alien in the original two "Predator" installments. After all, moviegoers were almost given Jean-Claude Van Damme as an outer space lobster in the original conception of the role. Hall, meanwhile, did top-tier work inside the Predator suit, bringing a sense of physicality that made it believable that this critter could go toe-to-toe with Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

With a height of 7 feet and 2 inches, Hall could tower over his co-stars and exude a distinctive presence on-screen. Hall's height ensured he was a go-to performer for playing unusually tall figures in 1980s pop culture, including productions ranging from "Mazes and Monsters" to "Big Top Pee-wee". Hall even got to play the total opposite of the malicious Predator by inhabiting the friendly titular role of Harry the Sasquatch in "Harry and the Hendersons." 

After portraying such unforgettable figures as the Predator and Harry, Hall's exploits on-screen should have carried on for decades to come. Tragically, though, Hall passed away a month shy of his 36th birthday in 1991. After contracting HIV during a blood transfusion, Hall died of pneumonia stemming from AIDS in April of that year. In the wake of this devastating event, Hall left behind a rich filmography that's still entertaining audiences today. Even just in the "Predator" saga alone, every new performer who dons the alien's costume is taking cues from Hall's iconic work.

R.G. Armstrong's General Phillips does not have a lot of screentime in "Predator." Instead, he functions as a catalyst for the plot, sending Dutch and his fellow soldiers off on a mission that will eventually bring them face-to-face with the Predator. While Armstrong had a fleeting presence in "Predator," the same could not be said for his cinematic career as a whole. Armstrong was a go-to character actor for many years, with Westerns being his initial specialty. Armstrong became a fixture of genre B-movies during the 1970s, particularly horror fare. He also developed a good rapport with actor-director Warren Beatty and ended up appearing in several of Beatty's films, including "Heaven Can Wait" and "Dick Tracy."

"Predator" was one of the final movie roles for Armstrong, who largely worked in television for the remainder of his acting career. His notable later performances included guest spots on "L.A. Law," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Millennium," and "Matlock," as well as the role of The Sandman in the music video for Metallica's "Enter Sandman." By the mid-2000s, Armstrong's acting career had come to an end and he passed away from natural causes in 2012 at the age of 95. For some "Predator" cast members, the movie was a big launching pad that kick-started their careers. For R.G. Armstrong, it was just one of countless genre movie roles where he made a mighty impression with minimal screentime.

When Bill Paxton was growing up in Fort Worth, Texas in the 1960s and '70s, he never could have imagined the sterling acting career that awaited him. Once he began working as a performer in the early '80s, Paxton become a staple of the silver screen in movies big and small. Whether it was "Twister," "Near Dark," or "A Simple Plan," Paxton always garnered acclaim for his ability to bring so much energy and life to his roles. 

Among his exploits was playing Detective Jerry Lambert in "Predator 2." This role made Paxton the rare actor to portray two different characters across both the "Predator" and "Alien" franchises, with the beloved performer appearing in the latter franchise as Private Hudson in 1986's "Aliens." (He also showed up in 1984's "The Terminator," giving him one of the strangest sci-fi records in film history.)

Lambert was slaughtered during the events of "Predator 2," but Paxton's career kept on chugging long after the movie vanished from theaters. In 2006, he secured the lead role in the HBO program "Big Love," while continuing to appear in high-profile movies like 2014's "Edge of Tomorrow." His persistent presence in pop culture made it seem like Paxton would be around forever in features and television. Tragically, though, Paxton passed away in February 2017 at the age of 61 due to a stroke incurred after an emergency surgery. In the wake of this loss, "Predator 2" is just one of countless movies by which people can remember what a gift Bill Paxton was in his craft.

"Predator 2" actor Calvin Lockhart's artistic exploits weren't just known to American audiences. This veteran of the theatre was famous for his stage appearances in countries like Italy, Germany, and England throughout the 1960s, with these performances building up Lockhart's immense talents as an artist. What gave him a notable profile with domestic viewers, though, were his roles in an assortment of 1970s Blaxploitation movies, including "Cotton Comes to Harlem" and "Melinda."

Those films gave Lockhart plenty of training for his "Predator 2" role of King Willie, a drug lord with mystical voodoo powers. It's not the subtlest role on the planet, but a man steeped in Blaxploitation cinema and boisterous theatre performances was well-equipped for such a part. While "Predator 2" was controversial for its perceived indulging in racist stereotypes, Lockhart certainly committed to the role he was handed.

After "Predator 2," Lockhart only appeared in two further movies (including "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me") and would eventually return to his home country of the Bahamas. This is where Lockhart passed away in April 2007 at the age of 72 through complications arising from a stroke. By the end of his life, Lockhart had amassed a body of work that went far beyond his small role in "Predator 2." He'd engaged in performances across many different mediums and countries, an impressive achievement underscoring all that he contributed to the artistic world.

There aren't many roles for women in the first three "Predator" movies. The first feature is about an all-male team of soldiers heading out into the jungle, while "Predator 2" continued this trend with very few ladies in sight. One of the few to have any kind of a presence beyond Maria Conchita Alonso's Detective Leona Cantrell is Dr. Irene Edwards. This figure is portrayed by Lilyan Chauvin, a performer whose acting credits date back to the 1950s. She was mostly on hand in "Predator 2" to deliver exposition, but thankfully, she's had several meatier roles to sink her teeth into over the years.

Those creative exploits included a slew of memorable television appearences in projects like "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Friends," and "Murder She Wrote." Chauvin's greatest legacy as an artist, though, came with what she left to the next generation. At institutions like the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California, Chauvin taught classes on acting and directing. Through her forays into education, Chauvin imparted indispensable wisdom to budding artists. Her wildly varied career came to an end in June 2008, when Chauvin passed away at the age of 82 due to congestive heart disease.

Morton Downey Jr.'s role of Tony Pope in "Predator 2" was a bit of a meta-performance for the actor and talk show host. Much like William Atherton's Richard Thornburg in "Die Hard," Tony Pope is a nuisance of a journalist looking to exploit rampant tragedies for personal gain. The character was a play on Morton Downey Jr.'s real-life media persona as the host of "The Morton Downey Jr. Show." A talk show that ran in the late 1980s, his program was full of controversial and brash material, not to mention vividly ugly confrontations between guests — a precursor to later talk show provocateurs like Jerry Springer. While Pope is a reporter rather than a talk show host, the parallels between Morton Downey Jr. and his abrasive "Predator 2" character are impossible to miss.

After his talk show was canned in the late 1980s, Morton Downey Jr. took on a handful of acting roles, including parts in the TV shows "Tales from the Crypt" and "Monsters" in addition to his "Predator 2" appearance. He also attempted to anchor further TV and radio shows, none of which became anywhere near as popular as the original "Morton Downey Jr. Show." Lung cancer and pneumonia would eventually claim his life in March 2001. Passing away at 67, Morton Downey Jr. left a very complicated legacy behind, namely in his popularization of white male TV talk show hosts who emphasize being loud above all else.

Ruth Albright (Sylvia Kauders) doesn't have much screen time in "Predator 2." She's around for only one scene, in which she comically confronts a Predator who's entered her apartment with only a broom. However, the darkly comical sequence gets much of its effectiveness from the performance of Kauders. In her minimal screentime, she imbues Ruth with plenty of gumption. There's an innately endearing quality to this performance that makes one incredibly grateful that Ruth survives her encounter with this malicious alien. Such immediate, solid work could only be delivered by a character performer like Sylvia Kauders, who nevertheless didn't seriously pursue acting until the age of 55.

With her first film credit in "Witness" in 1985, Kauders was well into her 60s when she began a lengthy screen career as a character actor. She was rarely on-screen for long, but she always knew how to make the most of the material she was handed. After her amusing work in "Predator 2," she appeared in a wide variety of productions, including a trio of "Sopranos" episodes and "American Splendor." She was still working well into the 2010s in films like "Man on a Ledge" and "Inside Llewyn Davis." Her final film, "Love the Coopers," was released just months before she passed away in May 2016 at the age of 94 from a heart attack. 

For a while, actor Johnny Lewis was rampant in pop culture. After a lead role in the sitcom "The Sausage Factory," Lewis showed up in several other TV shows like "The O.C.," "Quintuplets," and the first two seasons of "Sons of Anarchy." He also appeared in a handful of motion pictures at the end of the 2000s, including the role of Ricky Howard in "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem." The younger brother of "Requiem" protagonist Dallas Howard (Steven Pasquale), Ricky is depicted as a naive but kindhearted pizza delivery guy who constantly narrowly evades horrific attacks from xenomorphs and Predators throughout the film. This includes one skirmish involving xenomorphs submerged in a school swimming pool. Despite these near-misses, Ricky emerges as one of the few ultimate survivors of "Requiem."

The life of Johnny Lewis took a tragic turn in October 2011 when he experienced severe head injuries after a motorcycle accident. In the wake of this incident, Lewis was consumed by addiction and bursts of dangerous erratic behavior. On September 26, 2012, Lewis died at the age of 28. His death was an extremely bizarre occurrence, with Lewis apparently strangling his landlady, Catherine Davis, to death before falling off a roof himself. It was a disturbing and bleak conclusion to a short life as well as a cautionary tale for not properly dealing with head trauma.

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