My Top 5 Posthumous Performances

As I’m sure you’re aware, Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man has just been released in cinemas (check out my full review here). It’s a taut & intellectual thriller, which weaves a tightly woven narrative with wider observations on the interagency feuds that bubble beneath the surface of the War on Terror. Central to it all is Günther Bachmann, played with complete assurance by the recently passed Philip Seymour Hoffman. It’s a superb swansong for the actor, a fitting epitaph to his talents, and a timely reminder of how commanding and versatile he could be on the screen.

Following the film, I began to wonder what other actors had given performances that so perfectly encapsulated their talents, only for the film to be released posthumously. Though the list below is in no way definitive, here are what I consider to be the best posthumous performances I have seen.

1: James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause

James Dean will forever be the epitome of adolescent cool. Though it was his performance as the troubled Cal Trask in East of Eden that caught everyone’s attention (and earned him a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor), it was as the rebellious teenager Jim Stark that he truly cemented his image. His performance was magnificently multilayered; imbued with charm & charisma, but belied with deep-rooted pain. Sadly, Dean died in a car accident a month before the film’s release, and was tragically never able to see how much of a star he would become. 

2: Oliver Reed in Gladiator

Reed was still shooting Gladiator when he suffered a fatal heart attack. It was a colossally big loss to the acting world, and one that became all the more tragic when it was revealed just how superb his final performance was. As slave trader Proximo, Reed brought depth and humanity to what is a conventionally antagonistic role. Thankfully, director Ridley Scott was able to complete the film thanks to some exceptional CGI trickery, allowing us to bask once more in Reed’s incredible range.

3: James Gandolfini in Enough Said

Thanks to his extraordinary turn as Tony Soprano in the HBO’s televisual juggernaut The Sopranos, James Gandolfini will always be remembered as a quintessential screen mobster. Which is perhaps why his nuanced performance in the superbly subtle Enough Said felt so special to all those who were fans. Here Gandolfini exuded the charm of a gentle giant that bathed this subversive rom-com in eternal warmth. Though there is still one more gangster performance to be seen, in the soon to be released The Drop, it is here that Gandolfini proved his ability to surprise the audience and subvert his image.

4: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

The shock left in the wake of Heath Ledger’s death reverberated around the world. Though you could never call him a real star, his talents were unprecedented. He oozed charm & sex appeal in A Knight’s Tale, and painted a poignant portrait of forbidden love in Brokeback Mountain. It is as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight that he will predominately be remembered for though, and justly so. He radiated an unending amount of menace as Batman’s greatest foe, forever defining the role in his own image.

5: Bruce Lee in Enter The Dragon

Bruce Lee had already proven himself to be an enthralling screen presence in various martial arts films, but it is his starring role in Enter The Dragon that he is still remembered for. Sadly, Lee never got to see himself become a global sensation, having died shortly before the film’s release. On the screen he’s a magnetic presence, who constantly dazzles us with his incredible gymnastic abilities. The final mirror fight scene remains one of cinema’s finest fight scenes.

So there we have it, my top five posthumous performances. But which ones have I left out, which ones do you believe deserve to be on this list, and are there any I have included that you don’t agree with? As ever, leave your remarks in the comments section.