Top 30 Best heart-wrenching on-screen deaths on TV
by miss_dmt | created - 09 Sep 2018 | updated - 11 Mar 2022 | PublicThis is a list of actors who have who have given amazing performances dying on-screen. If I have missed someone off the list, just leave a comment.
1. Bradley James
Actor | The Liberator
British-American actor, Bradley James, won his first role on the BBC pilot Dis/Connected. Show creators were so impressed with his work that they would go on to cast him as the young King Arthur in the hit show Merlin (2008) which aired on BBC & NBC. Of the eventual cast, James was the only cast ...
When Bradley played Arthur in BBC series Merlin in the finale episode OMG just heart-breaking performance.
2. Damien Puckler
Actor | Grimm
Damien Puckler was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany. He is an actor and director, known for Grimm (2011), Redwood Massacre: Annihilation (2020) and Chase (2019).
His death as Meisner in the TV series Grimm, he made me weep.
3. Beth Riesgraf
Actress | Leverage: Redemption
Beth Jean Riesgraf is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Parker on the TNT television series Leverage (2008-2012) and the revival Leverage: Redemption which streams on IMDb TV. Originally from Belle Plaine, Minnesota, Riesgraf graduated from Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las ...
The character Maeve Donovan in Criminal Minds died tragically - so sad, also made me weep.
4. John Francis Daley
Actor | Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
John Francis Daley began acting in the national and international tour of The Who's Tommy, playing young Tommy - and coming to national prominence in the critically acclaimed, cult classic series, Freaks and Geeks (1999). Formerly a regular on the Fox hit, Bones (2005), John can also be seen in the...
The character Lance Sweets in the TV series Bones just broke my heart. A wonderful performance, I just did not see it coming.
5. Glenn Quinn
Actor | Angel
Quinn was born in Dublin, Ireland, and moved to the United States with his mother and two sisters in 1988. His first role was as a pool shark in the Richard Marx video Satisfied. He later landed a major role in the John Travolta film Shout (1991), where he shared a screen kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow....
The played the character Allen Doyle in season 1 of TV series Angel - the scene he died he made me cry. He died shortly afterwards in real life which made his on-screen performance even more tragic. RIP Glenn x
6. Mark Harmon
Actor | NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service
Thomas Mark Harmon was born on September 2, 1951, in Burbank, California, to football player and broadcaster Tom Harmon and actress and artist Elyse Knox (née Kornbrath). Harmon played college football and found success as one of TV's hunkiest actors. While many of his roles have relied on good ...
He played the character Simon Donovan in TV Series The West Wing Season 3, his characters death tore my heart out.
7. Josh Charles
Actor | Dead Poets Society
Joshua Aaron Charles is an American actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on Sports Night; Will Gardner on The Good Wife, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations; and his early work as Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society. He is the son of Allan Charles, an advertising ...
Josh played the Character Will in TV Series The Good Wife, when he died I just balled my eyes out.
8. Daniel Gillies
Actor | The Originals
Daniel Joshua Gillies was born on 14 March 1976 in Winnipeg, Canada and moved to New Zealand at a young age. Though born into a family of strong medical background (his father is a pediatrician, his mother a nurse, and his great-great-great-grandfather is the renowned ENT/plastic surgery pioneer ...
The character Joel in TV series Saving Hope dying ripped my heart out.
9. Allan Hyde
Actor | True Blood
With an English father and a Danish mother, Allan Hyde was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. Allan began studying acting at the age of 11 and soon after was cast in Cameron Macintosch's production "Les Miserables".
Allan's big breakthrough came when Oscar-winning director Allan Ball reunited a...
He played the character Godric in TV series True Blood, his performance of his death scene was so beautifully moving.
10. Ryan Eggold
Actor | BlacKkKlansman
Ryan Eggold was born on August 10, 1984 in Lakewood, California. His father is of German descent and his mother is of half Croatian and half Austrian-Jewish ancestry. Ryan's maternal grandmother was born in Vienna.
Eggold attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where he participated in many ...
The character Tom Keen, was my favourite character on the show - such a gut wrenching performance.
11. Dennis Haysbert
Actor | Far from Heaven
Dennis Haysbert was born on June 2, 1954 in San Mateo, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Far from Heaven (2002), 24 (2001) and Heat (1995). He was previously married to Lynn Griffith and Elena Simms.
Dennis playing the character President Palmer in TV series 24 was tragic and devastating.
12. John Spencer
Actor | The West Wing
John Spencer was born John Speshock III in Paterson, New Jersey, the only son of Mildred (Benzeroski), a homemaker and occasional waitress, and John Speshock, a truck driver. He grew up near Paterson, New Jersey, and left at age 16 to attend the Professional Children's School. In 1963, he landed a ...
The character Leo McGarry in TV series West Wing was so gut-wrenching especially because at the time the episode of his death aired on our screens he had died in real-life - A great actor! RIP John x
13. Taraji P. Henson
Actress | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Taraji Penda Henson is an American actress and singer. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy (2001). She played a prostitute in Hustle & Flow (2005), for which she received a ...
The character Detective Joss Carter death, I did not see that one coming. Wonderful performance!
14. Giacomo Gianniotti
Actor | Grey's Anatomy
Giacomo Gianniotti was born in Rome, Italy. He immigrated with his family at a young age and grew up in Toronto Canada. Giacomo splits his time in the year between Toronto, Rome, and LA, working in stage, film, and television. He is a bilingual actor working both in English and Italian. He ...
Dr Andrew De Luca in TV Series Grey's Anatomy was so sad - he was my favourite in the show.
15. Damian Lewis
Actor | Band of Brothers
Damian Lewis was born on February 11, 1971, in St. John's Wood, London, England, to Charlotte Mary (Bowater), from an upper-class background, and J. Watcyn Lewis, a city broker whose own parents were Welsh. He was raised on Abbey Road in London until the age of 8 with his siblings Gareth, William, ...
Damien's portrayal of the character Nicholas Brody in TV series Homeland, I could not stop crying.
16. Alexis Denisof
Actor | Guardians of the Galaxy
Alexis Denisof was born on February 25, 1966 in Salisbury, Maryland, USA. He is an actor, known for Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), The Avengers (2012) and Angel (1999). He has been married to Alyson Hannigan since October 11, 2003. They have two children.
The character Wesley in TV series Angel was so sad, the performance was so moving.
17. Luke Mitchell
Actor | Blindspot
Originally wanting to be a professional tennis player, Luke began his acting career in Melbourne, Australia. He trained at the Film & Television Studio International and traveled around Australia with international entertainment company, Sudden Impact Entertainment. In his first professional acting ...
Luke plays character Roman in TV series Blindspot and his characters death scene was so surprising but even though he was a villain, it was so moving.
18. Amy Acker
Actress | Angel
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas where she graduated Lake Highlands High School, Amy Acker is the oldest of four children; she has two sisters and one brother. An acting major at Southern Methodist University, Amy acted in several college theater productions. She appeared in various roles during ...
The character Winifred's death scene in TV series Angel was so moving
19. Dan Stevens
Actor | Downton Abbey
Dan Stevens was born at Croydon in Surrey on 10th October 1982. His parents are teachers. He was educated at Tonbridge School and trained in acting at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. He studied English Literature at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Whilst he was a Cambridge undergraduate, ...
The character Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey, when he died I was gutted
20. Sasha Alexander
Actress | Shameless
Sasha Alexander began acting by the time she was in the seventh grade when she found herself cast as the lead female in her school's production of "Baby". What she didn't know was that her male co-star would chicken out on her only a few hours before opening night. Determined to let the show go on,...
The character Caitlin aka Cate was shot in the head was something that no-one saw coming. What a shock!
21. Colin Donnell
Actor | Arrow
Born in St. Louis, Missouri and now a resident of New York City, Colin Donnell is an American actor first known for his work on stage before making his television debut on ABC's 'Pan Am' and subsequently as Tommy Merlyn in The CW's hit show 'Arrow'. In New York his stage work includes 'Anything ...
When the character Tommy died in the TV Series Arrow, made me cry.
22. Mary McDonnell
Actress | Battlestar Galactica
Mary McDonnell is a two-time Oscar®-nominated actress, who is known for her character portrayals in both period and present-day screen roles, as well as a long history of stage and film roles.
Mary Eileen McDonnell was born on April 28, 1952 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Eileen (Mundy) and John ...
The character Captain Sharon Raydor in TV series Major Crimes was just so sad.
23. Jason Brooks
Actor | Star Trek
Jason began his career with his memorable portrayal of the dark, but likable villain, "Peter Blake", on NBC's long-running drama, Days of Our Lives (1965), for which he garnered Soap Opera Digest's coveted Best Villain award.
After leaving "Days" to pursue other projects, Jason continued to work ...
The character Tommy getting murdered in the TV series The Pretender was bitter sweet.
24. Paul Blackthorne
Actor | Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
Blackthorne's first film role was as Captain Andrew Russell in the Oscar-nominated Bollywood film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001). He spent six months learning Hindi for the role. He also starred in Mindcrime (2003) and the festival-winning indie feature length film Four Corners of Suburbia...
The character Quentin Lance played by Paul in TV series Arrow was so sad.
25. Crystal Reed
Actress | Swamp Thing
Crystal Reed is of half-Native American and half-Polish descent. Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, she began studying the arts a young age. She pursued dance and theater as a child and began working as an actor in local productions. She later attend Wayne State University where she was admitted into...
The character Alison dying in tv series Teen Wolf so beautifully poignant.
26. Nic Bishop
Actor | Truth Be Told
Nic Bishop was born in Swindon, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Truth Be Told (2019), Snowfall (2017) and Woodlawn (2015).
The character Peter Dunlop in TV series Body Of Proof, his death was so sad.
27. Dillon Casey
Actor | Backpackers
Dillon Casey was born on October 29, 1983 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Backpackers (2013), The Vow (2012) and Warehouse 13 (2009). He has been married to Lauren Lee Smith since March 2024.
The character Casey in TV Series Nikita death was so tragic.
28. Joe Manganiello
Actor | True Blood
Joe Manganiello is an American actor, producer, director, and author. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Susan (Brachanow) and Charles John Manganiello, and has a younger brother, Nicholas who is also his producing partner. His ancestry includes Sicilian, Irish, Croatian, Armenian, German,...
The character Alcide in TV Series True Blood was just heart breaking.
29. Anthony Head
Actor | Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Anthony Stewart Head was born on February 20, 1954 in Camden Town, north London, England. He grew up in Hampton, near Richmond upon Thames in London. He's the youngest son of Seafield Head (a documentary filmmaker) and Helen Shingler (an actress). He is the younger brother of musician/actor Murray ...
The character Uther in BBC TV Series Merlin was so sad.
30. John Lyons
Actor | A Touch of Frost
For seventeen years, he played the part of George Toolan, David Jason's trusted offsider in the popular British detective series A Touch of Frost (1992). Sure enough, this became the signature role for John Lyons, who had already portrayed other police officers in shows like The Crezz (1976), Mind ...
The character D.S. Lyons dying in final episode of TV series A Touch Of Frost was really sad.
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