Notable Deaths
| Month | Date | Name | Age | Country | Profession | Notable films |
| January | 4 | Mae Questel | 89 | USA | Actress, Voice of Betty Boop, Olive Oyl | Who Framed Roger Rabbit • Funny Girl • Christmas Vacation |
| 5 | Sonny Bono | 62 | USA | Singer, Actor | Good Times • Hairspray • Airplane II: The Sequel • Troll • Escape to Athena • Under the Boardwalk • Dirty Laundry | |
| 6 | Walter Barnes | 79 | USA | Actor | The Big Gundown • Escape to Witch Mountain • Day of the Animals • Every Which Way But Loose • Pete's Dragon • High Plains Drifter | |
| 6 | Murray Salem | 47 | USA | Actor, Screenwriter | Kindergarten Cop • The Spy Who Loved Me | |
| 24 | Jack Lord | 77 | USA | Actor | Dr. No • God's Little Acre • The Vagabond King • The Hangman | |
| 28 | Jim Bohan | 52 | USA | Actor | American Graffiti • Punishment Park | |
| February | 1 | Jack T. Collis | 75 | USA | Art Director | Magnum Force • The Last Tycoon • Exorcist II: The Heretic • Save the Tiger • Born Reckless •The Delta Factor |
| 5 | Douglas Gamley | 73 | Australia | Composer, Conductor | Tron • Enigma • The City of the Dead • The Land That Time Forgot | |
| 23 | Chuck Hayward | 89 | UK | Actor | The Blues Brothers • The Longest Yard • Rooster Cogburn • Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen • The Frisco Kid | |
| 24 | Henny Youngman | 91 | UK | Comedian, Actor | History of the World: Part I • Goodfellas | |
| 27 | J.T. Walsh | 54 | USA | Actor | Sling Blade • Pleasantville • A Few Good Men • Hannah and Her Sisters • The Negotiator • Nixon • Good Morning, Vietnam • Executive Decision • The Russia House • Backdraft • Hoffa • Blue Chips | |
| March | 5 | Donald Woods | 91 | Canada | Actor | True Grit • Dimension 5 • Kissin' Cousins • 13 Ghosts |
| 10 | Lloyd Bridges | 85 | USA | Actor | High Noon • Airplane! • Hot Shots! • The Fifth Musketeer • The Rainmaker • Rocketship X-M • Honey, I Blew Up the Kid | |
| 10 | Bill Alton | 73 | USA | Actor | Sweet Lorraine | |
| April | 1 | Lucille Norman | 76 | USA | Actress | Carson City • Painting the Clouds with Sunshine • For Me and My Gal |
| 3 | Charles Lang | 96 | USA | Cinematographer | Some Like It Hot • The Magnificent Seven • Sabrina • Charade • Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice • One-Eyed Jacks • Blue Hawaii • 40 Carats | |
| 11 | Rodney Harvey | 30 | USA | Actor | My Own Private Idaho • Guncrazy • Five Corners • Salsa | |
| 28 | Jerome Bixby | 75 | USA | Screenwriter | Twilight Zone: The Movie • Fantastic Voyage • The Man from Earth | |
| May | 2 | Maidie Norman | 85 | USA | Actress | Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? • Halloween III: Season of the Witch • Written on the Wind • Airport '77 |
| 11 | Gene Fowler Jr. | 80 | USA | Film Editor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World • Hang 'Em High • A Man Called Jorse • Skatetown, U.S.A. • Captain Scarface | |
| 14 | Frank Sinatra | 82 | USA | Singer, Actor | From Here to Eternity • The Manchurian Candidate • Ocean's Eleven • Tony Rome • Robin and the 7 Hoods • Guys and Dolls | |
| 15 | Linwood G. Dunn | 93 | USA | Visual Effects Artist | West Side Story • 2001: A Space Odyssey • The Great Race | |
| 20 | Wolf Mankowitz | 73 | UK | Screenwriter | Casino Royale • A Kid for Two Farthings | |
| 21 | Douglas Fowley | 86 | USA | Actor | Singin' in the Rain • Mighty Joe Young • Battleground | |
| 28 | Phil Hartman | 49 | USA | Actor, Comedian | Pee-wee's Big Adventure • Jingle All the Way • Small Soldiers • Greedy • Three Amigos • Fletch Lives • Coneheads • Sgt. Bilko • The Brave Little Toaster • So I Married an Axe Murderer | |
| June | 1 | Darwin Joston | 60 | USA | Actor | Assault on Precinct 13 • Eraserhead • The Fog • Wild at Heart |
| 4 | Josephine Hutchinson | 94 | USA | Actress | North by Northwest • The Story of Louis Pasteur • Son of Frankenstein • Nevada Smith • Adventure in Baltimore | |
| 5 | Jeanette Nolan | 85 | USA | Actress | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance • The Fox and the Hound • The Horse Whisperer • Cloak & Dagger | |
| 12 | Theresa Merritt | 73 | USA | Actress | Billy Madison • The Wiz • The Goodbye Girl • Home Fries • All That Jazz | |
| 23 | Maureen O'Sullivan | 87 | USA | Actress | The Thin Man • Tarzan's New York Adventure • Peggy Sue Got Married • The Tall T | |
| 24 | Ken Barker | 69 | UK | Stuntman | Batman • Willow • Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves • An American Werewolf in London • Superman III | |
| July | 4 | Gregg Burge | 40 | USA | Actor | A Chorus Line • School Daze |
| 6 | Roy Rogers | 86 | USA | Actor | Bells of San Angelo • Mackintosh and T.J. • Son of Paleface • My Pal Trigger • Under California Stars | |
| 10 | William Preston | 76 | USA | Actor | The Fisher King • Waterworld • Joe's Apartment • Far and Away • The Crucible • The Exorcist III | |
| 16 | Leigh Brown | 59 | USA | Screenwriter | A Christmas Story • It Runs in the Family | |
| 17 | Joseph Maher | 64 | Ireland | Actor | Mars Attacks! • In & Out • The Out-of-Towners • My Stepmother Is an Alien • Sister Act • I.Q. | |
| 21 | Robert Young | 91 | USA | Actor | Crossfire • That Forsyte Woman • Claudia and David • The Enchanted Cottage | |
| 22 | Don Dunphy | 90 | USA | Announcer, Actor | Raging Bull • The Fighter • Bananas • Matilda | |
| 28 | Lenny McLean | 49 | UK | Actor | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels • The Fifth Element • My Cousin Vinny | |
| 29 | O.Z. Whitehead | 87 | USA | Actor | The Lion in Winter • The Grapes of Wrath • Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys! • The Romance of Rosy Ridge | |
| August | 16 | Phil Leeds | 82 | USA | Actor | Ghost • Rosemary's Baby • Frankie and Johnnie • Krippendorf's Tribe • Soapdish • Beaches • History of the World: Part I |
| 18 | Persis Khambatta | 49 | India | Actress | Star Trek: The Motion Picture • Nighthawks • She-Wolves of the Wasteland | |
| 24 | E. G. Marshall | 84 | USA | Actor | 12 Angry Men • The Caine Mutiny • Nixon • Tora! Tora! Tora! • Christmas Vacation • Superman II • Creepshow • Broken Lance | |
| 24 | Gene Page | 58 | USA | Composer | Blacula • Brewster McCloud • Things Are Tough All Over | |
| September | 2 | Fernando Carrere | 87 | Mexico | Art Director | The Great Escape • The Pink Panther • On the Beach • The Defiant Ones • Jack the Giant Killer |
| 6 | Akira Kurosawa | 88 | Japan | Screenwriter | Seven Samurai • Rashomon • Throne of Blood • Kagemusha • Ran | |
| 8 | Leonid Kinskey | 95 | Russia | Actor | Casablanca • Duck Soup • The Man with the Golden Arm | |
| 19 | Patricia Hayes | 88 | UK | Actress | A Fish Called Wanda • Willow • The Neverending Story • Little Dorrit • Danger on Dartmoor | |
| October | 3 | Roddy McDowall | 70 | USA | Actor | Planet of the Apes • The Poseidon Adventure • A Bug's Life • Bedknobs and Broomsticks • The Greatest Story Ever Told • That Darn Cat! |
| 22 | Eric Ambler | 89 | UK | Screenwriter | A Night to Remember • Topkapi • The Way Ahead | |
| 28 | James Goldman | 71 | USA | Screenwriter | The Lion in Winter • They Might Be Giants | |
| November | 4 | Vincent Winter | 50 | UK | Production Manager | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom • Superman • The Color Purple • For Your Eyes Only • Santa Claus |
| 9 | Ursula Reit | 84 | Germany | Actress | Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory | |
| 17 | Dick O'Neill | 70 | USA | Actor | The Taking of Pelham One Two Three • The Jerk • Prizzi's Honor • The Mosquito Coast • Wolfen | |
| 17 | Esther Rolle | 78 | USA | Actress | Driving Miss Daisy • Rosewood • Cape Fear | |
| 19 | Alan J. Pakula | 70 | USA | Producer | All the President's Men • To Kill a Mockingbird • The Pelican Brief • Sophie's Choice • Presumed Innocent • Klute | |
| 22 | Nicky Blair | 72 | USA | Actor | The Godfather Part III • Rocky V • A Bronx Tale • New York • Viva Las Vegas | |
| 25 | Enrico Sabbatini | 66 | Italy | Costume Designer | Seven Years in Tibet • The Mission • Cutthroat Island | |
| 25 | Flip Wilson | 64 | USA | Comedian, Actor | Skatetown, U.S.A. • The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh | |
| December | 1 | Freddie Young | 96 | UK | Cinematographer | Lawrence of Arabia • Doctor Zhivago • You Only Live Twice • Ryan's Daughter • Lord Jim |
| 14 | Norman Fell | 74 | USA | Actor | Inherit the Wind • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World • The Graduate • Bullitt • The Boatniks • Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold • Airport 1975 • The Stone Killer • Charley Varrick • Catch-22 | |
| 20 | Irene Hervey | 89 | USA | Actress | Play Misty for Me • Cactus Flower | |
| 25 | Richard Paul | 58 | USA | Actor | The People vs. Larry Flynt • Eating Raoul • The Independent | |
| 26 | Hurd Hatfield | 81 | USA | Actor | The Boston Strangler • El Cid • King of Kings • Richie Rich • Von Richthofen and Brown | |
| 29 | Don Taylor | 81 | USA | Director | Tom Sawyer • The Final Countdown • Damien: Omen II • Escape from the Planet of the Apes • The Island of Dr. Moreau |
Read more about this topic: 1998 In Film
Famous quotes containing the words notable and/or deaths:
“In one notable instance, where the United States Army and a hundred years of persuasion failed, a highway has succeeded. The Seminole Indians surrendered to the Tamiami Trail. From the Everglades the remnants of this race emerged, soon after the trail was built, to set up their palm-thatched villages along the road and to hoist tribal flags as a lure to passing motorists.”
—For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“On almost the incendiary eve
Of deaths and entrances ...”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)