Each year the Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, honor film and television performers and craftspeople. Although the ceremony is a black-tie affair, it’s often more spontaneous and celebratory than the other major award shows, and fans around the world tune in to see their favorite movie stars. Join us as we take a look back at some Golden Globe winners who have died in the past 20 years.
Alan Rickman (1946 – 2016)
Alan Rickman (1946 – 2016) won a Golden Globe for his performance as the titular character in 1996’s “Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.” We will remember him best for his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
Robin Williams (1951 – 2014)
Robin Williams (1951 – 2014) won Golden Globes for his performances in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “The Fisher King,” “Good Morning, Vietnam” and “Mork & Mindy.” He is pictured here in 2005 when he won the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967 – 2014)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967 – 2014) in 2006 for his performance in “Capote.” He would be nominated four more times, for “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Doubt,” “The Savages” and “The Master” before his unexpected death.
View Philip Seymour Hoffman gallery
Lauren Bacall (1924 – 2014)
In a reversal of the usual order of awards, screen legend Lauren Bacall (1924 – 2014) won the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in 1993 before she won her first competitive Golden Globe as best actress in a supporting role for “The Mirror Has Two Faces” in 1997. Here she is pictured with Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Bob Hoskins (1942 – 2014)
Pugnacious British actor Bob Hoskins (1942 – 2014) won a Golden Globe in 1987 for his performance in “Mona Lisa.” The accolades helped raise his profile, and he soon found himself starring in the international blockbuster “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” – for which he was nominated for another Golden Globe. He also was nominated for best performance by a supporting actor in 2006 for his role in “Mrs. Henderson Presents.”
Eileen Brennan (1932 – 2013)
Veteran film and television actress Eileen Brennan (1932 – 2013) had been nominated for several awards before she finally won a Golden Globe for best actress in 1982 for the TV version of “Private Benjamin,” in which she reprised her role as Captain Doreen Lewis from the feature film.
View Eileen Brennan’s obituary
James Gandolfini (1961 – 2013)
James Gandolfini (1961 – 2013) and co-star Edie Falco both won Golden Globes in 2000 for the first season of “The Sopranos.” The series helped usher in a new era of well-crafted television dramas featuring complicated and compellingly performed characters.
View James Gandolfini’s obituary
Elizabeth Taylor (1932 – 2011)
Elizabeth Taylor (1932 – 2011) began her acting career at the age of 10. Nominated for numerous Golden Globes, she won in 1959 for “Suddenly, Last Summer.” She also received a special achievement Golden Globe in 1956 for “Giant.”
Jean Simmons (1929 – 2010)
English actress Jean Simmons (1929 – 2010) won a Golden Globe in 1955 for her performance in movie musical “Guys and Dolls.”
Lynn Redgrave (1943 – 2010)
A member of the illustrious Redgrave family of actors, Lynn Redgrave (1943 – 2010) won two Golden Globes: the first for “Georgy Girl” in 1967 and, more than 30 years later, the second for “Gods and Monsters” in 1999.
John Forsythe (1918 – 2010)
A TV star since his first series in 1957, John Forsythe (1918 – 2010) won back-to-back Golden Globes for best actor in a TV drama series in 1983 and 1984 for his role as the scheming patriarch, Blake Carrington, on “Dynasty.”
Jennifer Jones (1919 – 2009)
American actress Jennifer Jones (1919 – 2009) won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for her performance in 1943’s “The Song of Bernadette.”
Read more about Jennifer Jones
Edward Woodward (1930 – 2009)
British actor Edward Woodward (1930 – 2009) won a Golden Globe for his performance in the TV series “The Equalizer” in 1987. His role as a former spy who aids helpless people was played by Denzel Washington in a 2014 film of the same name.
View Edward Woodward’s obituary
Heath Ledger (1979 – 2008)
Heath Ledger (1979 – 2008) died of a prescription drug overdose before the release of “The Dark Knight” in 2008. He was posthumously awarded a Golden Globe in 2009 and later an Academy Award for his terrifying yet humorous performance as the Joker.
Estelle Getty (1923 – 2008)
The most golden of “The Golden Girls,” Estelle Getty (1923 – 2008) won in 1986 for her performance as the elderly spitfire Sophia Petrillo, and was the only cast member of the series to win a Golden Globe.
Jane Wyman (1917 – 2007)
Jane Wyman (1917 – 2007) won three Golden Globes over the course of her long, illustrious acting career. The first, in 1949, was for her performance in the film “Johnny Belinda.” A second came in 1952 for “The Blue Veil” and a third in 1984 (pictured here with Jill St. John, left, and Louis Gossett Jr.) for her television role in “Falcon Crest.” Wyman also received a special Henrietta Award at the Golden Globe Awards in 1951.
June Allyson (1917 – 2006)
American actress June Allyson (1917 – 2006) won a 1951 Golden Globe for her performance in the 1951 film “Too Young to Kiss.”
Jack Palance (1919 – 2006)
Rough-hewn trail boss Curly Washburn was the perfect role for veteran character actor Jack Palance (1919 – 2006). He won both a Golden Globe statue and an Academy Award in 1992 for his turn in the 1991 film “City Slickers.”
Anne Bancroft (1931 – 2005)
Nominated for a Golden Globe for her breakthrough performance in “The Miracle Worker,” American actress Anne Bancroft (1931 – 2005) would win twice: in 1964 for “The Pumpkin Eater” and again in 1967 for “The Graduate.”
Barbara Bel Geddes (1922 – 2005)
Barbara Bel Geddes (1922 – 2005) won her Golden Globe in 1982 for her acclaimed performance as Ewing family matriarch Miss Ellie on “Dallas.”
John Ritter (1948 – 2003)
Five-time Golden Globe nominee John Ritter (1948 – 2003) won once, for his role as Jack Tripper in “Three’s Company” in 1984.
Dudley Moore (1935 – 2002)
Dudley Moore (1935 – 2002) won two Golden Globes for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy: the first in 1921 for “Arthur” and the second in 1984 for “Micki & Maude.”
John Gielgud (1904 – 2000)
Regarded as one of the greatest Shakespearean stage actors of the 20th century, John Gielgud (1904 – 2000) also made appearances in more mainstream entertainment. He won Golden Globes in 1982 and 1989 for his performances in the film “Arthur” and the TV miniseries “War and Remembrance,” respectively.
Richard Mulligan (1932 – 2000)
In 1989 Richard Mulligan (1932 – 2000), the star of television sitcom “Empty Nest,” won a Golden Globe in a three-way tie with Michael J. Fox and Judd Hirsch. He also was nominated the next two years.
Richard Kiley (1922 – 1999)
Perhaps best remembered as the original Broadway Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Richard Kiley (1922 – 1999) won two Golden Globes in 1984 and 1988 for his television work in “The Thorn Birds” and “A Year in the Life,” respectively.
Haing S. Ngor (1940 – 1996)
Haing S. Ngor (1940 – 1996) was not a professional actor when he was cast in “The Killing Fields,” but his performance as a journalist witnessing atrocities in Cambodia proved so powerful that he won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award in 1985.
