Every On-Screen Sean Bean Death

Sean Bean has become notorious over the years for his frequent on-screen deaths – here’s a list of every one. Bean has appeared in several of the most successful franchises in history, including James Bond, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones. Famously, the roles he accepts tend not to live so happily ever after.

Shaun Mark Bean was born in Sheffield, England on April 17, 1959. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of Romeo and Juliet in 1983. Since then Bean has become one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces, appearing in more than 80 live-action films and TV shows in his nearly 40-year acting career.

Bean is known for his tough demeanor and piercing performances, but his success as an actor has become somewhat overshadowed by his propensity for death. Bean has been involved in some of the most impactful death scenes in history having died in 24 separate films and TV shows, comprising approximately a quarter of his on-screen catalog. From stabbing to shootings to death via cow, here is every way Sean Bean has died in a live-action film or TV show.

Caravaggio (1986) — Throat Slashed

Caravaggio is a fictionalized retelling of events from the life of the baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Bean plays Ranuccio Tommasoni, an acquaintance of Caravaggio’s who develops a deadly infatuation. Although there is some debate regarding the artist’s intentions, the real Caravaggio did murder Ranuccio – though it was as a result of a duel via a lacerated femoral artery that some theorize was meant to castrate him.

War Requiem (1989) — Bayonetted

War Requiem is a film adaptation of a 1963 musical piece of the same name written by Benjamin Britten. The film is notably different from every modern war movie as there is no dialogue or sound effects other than what is included in the original recording, using only music and Wilfred Owen’s own words to tell his story. Bean plays an unnamed German soldier who is fatally stabbed with a bayonet by the main character.

Lorna Doone (1990) — Drowned

Lorna Doone is a British TV movie based on the 1869 novel of the same name by R.D. Blackmore. West Country yeoman John Ridd vows to avenge to death of his father by destroying the notorious Doone Clan, but his plan is quickly interrupted when he falls in love with their daughter, Lorna. The story is as romantic as it is tragic, seemingly taking nods from the works and plays of William Shakespeare. Bean plays Carver Doone, heir to the Doone family who kills Lorna on her wedding day before being chased into a big and subsequently drowning.

The Field (1990) — Death By Cow

The Field is an Irish drama film based on the 1965 stage play by John B. Keane. “Bull” McCabe has spent three decades tending a plot of land tending a field on the Irish bluffs, but when the widow who owns the plot puts it up for auction, McCabe will do anything to keep the land from falling into the hands of an ill-intentioned American businessman. Bean plays Tadgh McCabe, the emotionally stunted son of “Bull”, who is pushed off of a cliff by a herd of cattle in the film’s climax. The Field was nominated for several Academy Awards, including a Best Actor nomination for future Dumbledore actor Richard Harris. 

Clarissa (1991) — Stabbed

Clarissa is a British period drama series based on the 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. The story follows the virtuous Clarissa as she is manipulated by family members and potential suitors in search of her inherited fortune. Bean plays Lovelace, Clarissa’s love interest who reveals his true intentions in the story’s climax before being fatally stabbed by his disapproving comrades.

Patriot Games (1992) — Impaled By An Anchor

Patriot Games is the second film adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan book series, serving as an effective sequel to 1990’s Hunt for Red October (although many of the roles were recast). After thwarting an assassination attempt on the British Minister of State, Jack Ryan becomes the target of a powerful Irish terrorist group bent on revenge. Bean plays Sean Miller, a high-ranking member of the terrorist group whose brother is killed during the attempted assassination. Miller is ultimately killed during the high-octane climax, rammed onto an anchor atop a moving boat by Jack Ryan in the movie’s end.

Scarlett (1994) — Stabbed

Scarlett is an American miniseries based on the 1991 book by Alexandra Ripley, which served as an effective sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. The story follows the eponymous Scarlett O’Hara on a journey around the world as she meets various friends and family members in an attempt to win back Rhett’s heart. Bean plays Lord Richard Fenton, an Irish noble with a romantic interest in Scarlett. When Fenton rapes one of his female servants, the woman retaliates by stabbing and killing the Lord, a murder for which Scarlett takes the blame.

GoldenEye (1995) — Dropped From An Antenna

GoldenEye is the first James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan, the 17th film in the James Bond series, and the first Bond story to not be adapted from the works of author Ian Fleming. After a mission gone awry, Agent 006 is presumed dead. Nearly a decade after the failed mission when a deadly satellite falls into the hands of a Russian crime syndicate, it becomes clear that things are not as they seem. Bean plays Agent 006 Alec Trevelyan, who is thrown from the satellite in the climactic fight with Bond.

Airborne (1998) — Shot

Airborne is a little-known action film wits a famous cast and forgettable story. A group of thieves break into a top-secret government facility and steal a deadly virus, so a special ops team called Mach 1 is tasked with recovering it. Bean plays Dave Toombs, the leader of the thieves who is fatally shot by Bill McNeil (played by comedy actor Steve Guttenberg) in the film’s climax.

Essex Boys (2000) — Shot

Essex Boys is a British crime film loosely based on real events. In 1995, three notorious drug dealers from Rettendon, Essex, UK were lured to Workhouse Lane where they were gunned down while sitting in their car. Bean plays Jason Locke, a fictionalized version of one of the drug dealers who was shot and killed on that day in 1995.

Don’t Say A Word (2001) — Buried Alive

Don’t Say A Word is a psychological thriller based on the 1991 novel by Andrew Klavan. A team of thieves kidnaps the daughter of a prominent psychiatrist, forcing him to extract a passcode from a girl with PTSD that will unveil the location of a precious gem in exchange for his daughter’s life. Bean plays Patrick Koster, the leader of the thieves who is kicked into a grave and buried by an excavator in the film’s climax.

Equilibrium (2002) — Shot

Equilibrium is an Orwellian science fiction movie set in a dystopian and uncompassionate future. All emotion and artistic expression have been outlawed by the Tetragrammaton Council, and the populace is forced to take powerful psychoactive drugs to suppress their feelings. When an enforcement officer misses a dose, he begins to question the morality of his world, inevitably joining forces with a resistance movement to help take down the regime that he once defended. Bean plays Partridge, a fellow enforcement officer who is shot and killed by the protagonist for reading poetry, an emotional act of defiance to the regime.

The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) — Shot With Arrows

The Fellowship of the Ring is the first film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. A group of representatives from various factions and races of Middle Earth is tasked with destroying a ring imbued with powerful magic in the fires of Mt. Doom before it can be used as an implement of war. Bean plays Boromir, a dangerous and untrustworthy member of the Fellowship who redeems himself in his final moments by giving his life to protect the ring and those who bear it.

Henry VIII (2003) — Hanged

Henry VIII is a British miniseries based on the history of the infamous real-life King of England. The two-part series focuses on the 38-year reign of the controversial king, from his ascension to the throne up to his death in 1547. Henry VIII is among the most damning shows based on the English Monarchy, pulling few of its punches against the unscrupulous king. Bean plays Robert Aske, a former comrade of Henry who is tricked by the nefarious king into incriminating himself, leading him to be hanged for treason.

The Island (2005) — Shot With Grappling Hook And Hanged

The Island is a science fiction thriller that has been described as a pastiche of the “escape from dystopia” style films popularized in the ‘60s and ‘70s. The residents of a futuristic facility labor under the promise that they might be granted the opportunity to move to the Island, a supposed utopia and the last uncontaminated place on Earth. But one of the residents begins to uncover dark secrets when the woman he loves is chosen to leave the facility. Bean plays Dr. Bernard Merrick, the scientist that runs the compound who is brutally killed by the protagonist in one of the most gruesome climaxes in any of Michael Bay’s movies.

Far North (2007) — Froze To Death

Far North is an independently produced film based on the short story by Sara Maitland. The film follows two native women, Anja and Saiva, in the arctic regions of Siberia who come across a badly injured soldier (Bean) deserted in the frozen tundra. Bean plays the wounded soldier, who eventually names himself as “Loki.” In a tremendously upsetting climax, Loki comes in from the cold to have sex with Anja, only afterward realizing that Saiva had killed Anja, removing her face and wearing it as a mask. Distraught, Loki flees naked into the cold to freeze in one of the most unique deaths in horror, let alone Bean’s career.

Outlaw (2007) — Shot

Outlaw is a British action thriller featuring a Boondock Saints-esque style of vigilantism. A group of people who feel betrayed by their government and let down by their Police force form a modern-day outlaw posse in order to right what they see as the wrongs of society. Bean plays Danny Bryant, a member of the Outlaws who is killed in a firefight with a corrupt police force in the film’s climax.

The Hitcher (2007) — Shot

The Hitcher is a remake of the 1986 thriller by the same name. Two college students pick up a hitchhiker who quickly turns violent, with the two only barely managing to escape with their lives. When the couple finds themselves framed for murder, a terrifying game of cat and mouse begins between them and their newfound rival. The Hitcher differs from the original 1986 slasher flick, making the film more suspenseful than gruesome. Bean plays the eponymous hitcher John Ryder, who is dramatically shot several times in the film’s final moments.

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2008) — Shot

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 is the first installment of the three-part Red Riding TV adaptation of the Red Riding Quartet novels by David Peace. Plagued by guilt, a corrupt police official attempts to solve the case of a missing schoolgirl after seeing connections between her disappearance and a rash of prior abductions. Bean appears as John Dawson, an unscrupulous and powerful real estate developer seemingly involved in several gruesome murders who is shot by the show’s protagonist in desperation shortly before he is killed in a car accident.

Black Death (2010) — Torn And Quartered

Black Death is a German-British horror film set in medieval England. Set during the first outbreak of bubonic plague, a young monk is sent to investigate reports of people being brought back to life in a small village. Bean plays Ulric, an envoy for the bishop who travels to the village with the monk only to be brutally ripped apart by horses after the group refuses to renounce their God.

Death Race 2 (2010) — Shot

Death Race 2 is a prequel to 2008’s Death Race, which is itself a remake of (or possibly a prequel to) 1975’s Death Race 2000. The film explores the origins of the first “Frankenstein” car driver, Carl Lucas, who died at the beginning of the first film. Bean plays Markus Kane, Lucas’ criminal employer who puts a bounty on Lucas’ head in prison to protect his enterprise, ultimately leading to Lucas putting a hit out on him in return.

Ca$h (2010) — Shot

Cash is an crime thriller starring a soon to be Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and featuring Sean Bean in dual roles. A down-on-their-luck couple thinks things are turning around for them when they come across a briefcase full of money, but their good fortune comes to an abrupt end when a powerful criminal comes to collect what is his. Bean plays Reese Kubic, the incarcerated criminal who ditched the money before his arrest, as well as Pyke Kubic, Reese’s brother who resolves to find the lost money. Though Reese survives the film, Pyke is fatally shot in an altercation with the protagonists.

Game Of Thrones (2011) — Decapitated

Game of Thrones is a well-known fantasy TV series based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin. In a world experiencing the resurgence of magic, noble houses clash in battles of revenge and quests for power in a character-driven saga that spans across continents. Despite the immense volume of death in Game of Thrones, Bean’s remains among the most memorable. Bean plays Lord Edward Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and apparent main character who is unexpectedly executed for treason in the show’s first season.

Age Of Heroes (2011) — Shot

Age of Heroes is a British war film based on the real-life events of Ian Fleming’s 30 Commando Unit during World War II. In 1940, Major Jack Jones is assigned to assemble an 8-men commando team to travel to Norway to steal German state-of-the-art technology of Radio Direction Finding (RDF) in Operation Grendel. Sean Bean plays Major Jones, the leader of the 30 Commando Unit who is presumably shot while defending the retreat of two of his men toward the end of the film.

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