Predator Franchise Actors Who Passed Away

The star attraction of the "Predator" movies is, of course, the titular aliens. While the original "Predator" was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best vehicles of the '80s, the franchise has grown well beyond just him. This saga has since swapped out human protagonists and even places and times in human history, with the only constant being those nefarious Predator beasts chasing down their human prey. But despite the emphasis on those creatures, there are still human beings in this saga and they've sometimes delivered just as much entertainment as its otherworldly villains. After all, there's a reason some of Schwarznegger's most famous one-liners originated from the first "Predator."

Unfortunately, several of the actors behind those human characters (and even one alien suit performer in the original two "Predator" features) are no longer with us. Although those figures are gone from this mortal coil, their contributions to the "Predator" saga and the pop culture landscape as a whole will remain with us for a long time to come. For a number of these actors, their participation in the "Predator" films is just the tip of the iceberg in their artistic legacies. So with all due respect to the "ugly motherf*****" that still drives the franchise, let's pause to appreciate the human characters in the "Predator" franchise by paying tribute to the performers in these movies who are tragically no longer with us.

Sonny Landham's "Predator" character, Billy Sole, gets a very important distinction in the movie. He is the first human being in the film (and the entire franchise) to realize they're being hunted by those ruthless Predator aliens. That achievement isn't enough to keep Billy alive the entire film, as he, like most other "Predator" characters, perishes at the hands of the film's extraterrestrial foes. But playing Billy was not the be-all and end-all of Landham's career. He had a smattering of genre film roles in the late 1970s and '80s, including roles in such features as "The Warriors" and "48 Hrs." He also reunited with fellow "Predator" star Carl Weathers in the 1988 movie "Action Jackson."

By the time the 2000s rolled around, Landham had switched gears in his career aspirations and got into politics, with the performer aiming for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Those plans would eventually collapse after Landham delivered a string of racist remarks on a radio show. The Kentucky Libertarian Party and Landham would very quickly part ways, which put an end to the actor's political ambitions. Rather than return to acting after that disgraceful event, Landham led a quiet life until his passing at the age of 76 from congestive heart failure. His important role in the "Predator" franchise was just one facet of a bizarre and controversial legacy that Landham left behind.

R.G. Armstrong's General Phillips does not have a lot of screentime in "Predator." Instead, he functions as a catalyst for the plot, sending Dutch and his fellow soldiers off on a mission that will eventually bring them face-to-face with the Predator. While Armstrong had a fleeting presence in "Predator," the same could not be said for his cinematic career as a whole. Armstrong was a go-to character actor for many years, with Westerns being his initial specialty. Armstrong became a fixture of genre B-movies during the 1970s, particularly horror fare. He also developed a good rapport with actor-director Warren Beatty and ended up appearing in several of Beatty's films, including "Heaven Can Wait" and "Dick Tracy."

"Predator" was one of the final movie roles for Armstrong, who largely worked in television for the remainder of his acting career. His notable later performances included guest spots on "L.A. Law," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Millennium," and "Matlock," as well as the role of The Sandman in the music video for Metallica's "Enter Sandman." By the mid-2000s, Armstrong's acting career had come to an end and he passed away from natural causes in 2012 at the age of 95. For some "Predator" cast members, the movie was a big launching pad that kick-started their careers. For R.G. Armstrong, it was just one of countless genre movie roles where he made a mighty impression with minimal screentime.

"Predator 2" actor Calvin Lockhart's artistic exploits weren't just known to American audiences. This veteran of the theatre was famous for his stage appearances in countries like Italy, Germany, and England throughout the 1960s, with these performances building up Lockhart's immense talents as an artist. What gave him a notable profile with domestic viewers, though, were his roles in an assortment of 1970s Blaxploitation movies, including "Cotton Comes to Harlem" and "Melinda."

Those films gave Lockhart plenty of training for his "Predator 2" role of King Willie, a drug lord with mystical voodoo powers. It's not the subtlest role on the planet, but a man steeped in Blaxploitation cinema and boisterous theatre performances was well-equipped for such a part. While "Predator 2" was controversial for its perceived indulging in racist stereotypes, Lockhart certainly committed to the role he was handed.

After "Predator 2," Lockhart only appeared in two further movies (including "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me") and would eventually return to his home country of the Bahamas. This is where Lockhart passed away in April 2007 at the age of 72 through complications arising from a stroke. By the end of his life, Lockhart had amassed a body of work that went far beyond his small role in "Predator 2." He'd engaged in performances across many different mediums and countries, an impressive achievement underscoring all that he contributed to the artistic world.

Morton Downey Jr.'s role of Tony Pope in "Predator 2" was a bit of a meta-performance for the actor and talk show host. Much like William Atherton's Richard Thornburg in "Die Hard," Tony Pope is a nuisance of a journalist looking to exploit rampant tragedies for personal gain. The character was a play on Morton Downey Jr.'s real-life media persona as the host of "The Morton Downey Jr. Show." A talk show that ran in the late 1980s, his program was full of controversial and brash material, not to mention vividly ugly confrontations between guests — a precursor to later talk show provocateurs like Jerry Springer. While Pope is a reporter rather than a talk show host, the parallels between Morton Downey Jr. and his abrasive "Predator 2" character are impossible to miss.

After his talk show was canned in the late 1980s, Morton Downey Jr. took on a handful of acting roles, including parts in the TV shows "Tales from the Crypt" and "Monsters" in addition to his "Predator 2" appearance. He also attempted to anchor further TV and radio shows, none of which became anywhere near as popular as the original "Morton Downey Jr. Show." Lung cancer and pneumonia would eventually claim his life in March 2001. Passing away at 67, Morton Downey Jr. left a very complicated legacy behind, namely in his popularization of white male TV talk show hosts who emphasize being loud above all else.

For a while, actor Johnny Lewis was rampant in pop culture. After a lead role in the sitcom "The Sausage Factory," Lewis showed up in several other TV shows like "The O.C.," "Quintuplets," and the first two seasons of "Sons of Anarchy." He also appeared in a handful of motion pictures at the end of the 2000s, including the role of Ricky Howard in "Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem." The younger brother of "Requiem" protagonist Dallas Howard (Steven Pasquale), Ricky is depicted as a naive but kindhearted pizza delivery guy who constantly narrowly evades horrific attacks from xenomorphs and Predators throughout the film. This includes one skirmish involving xenomorphs submerged in a school swimming pool. Despite these near-misses, Ricky emerges as one of the few ultimate survivors of "Requiem."

The life of Johnny Lewis took a tragic turn in October 2011 when he experienced severe head injuries after a motorcycle accident. In the wake of this incident, Lewis was consumed by addiction and bursts of dangerous erratic behavior. On September 26, 2012, Lewis died at the age of 28. His death was an extremely bizarre occurrence, with Lewis apparently strangling his landlady, Catherine Davis, to death before falling off a roof himself. It was a disturbing and bleak conclusion to a short life as well as a cautionary tale for not properly dealing with head trauma.

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