The number of Sean Bean deaths throughout the actor’s long career has become so numerous that few have been killed on-screen as often, and the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones star is perhaps best known for his ability to sell a death scene. 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. Sean 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, every Sean Bean death is different.

 

Bean has appeared in several of the most successful franchises in history, including James Bond, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones. As if to highlight the high body count of his characters, Sean Bean dies in each of those franchises. Whether it be getting offed by Bond in GoldenEye, Boromir’s heroic death in Lord of the Rings, or Ned Stark’s execution in Game of Thrones, Bean is known for making a memorable exit — and it’s almost more surprising when his characters are still alive by the time the credits roll. Taking a look at all the Sean Bean deaths makes it clear how he earned this unusual reputation.

 

1.Caravaggio (1986)

Method Of Death: Throat Slashed

One of Sean Bean’s earliest movies, 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. Sean Bean’s first on-screen death came in this movie when Ranuccio had his throat slashed by the titular artist. 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.

2.War Requiem (1989)

Method Of Death: 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.

3.Lorna Doone (1990)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean Bean plays Carver Doone, heir to the Doone family who kills Lorna on her wedding day before being chased into a bog and subsequently drowning.

4.The Field (1990)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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 lead actor Richard Harris.

5.Clarissa (1991)

Method Of Death: Stabbed

Clarissa is a British period drama series based on the 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson. The story follows the virtuous Clarissa (Saskia Wickham) as she is manipulated by family members and potential suitors in search of her inherited fortune. Sean 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.

6.Patriot Games (1992)

Method Of Death: Impaled By An Anchor

Patriot Games is the second entry in the Jack Ryan movie franchise based on Tom Clancy’s novels, 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.

Sean Bean plays Sean Miller in Patriot Games, 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. This memorable scene was one of the first that put Sean Bean on the map as a go-to actor for convincing death scenes.

7.Scarlett (1994)

Method Of Death: 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 (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) on a journey around the world as she meets various friends and family members in an attempt to win back Rhett’s heart. Sean 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.

8.GoldenEye (1995)

Method Of Death: Crushed By A Satellite Dish

GoldenEye is the first of the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies, the 17th film in the 007 franchise, 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.

Sean Bean plays Agent 006 Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye, who is thrown from the satellite in the climactic fight with Bond and then has the dish crash on top of him. While this wasn’t the first Sean Bean death, it was arguably the most prominent of his career until that point, and still ranks among those that first come to mind when discussing his many on-screen fatalities.

9.Airborne (1998)

Method Of Death: Shot

Airborne is a little-known 1990s action film with 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. Sean 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.

10.Essex Boys (2000)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean Bean plays Jason Locke, a fictionalized version of one of the drug dealers who was shot and killed on that day in 1995.

11.Don’t Say A Word (2001)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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. While Don’t Say A Word isn’t the most well-known Sean Bean death it is arguably one of the most difficult to watch, as being buried alive is a common feat.

12.The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

Method Of Death: 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 could be used as an implement of war. Sean 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.

Boromir’s death in The Fellowship of the Rings remains one of the high points of the trilogy. Sean Bean’s death in The Lord of the Rings is a prolonged moment, with Boromir getting shot by multiple arrows before finally succumbing to his injuries. It’s fair to say that until the release of Game of Thrones in 2011 the death of Boromir was the most well-known Sean Bean death.

13.Equilibrium (2002)

Method Of Death: Shot

2002’s 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. Sean 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.

14.Henry VIII (2003)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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.

15.The Island (2005)

Method Of Death: 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. However, one of the residents begins to uncover dark secrets when the woman he loves is chosen to leave the facility. Sean Bean plays Dr. Bernard Merrick, the scientist who runs the compound and is brutally killed by the protagonist in one of the most gruesome climaxes in any of Michael Bay’s movies.

16.Far North (2007)

Method Of Death: Froze

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. Sean 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.

17.Outlaw (2007)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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. Bean’s performance is solid as always, although this Sean Bean death is far less memorable than some of the more inventive ways his characters have died.

18.The Hitcher (2007)

Method Of Death: 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 is different than the original 1986 slasher flick, making the film more suspenseful than gruesome. Sean Bean plays the eponymous hitcher John Ryder, who is dramatically shot several times in the film’s final moments.

19.Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2008)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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.

20.Black Death (2010)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean Bean plays Ulric, an envoy for the bishop who travels to the village with the monks only to be brutally ripped apart by horses after the group refuses to renounce their God. This is easily one of the most painful and gruesome Sean Bean deaths, even if Black Death isn’t among the most renowned movies in his career.

21.Death Race 2 (2010)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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. Of all the Sean Bean deaths, Death Race 2 is perhaps the most disappointing, with Bean only shot despite the premise’s opportunity to have given Kane a creative demise involving one of the many deadly motors in the movie.

22.Ca$h (2010)

Method Of Death: Shot

Cash is a crime thriller starring 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. Sean 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.

23.Game Of Thrones (2011)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean Bean plays Lord Edward Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and the apparent main character who is unexpectedly executed for treason in the show’s first season. Even with the high body count of the series, Ned Stark remains Game of Thrones‘ most important character death.

24.Age Of Heroes (2011)

Method Of Death: 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 eight-man 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.

Does Sean Bean Hold The Record For The Most On-Screen Deaths?

Despite the frequent jokes about his characters’ deaths, Bean isn’t even close to the record. A study cited in The Independent found that Danny Trejo has died the most with 65 on-screen fatalities, beating out Christopher Lee’s 60 and Lance Henrickson’s 51. Most of the actors on the list have simply appeared in a lot of action or horror films, while Bean has been more selective in the film roles he takes. At 22 on-screen deaths, Bean doesn’t even make the top 10, and with Trejo continuing to stay busy, it seems likely that he will only build his lead in the decades to come.

The reason why Bean has become associated with dead characters more so thaTrejn o or other actors is in part beause his two best-known roles, Boromir and Ned Stark, both have extremely memorable deaths that are important for setting the tone of thce stories they appear in. The fact that Bean has been more careful in choosing roles where he dies suggests that he might be aware of this reputation and trying to move away from it, but the continued memory of these two deaths in fantasy stories shows just how well Bean was able to connect with audiences in a short period of time.

The Most Brutal Sean Bean Scene Didn’t Even Kill Him Off – On Purpose

Interestingly, the most brutal fate Sean Bean has suffered on screen was not death. In Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, Bean plays wealthy CEO John Parse, who becomes the target of the psychic assassin Vos. Parse appears to be every bit of the cold, arrogant businessman that would make him a villain, describing his guests as “boring” and giving his potential son-in-law Alex the cold shoulder.

Vos possesses Alex and brutally attacks Parse with a fire poker, slashing him through the face and neck and then impaling him through the back of the neck. The scene is filled with all the blood one would expect from a Cronenberg body horror movie, but Parse actually survives the attack when Vos abandons the beating to kill Ava.

Possessor plays off Bean’s reputation for meeting sticky ends, showing how Bean has recently been cast against type as characters who survive against the odds. While he initially appears as a character just to be killed, both to Vos and the viewer, Bean’s survival ends up forcing the central character of Vos to confront her actions. Despite his survival, however, Parse faces perhaps an even more brutal fate afterward, left with severe injuries, a dead daughter, and no understanding of why any of it happened.

Possessor‘s use of Sean Bean shows that there are always worse things to endure — however many on-screen deaths one suffers in a career — and proves that surprising character survivals are still capable of providing a shock.

What’s Sean Bean’s Favorite Death Scene?

Though Sean Bean might be attempting to shift himself away from the online obsession with his on-screen death, he is still able to appreciate some of these standout moments when his characters met their demise. He even revealed his favorite Sean Bean death scene which, perhaps not surprising to many people, was Boromir’s death in Lord of the Rings. Bean describes it as “so heroic and tragic” and has clearly stuck with fans for a long time afterward. Though every Sean Bean death has its merits, it’s hard to argue with the man himself on which is the best of them all.

21.Death Race 2 (2010)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean 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. Of all the Sean Bean deaths, Death Race 2 is perhaps the most disappointing, with Bean only shot despite the premise’s opportunity to have given Kane a creative demise involving one of the many deadly motors in the movie.

22.Ca$h (2010)

Method Of Death: Shot

Cash is a crime thriller starring 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. Sean 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.

23.Game Of Thrones (2011)

Method Of Death: 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. Sean Bean plays Lord Edward Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and the apparent main character who is unexpectedly executed for treason in the show’s first season. Even with the high body count of the series, Ned Stark remains Game of Thrones‘ most important character death.

24. Age Of Heroes (2011)

Method Of Death: 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 eight-man 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.

Does Sean Bean Hold The Record For The Most On-Screen Deaths?

Despite the frequent jokes about his characters’ deaths, Bean isn’t even close to the record. A study cited in The Independent found that Danny Trejo has died the most with 65 on-screen fatalities, beating out Christopher Lee’s 60 and Lance Henrickson’s 51. Most of the actors on the list have simply appeared in a lot of action or horror films, while Bean has been more selective in the film roles he takes. At 22 on-screen deaths, Bean doesn’t even make the top 10, and with Trejo continuing to stay busy, it seems likely that he will only build his lead in the decades to come.

 

The reason why Bean has become associated with dead characters more so than Trejo or other actors is in part because his two best-known roles, Boromir and Ned Stark, both have extremely memorable deaths that are important for setting the tone of the stories they appear in. The fact that Bean has been more careful in choosing roles where he dies suggests that he might be aware of this reputation and trying to move away from it, but the continued memory of these two deaths in fantasy stories shows just how well Bean was able to connect with audiences in a short period of time.

The Most Brutal Sean Bean Scene Didn’t Even Kill Him Off – On Purpose

Interestingly, the most brutal fate Sean Bean has suffered on screen was not death. In Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor, Bean plays wealthy CEO John Parse, who becomes the target of the psychic assassin Vos. Parse appears to be every bit of the cold, arrogant businessman that would make him a villain, describing his guests as “boring” and giving his potential son-in-law Alex the cold shoulder.

Vos possesses Alex and brutally attacks Parse with a fire poker, slashing him through the face and neck and then impaling him through the back of the neck. The scene is filled with all the blood one would expect from a Cronenberg body horror movie, but Parse actually survives the attack when Vos abandons the beating to kill Ava.

Possessor plays off Bean’s reputation for meeting sticky ends, showing how Bean has recently been cast against type as characters who survive against the odds. While he initially appears as a character just to be killed, both to Vos and the viewer, Bean’s survival ends up forcing the central character of Vos to confront her actions. Despite his survival, however, Parse faces perhaps an even more brutal fate afterward, left with severe injuries, a dead daughter, and no understanding of why any of it happened.

Possessor‘s use of Sean Bean shows that there are always worse things to endure — however many on-screen deaths one suffers in a career — and proves that surprising character survivals are still capable of providing a shock.

What’s Sean Bean’s Favorite Death Scene?

Though Sean Bean might be attempting to shift himself away from the online obsession with his on-screen death, he is still able to appreciate some of these standout moments when his characters met their demise. He even revealed his favorite Sean Bean death scene which, perhaps not surprising to many people, was Boromir’s death in Lord of the Rings. Bean describes it as “so heroic and tragic” and has clearly stuck with fans for a long time afterward. Though every Sean Bean death has its merits, it’s hard to argue with the man himself on which is the best of them all.