Actors Who Died of HIV/AIDS

The HIV/AIDS crisis reshaped entertainment history, and the stories of the actors we lost help trace how stigma gave way—slowly—to honesty, advocacy, and better care. Many kept their diagnoses private to protect careers; others chose to speak out to raise awareness. Their lives and work still resonate with audiences, and their legacies include the conversations they sparked about health, compassion, and public policy.

Below are notable actors whose deaths were attributed to AIDS or AIDS-related complications. Each entry highlights career milestones alongside verified details surrounding illness and passing, using reliable biographical sources and public records to keep the focus on facts rather than speculation.

Rock Hudson

A Hollywood leading man for decades, Rock Hudson starred in studio-era hits and later in TV projects that kept him in the spotlight. His diagnosis became public in the mid-1980s, a time when few celebrities acknowledged AIDS; the disclosure profoundly changed media coverage of the epidemic and public understanding of the disease.

Hudson died in Beverly Hills on October 2, 1985, of AIDS-related complications. Reports from the period describe his final months seeking treatment in Paris before returning to Los Angeles for hospice care, and contemporaneous histories mark him as one of the first major U.S. celebrities whose AIDS diagnosis and death were widely reported.

Anthony Perkins

Best known as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ and its sequels, Anthony Perkins worked consistently in film and television while maintaining a private personal life. He kept his illness secret for about two years, continuing to work while in and out of hospitals under assumed names.

Perkins died at home in Los Angeles on September 12, 1992, from AIDS-related pneumonia. Obituaries and later profiles documented how the revelation of his illness—made only weeks before his death—added to the broader cultural recognition of how HIV/AIDS affected prominent figures in the arts.

Brad Davis

Brad Davis earned international attention for ‘Midnight Express’ and went on to a steady career across films and television. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1985 and kept his status private for years to protect his ability to work and support his family.

Davis died in Los Angeles on September 8, 1991. Accounts from his family and press coverage state he chose an assisted drug overdose as his death approached due to AIDS, a decision later discussed publicly by his widow and in retrospectives about Hollywood’s response to the crisis.

Denholm Elliott

A versatile character actor recognizable from ‘A Room with a View’ and the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise, Denholm Elliott worked in British and American productions for decades. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1987 and continued to act while living primarily in Ibiza.

Elliott died on October 6, 1992, of AIDS-related tuberculosis at his home on Ibiza. Colleagues and critics offered tributes noting both his range on screen and his reputation for professionalism, placing his death in the context of a generation of British performers lost to the epidemic.

Robert Reed

Known worldwide as Mike Brady in ‘The Brady Bunch’, Robert Reed built a long résumé in television and theater. He kept his health matters private; only after his death did documents become public indicating HIV infection.

Reed died on May 12, 1992. His death certificate listed colon cancer as the cause of death with HIV infection contributing, a detail widely reported afterward and frequently noted in discussions of how AIDS intersected with television’s most familiar faces.

Tom Villard

Tom Villard appeared in films like ‘My Girl’ and on television in series including ‘The Golden Girls’ and ‘We Got It Made’. In the early 1990s he spoke publicly about being HIV-positive, one of the few working TV actors at the time to do so.

Villard died on November 14, 1994, of AIDS-related pneumonia. His openness about diagnosis and treatment is often cited in media histories as a rare example of candor during a period when disclosure could end a career.

Timothy Patrick Murphy

Timothy Patrick Murphy was best known to TV audiences for his role as Mickey Trotter on ‘Dallas’, along with appearances in series such as ‘Search for Tomorrow’ and ‘The Love Boat’. He worked steadily in television throughout the 1980s.

Murphy died in Sherman Oaks, California, on December 6, 1988, from AIDS. His passing at age 29 has been noted in later profiles and obituaries as one of the earliest among prime-time soap actors during the height of the U.S. AIDS crisis.

Ian Charleson

A stage and screen actor celebrated for ‘Chariots of Fire’ and noted for major Shakespearean roles, Ian Charleson balanced film success with acclaimed theater performances. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1986.

Charleson died in January 1990. He requested that the cause—AIDS-related illness—be made public to help raise awareness, and his death is widely recorded as the first celebrity death in the U.K. openly attributed to AIDS, a landmark in British public discourse.

Stephen Stucker

Stephen Stucker, remembered for his scene-stealing comic turn in ‘Airplane!’ and work in ‘Trading Places’, was among the first recognizable entertainers to disclose an AIDS diagnosis publicly. He spoke about his illness in interviews, bringing early visibility to the epidemic within Hollywood.

Stucker died in Los Angeles on April 13, 1986, of AIDS-related complications at age 38. Contemporary press and later film references document his early disclosure and the significance of his illness and death in the evolving public conversation.

Paul Shenar

Paul Shenar worked across film and television, with memorable roles including Alejandro Sosa in ‘Scarface’ and voice work in ‘The Secret of NIMH’. Biographical records show he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS during the 1980s while continuing to perform.

Shenar died on October 11, 1989, from AIDS-related complications at age 53. Obituaries and later remembrances from film communities have underlined his broad range and the abrupt loss of talent to the epidemic.

Kevin Peter Hall

A towering presence on screen in roles like the title creature in ‘Predator’ and the family Bigfoot in ‘Harry and the Hendersons’, Kevin Peter Hall combined film and television work with stunt and suit performance. Accounts note that he contracted HIV following a blood transfusion after a car accident.

Hall died on April 10, 1991, of AIDS-related pneumonia. Contemporary reporting and later summaries of his career emphasize both his physical artistry in creature performances and the tragic circumstances of his infection.

Dack Rambo

Dack Rambo starred in daytime and prime-time soaps, including ‘Dallas’ and ‘Another World’. He publicly disclosed his HIV-positive status in 1991 and left acting soon after, a decision covered widely in the press at the time.

Rambo died on March 21, 1994, of AIDS-related complications. Biographical sources and contemporary news items recount his decision to go public and the subsequent coverage that brought more attention to how HIV was affecting television performers.

Richard Warwick

Richard Warwick appeared in films such as ‘If….’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and ‘Sebastiane’, and he remained active in British television and theater into the 1990s. He is also remembered for roles in ‘A Fine Romance’ and a final screen appearance in ‘Jane Eyre’.

Warwick died in London on December 16, 1997, from an AIDS-related illness at age 52. Obituaries and reference entries document his death and celebrate his range across stage and screen.

Share your thoughts and any other names we should remember in the comments so we can keep honoring these actors’ lives and legacies.