The following is my ranked list of the celebrities who passed away in 2023.
This is not a statement of their worth, but a valuation of their careers.
Everyone’s life is equally valuable, but their careers are not.
69) Angus Cloud
He had a key role in Euphoria and seemed like he was on the verge of something greater, until he fell victim to his demons.
68) Billy Packer
The voice of the biggest basketball tournament in the US for a quarter century. Few could pick him out of a lineup, but a good many would recognize his voice.
67) Bobby Hull
One of the greatest hockey players in NHL history, but outside the lines his career was stagnant (primarily due to off the field controversies).
66) Kenneth Anger
Indie before indie was commercial. His influential avante garde work in the 1960s was capped by Scorpio Rising (1963).
Most people will have no idea who he is, and I’m not sure they’re missing anything.
65) Al Jaffe
While not a household name, his work in Mad Magazine helped shape the humor of a nation for fifty plus years.
64) Richard Moll
He was a beloved goofball on one of the goofiest shows on television, Night Court. Few shows so thoroughly embraced the silly and absurd; the 1980s were a magical time.
63) Chaim Topol
His performance as Tevye in the film version of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) endeared him to many. It’s an iconic role and has influenced countless musical performances in the fifty years since.
62) Len Goodman
His easy going smile and precise criticisms were a part of popular culture for fifteen years, like a more pleasant version Simon Cowell.
61) Lisa Marie Presley
Much like JFK Jr., after Elvis’ sudden death, the world’s sympathy propelled her to fame. And like him, her life ended in tragedy. There’s something primal (and disturbing) about the public vicariously living through the pain of celebrity tragedy.
60) Elizabeth Hoffman
Her film career was limited, but on TV she was the mother in Sisters, a semi-forgotten drama of the early 1990s.
59) Matthew Perry
Chandler Bing is in the pantheon of great TV characters, but compared to the rest of the Friends cast, Perry’s post-show career never went anywhere (most likely due to addiction). I enjoyed him in The Good Wife / Good Fight. His film career included The Whole Nine Yards, 17 Again, and AImost Heroes (with Chris Farley). I love Chandler as much as anyone, but the honest truth is Perry’s career feels like a wasted opportunity, another casualty to a pernicious drug culture.
58) Raquel Welch
She burst onto the scene in the mid 1960s with the cult sci-fi films Fantastic Voyage (1966) and One Million Years B.C. (1966). Her role in the latter had little screen time, but the promotional images of her in a doe-skin bikini became ubiquitous and turned her into an international sex symbol which she parlayed into a profitable career.
There wasn’t a lot of substance (aside from a solid self-parody in Seinfeld), but few sex symbols have had as long lasting an impact.
57) Dorothy Tristan
Klute (1971). Scarecrow (1973). Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) She had a brief moment in the 1970s and 1980s and then faded into obscurity.
56) Carole Cook
Working with Lucille Ball, she had moderate success as a background performer. The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), American Gigolo (1980), Sixteen Candles (1984). Not a household name, but a decent enough living.
55) Sylvia Syms
She had a long career in British cinema, a recurring role in the British soap Eastenders and played the Queen Mother in The Queen (2006).
54) Marisa Pavan
Oscar nominated for The Rose Tattoo (1955), she had a brief foray into Hollywood with appearances in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), and What Price Glory (1952).
53) Suzanne Somers
A small part in American Graffiti, followed by a huge role in Three’s Company, which she famously left after its fifth season because she was paid considerably less than the shows male lead, John Ritter. Rebounded to a successful run on ABC’s Step by Step, achieved renown as the ubiquitous celebrity pitchman for The Thighmaster, and evolved into a beloved figure (mostly because of nostalgia from Gen-Xers and Boomers).
Her demand for pay equity was pretty ballsy in the 1980s. Who knows what kind of career she could have had had she not been effectively blackballed after she demanded more money?
52) Terence Davies
His autobiographical films are well respected and beloved by many. I was never caught under their spell, but I can appreciate the craftsmanship.
51) Shecky Greene
The quintessential Vegas comedian with a career spanning over half a century.
50) Tom Smothers
One half of a famous comedy duo with his brother, their 1960s CBS variety show is the stuff of legend and every Gen-X comedian was influenced by it. His liberal views and refusal to bow to corporate censors led to the show’s early cancellation and he never developed the post show career it seemed he was destined for.
49) Frances Sternhagen
She was a star on stage, winning two Tony Awards out of seven nominations, and a reliable character actress in Misery (1990), and Julia and Julia (2009), but she will be remembered for her turns as Cliff Clavin’s mother in Cheers and Charlotte’s mother-in-law in Sex and the City.
48) Jerry Springer
The late 1990s and early 2000s were dominated by The Jerry Springer Show. One can plausibly argue the merits of his cultural contribution, but this one time small potatoes politician (mayor of Cincinnati) birthed the era of reality television.
47) Jane Birkin
Musician, actress, fashion icon. She was much more famous outside the United States, but her name lives on as the namesake of the fashion mainstay, the Birkin bag.
46) Cindy Williams
She had a heckuva run in the 1970s. Travels with My Aunt (1972), American Graffiti (1973), The Conversation (1974), and the underrated More American Graffiti (1979). In addition, she starred in one of the biggest sitcoms of the era, Laverne and Shirley. However, after leaving her TV show in 1982, she never approached those heights again.
45) Terry Funk
He was putting his body on the line like Mick Foley a decade earlier for half the crowd. A pioneer in the sport and one of the reasons hardcore wrestling exists. In some circles, he’s as revered as Ric Flair. Sadly, he just missed the wrestling boom of the late Attitude era.
44) Cormac McCarthy
One of the chief purveyors of the new American west, his novels have frequently been adapted into Hollywood vehicles, most successfully by the Coens with No Country for Old Men (2007).
His other works include, All the Pretty Horses and The Road.
His life seemed as tough and grizzled as his famous novels, with a clear point of view and no desire to modulate his opinions.
43) Gary Wright
He was a peripheral figure in a lot of rock bands in the 1960s and 1970s, thanks to a close friendship with George Harrison. His monster hit “Dream Weaver” kept him relevant.
42) Treat Williams
I loved him in Hair (1970) and I feel he was poised to make a run at superstardom, but, like many of his generation, he fell victim to hubris and drug addiction.
He became a reliable character actor, but was never able to reach the heights his early career seemed to promise.
41) Annie Wersching
Renee Walker on 24. She was Jack’s moral conscience and the rationale for continuing to fight after his wife was murdered and his daughter disowned him. She had a blink and you miss it part in Bruce Almighty (2003) and recently played the Borg Queen on Picard.
40) Ron Cephas Jones
He was a reliable character actor who hit the big time with his late career turn as William Hill, the biological father of Randolph Pearson in This is Us.
39) Frederic Forrest
His 1970s were pretty impressive: Apocalypse Now (1979), The Rose (1979), The Conversation (1974). He had some occasional later flirtations with fame, including a role in the original 21 Jump Street TV series, but never recaptured that early career momentum.
38) Earl Boen
His role in the first three Terminator movies ensures a certain segment of film culture will always remember him. Beyond that, he was a pretty consistent presence on American television for nearly thirty years.
37) Richard Belzer
He had a decent career as a stand up comic, but will be forever remembered as Det. John Munch, a character he originated in Homicide: Life on the Street then crossed over to Law & Order: SVU. He was on TV continuously as a series regular for a quarter century of television.
In addition, he’s everybody’s favorite conspiracy theorist, a quirk which frequently made it into his work. And he was involved in an infamous incident with Hulk Hogan in the 1980s when the Hulkster’s demonstration of a sleeper hold caused an unconscious Belzer to hit his head.
Not the flashiest of careers, but much like SVU, impressive for its consistency.
36) Piper Laurie
She was wonderful in The Hustler (1961) and earned a second Oscar nomination for her work as the evil mother in Carrie (1976). I have a particular fondness for Return to Oz (1985) and she had a memorable role in Twin Peaks.
35) Lance Reddick
The John Wick series. Fringe. His work on The Wire was phenomenal. He was a dependable presence, whose deep baritone always made him feel slightly menacing, even when his character was sympathetic or friendly.
34) William Friedkin
The Exorcist (1973) is one of the best horror films of all time, and The French Connection (1971) was a landmark in gritty realism. His other output was (in my opinion) inconsistent, but his early 1970s work ensures him a place in the pantheon.
33) Ryan O’Neal
Love Story (1970), What’s Up, Doc? (1972) Paper Moon (1973), Barry Lyndon (1975). His run in the 1970s matches up with just about anyone’s. Unfortunately, his personal demons prevented him from maintaining that level of excellence, and in later years, he was better known for being a bad father and the boyfriend of Farrah Fawcett.
But for one brief shining moment, he was a huge star.
32) Andre Braugher
I was first aware of him from his work as Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Street. His performance in the first season dealing with the murder of Adena Watson was revelatory. Later, he played an angel in City of Angels, and of course, Captain Holt in Brooklyn 99, where he was the perfect straight man to Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta.
I recently saw him in the last season of The Good Fight and he was, once again, superb.
31) Melinda Dillon
She was in the original cast of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Slap Shot (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Muppet Movie (1977), Absence of Malice (1981), A Christmas Story (1983), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), Prince of Tides (1991), and Magnolia (1999).
She earned a Tony and Oscar nomination.
She had a huge career for about a five to ten year window, then faded into background performer.
30) Dick Butkus
One of the seminal figures in NFL history. His Chicago Bears teams were never very successful, but he revolutionized the linebacker position. In retirement, he had a middling acting career, but to sports fans his name always carried a certain amount of weight and respect.
29) Michael Lerner
Elf (2003), Amos & Andrew (1993), Eight Men Out (1988), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Godzilla (1998), and of course his Oscar nominated turn in Barton Fink (1991).
I love Barton Fink and I love him as studio boss, Jack Lipnick. The rest of his career is fairly pedestrian, but he had a brief moment and seized it.
28) David Crosby
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Part of Crosby, Stills, and Nash and The Byrds: seminal mid-century bands which established the bona fides of rock. Not as successful as a solo artist, but a constant presence on American airwaves for fifty years.
27) Ray Stevenson
He was never a top of the line guy, but a dependable part of the ensemble who excelled at action stuff.
He had a too brief opportunity to shine as the Punisher in a pre-MCU Marvel film and later as Volstagg in the MCU proper and had some career momentum with a role in the Indian favorite RRR before his untimely death.
26) Rosalyn Carter
The former first lady was a beacon of stability. Her seventy five year marriage to Jimmy Carter and fifty year career in the public spotlight were impressive accomplishments.
25) Jim Brown
One of the best running backs of all time. After he prematurely walked away from the game, he transitioned to credible action movie star and social activist. Just for fun, he was also one of the best lacrosse players of all time.
A fifty year film career after a legendary NFL career is an impressive accomplishment.
24) Tom Sizemore
Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Point Break (1991), Passenger 57 (1992), Wyatt Earp (1994), Natural Born Killers (1994), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Heat (1995), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), Pearl Harbor (2001), and Black Hawk Down (2001).
His run in the 1990s was seriously impressive. Sadly, his personal demons got the best of him and he struggled to maintain his career momentum in the 21st century.
23) Jimmy Buffett
He was country artist with a Key West vibe who pioneered his own brand, island escapism, which appealed to millions of boomers. Meanwhile his laid back attitude shielded him from the criticism and backlash of many of his peers.
He was a comforting presence, a reminder music could be fun and relaxing.
22) Burt Young
He skyrocketed to fame as Rocky’s best friend and brother-in-law, Paulie, earning an Oscar nomination for the effort. He was a constant presence in the numerous sequels and would pop up in other projects as diverse as Chinatown and Back to School.
The Rocky series are a huge part of late twentieth century popular culture, ensuring him a place in the pantheon.
21) Sinéad O’Connor
To wrest a song away from Prince and arguably improve it is a tough mountain to climb, but her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” is iconic. It took twenty five years for the world to catch up to her heroic, prescient protest of Catholic church sex abuses. Maybe her tactics were a little harsh, but she has (in my opinion) been proved largely correct. It cost her a lucrative career. That’s what courage looks like.
20) Edward R. Pressman
A prolific producer, his credits include Badlands (1973), Das Boot (1981), Conan the Barbarian (1982), Wall Street (1987), Masters of the Universe (1987), Reversal of Fortune (1990), Hoffa (1992), The Crow (1994), Judge Dredd (1995), Thank You for Smoking (2005), and Paterno (2018).
19) Sandra Day O’Connor
The first female justice on the US Supreme Court was an icon to many. She leaned conservative, but spent most of her jurisprudence trying to strike a middle ground.
18) Henry Kissinger
Outside of presidents, few people were more influential in the world of foreign affairs than Mr. Kissinger. One of the few diplomats to enjoy the ear of US Presidents of both political parties and a rare cabinet secretary to achieve celebrity status, he won a Nobel Peace Prize and some would argue committed war crimes on the way to becoming one of the most consequential voices in American politics of the past fifty years.
17) Bobby Knight
His legendary sideline tirades exemplified a certain archetype of a coach. The world has changed, but this still carries a great deal of nostalgia.
16) Jeff Beck
Frequently listed as one of the greatest of rock guitarists, who helped shape the sound of rock and roll. While he never had a definitive commercial hit, he is nonetheless a two time inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
15) Owen Roizman
The Exorcist. Network. Taps. Tootsie. Wyatt Earp.
With The French Connection (1971), he helped establish the gritty, realistic cinematography which would define New York City and 1970s cinema. His long career of excellence earned him five competitive Oscar nominations and an Honorary Academy Award.
14) Harry Belafonte
Honorary Oscar. Emmy. Two competitive Grammys. Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. First Black man to win a Tony Award. Civil Rights icon.
He had a legendary friendship with Sidney Poitier then famously feuded with him because of professional jealousy.
Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) memorably appears in Beetlejuice and introduced him to a new generation of fans.
His film career was overshadowed by Poitier’s, but few people, especially people of color, had as long a run on the main stage.
13) Paul Reubens
Pee Wee was a fixture of my Gen-X childhood. Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) put Tim Burton on the map; its zany, archaic energy was a breath of fresh air. The subsequent Saturday morning show was appointment viewing. Jambi, Chairy, Globey, Pteri, The King of Cartoons, prank phone calls. So many touchstones.
When I got older and learned Pee Wee was the shared brainchild of Paul and Phil Hartman and was originally conceived as the star of a decidedly more adult show, I, of course, sought out that version as well.
After his arrest and fall from grace, Paul transitioned to smaller parts (like Penguin’s father in Batman Returns and the Spleen in Mystery Men). He was great in these as well, but Pee Wee is his legacy and it’s more than enough.
12) Tina Turner
With her husband Ike, she helped establish the bona fides of rock and roll and earned a rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In her later career, after escaping Ike’s abusive onslaught, she embarked on one of the most remarkable second acts in American public life. “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (and the subsequent movie), permanently changed public perception of her. “The Best” has long been a love anthem.
And while brief, her acting career was memorable, including a role in the classic Tommy and Aunty Entity in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. To Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers she made an indelible impression.
11) Glenda Jackson
In the 1970s: two Best Actress Oscars for Women in Love (1969) and A Touch of Class (1973) and an Emmy for portraying Queen Elizabeth I. After semi-retiring to take a position in Parliament, she made a triumphant return at the tail end of her life, winning an International Emmy and a Tony Award in the 2010s, but never made the jump back to Hollywood.
She was the epitome of a certain type of take no prisoners Brit who never cared for the bells and whistles of fame, and didn’t bother to show up to collect either of her Oscars.
10) Norman Lear
He dominated television in the late 1970s and early 1980s with All in the Family, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, and Maude. Remarkably, he was continuing to work into the 2020s, into his second century.
9) Mark Margolis
Scarface (1983), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), and a long association with Darren Aronofsky.
He wasn’t a household name, but he was a frequent presence in our entertainment for forty years before getting some major recognition as Hector Salamanca in Breaking Bad.
8) Alan Arkin
He burst onto the scene with a Tony Award in 1963, and parlayed that to a productive film career in The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming (1966), Wait Until Dark (1967), The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), Catch-22 (1970), and The In-Laws (1979).
As he aged, he seamlessly transitioned to scene stealing character actor in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), and Argo (2012).
His Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine (2006) was a long overdue celebration.
He finished his career with a memorable turn as a cantankerous talent agent in The Kominsky Method.
Great to begin with, he was one of those rare talents who only improved with age and experience.
7) Michael Gambon
For roughly a decade, he was everybody’s favorite elderly wizard. Millions of kids grew up dreaming of his Dumbledore as their grandfather.
He had a respectable career outside of Harry Potter, including work in Gosford Park (2001); The Singing Detective (1986); The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989); and Paddington (2014).
6) Robbie Robertson
A key component of The Band and a long association with Bob Dylan made him a seminal figure in the music of the 1960s. Later in life, he worked extensively with Martin Scorsese on his film soundtracks. From Dylan to Scorsese is a pretty impressive resume.
5) Arthur Schmidt
The longtime editor of Robert Zemeckis, he helped craft some of my favorite films (including the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Forrest Gump) and won two Oscars during his career.
Editors are rarely household names, but their work is invaluable.
4) Tom Wilkinson
The Full Monty (1997), Wilde (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Batman Begins (2005). He played Ben Franklin in the sublime miniseries John Adams (2008) and the patriarch of the Kennedy clan in The Kennedys (2011).
Oscar nominated twice for In the Bedroom (2001) and Michael Clayton (2007), he was as good a character actor as anyone and will be sorely missed.
3) Bob Barker
He was a staple on American television for half a century with millions of kids watching him during the summer and sick days. Every Gen-Xer knew if you were home at 11 EST / 10 CST, you were watching The Price is Right. Later his cameo in Happy Gilmore (1996) cemented him a place in the popular culture canon, an unlikely Gen-X icon.
2) Tony Bennett
From crooning in the 1960s to dueting with Lady Gaga in the 21st century, he managed to remain relevant to four generations of fans during a remarkable seventy year career.
1) Burt Bacharach
A six decade career. His music from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (including Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head) is a cultural touchstone. He wrote for The Carpenters (Close to You) and Dionne Warwick (That’s What Friends Are For).
His partnership with lyricist Harold Davis is legendary. Three Oscars, one Emmy, six Grammys. His melodies have been ubiquitous for half a century and he gained a new level of recognition through cameos in the Austin Powers movies.