Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Total Film
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Total Film
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Pokemon Legends Z-A
  • Golden Joystick Awards 2025
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
The hammer scene from Oldboy
Movies The 32 greatest revenge thrillers ever made
best walking dead episodes
Horror Shows The best Walking Dead episodes, ranked!
Robert Redford
Drama Shows Robert Redford's final on-screen appearance was a cameo alongside George R.R. Martin – and it featured a Winds of Winter joke
Michael Imperioli as Christoper Moltisanti and James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos.
TV The 25 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now
Antony Starr as Homelander on stage with his arm's stretched out during The Boys season 4.
TV The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch in October 2025
Next James Bond
Action Movies Next James Bond: The 27 actors who could replace Daniel Craig as the new 007
Sci-Fi Shows The best Star Trek episodes every Trekkie should watch
Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later
Horror Movies The 25 best zombie movies of all time
The Long Walk
Horror Movies The best Stephen King adaptations ranked, from Carrie to The Long Walk
Netflix Game of Thrones star explains why he took a break from screen acting, and it was nothing to do with his King Joffrey role
Godzilla attacks a boat in Godzilla Minus One.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Ethan Peck as Spock, Anson Mount as Captain Pike, and Rebecca Romijn as Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Streaming Services The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Ice Cube stares intensely at a computer monitor in War of the Worlds
Movies After Amazon's War of the Worlds, I watched all the 0% rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes and here are the five brilliantly awful ones I'd recommend you stream next
Zombie Captain America's eyes glowing red as he howls with undead hunger
Marvel TV Shows Who dies in Marvel Zombies? Every hero death listed in order
Liam Neeson in The Phantom Menace
Sci-Fi Movies Star Wars star Liam Neeson says his death scene in The Phantom Menace was "a bit namby-pamby" as he criticizes Qui-Gon's fighting: "Hardly a Master Jedi"
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

The 15 best ways Sean Bean's been killed off

Features
By Will Salmon published 5 February 2016

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Death becomes him...

Death becomes him...

Sean Bean is one the UK's most recognisable actors. Throughout his career he's played romantic heroes, sneering villains, jewel thieves, and even a Bond baddy. Even so, he's still most famous for one thing: he dies. A lot.

Bean has carked it so many times now that even he has lost count, so we decided to count down 15 of the actor's best on-screen endings. These are the moments where his (usually despicable) characters meet sticky ends by bullets, being blown up and occasionally bovine farm animals...

Page 1 of 16
Page 1 of 16
15. Death Race 2 (2011)

15. Death Race 2 (2011)

The film:Bean plays crime boss Markus Kane (now there's a B-movie villain name if ever we heard one, its all about the hard ks), the rotter who puts a price on the head of driver Frankenstein (Luke Goss). Not a vintage movie, to put it lightly, but Bean brings a touch of class to the bone-headed guns n gears action.

How does he snuff it? One of Frankensteins gangster buddies steps in and shoots Kane dead but at least he lets him smoke a cigar first.

Page 2 of 16
Page 2 of 16
14. Lorna Doone (1990)

14. Lorna Doone (1990)

The show: Bean rocking flowing locks that make him look like a faded '80s pop star or Pat Sharpe plays the wicked Carver Doone in this TV movie based on Richard Doddridge's famous novel. Carver plans to force Lorna into marrying him, but he meets a watery end instead...

How does he snuff it? After a climactic fight, Carver is punched and topples off a ridge into a river where he drowns.

Page 3 of 16
Page 3 of 16
13. Ca$h (2010)

13. Ca$h (2010)

The film: Chris Hemsworth's Sam Phelan finds a suitcase full of cash, but wishes he hadn't when the hysterically-named Pyke Kubic (our Mr Bean, natch) comes after him. Alas, the Phelans have spent some of the dough already and are forced into doing criminal deeds for Kubic to pay off their debt.

How does he snuff it? Leslie Phelan (Victoria Profeta) shoots him while they struggle in a moving car. Did nobody realise that guns and cars dont mix?

Page 4 of 16
Page 4 of 16
12. The Hitcher (2007)

12. The Hitcher (2007)

The show: Remember '80s classic The Hitcher, which starred the mighty Rutger Hauer? It was brilliant and brutal. This remake... isn't. Still, it does afford our man another meaty villain to add to his rogue's gallery. John Ryder (Ryder and he's a hitchhiker. Hahaha. Ha...) is a thoroughly nasty sort, but he gets his comeuppance at the end.

How does he snuff it? Sophia Bush's heroic Grace blows his head off with a shotgun. Satisfying.

Page 5 of 16
Page 5 of 16
11. The Island (2005)

11. The Island (2005)

The film: Cinemas prime exponent of crashes, bangs and Shia LeBeouf, Michael Bay, helmed this middling clone drama. Bean plays a morally dubious scientist (is there any other kind in the movies?) who sets out to destroy his creations when they discover the truth about their creation. Its duff, but infinitely better than any of the Transformers flicks.

How does he snuff it? Yowch! Hes hit with a grappling hook and then strangled when the gantry he's standing on collapses.

Page 6 of 16
Page 6 of 16
10. Equilibrium (2002)

10. Equilibrium (2002)

The film: This dystopian sci-fi about a grey future where emotion is outlawed was a well-intentioned flop. Still, it gave Bean a break from the bad guy roles and another scene for his death reel. In it he plays Cleric Errol Partridge effectively a member of the futuristic police who steals an outlawed book of Yates' poetry and begins to experience those forbidden feels.

How does he snuff it? Partridge deliberately provokes Christian Bale's Cleric John Preston into shooting him in the face.

Page 7 of 16
Page 7 of 16
9. Red Riding: 1974 (2009)

9. Red Riding: 1974 (2009)

The film: British TV doesn't get much-better than this ultra-dark and ultra-brilliant adaptation of David Peace's Red Riding novels. Adapted as a trilogy of films, Bean appears in the first instalment as John Dawson a corrupt real estate developer who is implicated in a nasty murder in Yorkshire.

How does he snuff it? A pre-Spider-Man Andrew Garfield ensures that Dawson isnt around for the sequels by shooting him while hes lounging on a none-more-70s leather sofa. Its another gun death, but after the horribly believable cruelty depicted in the film it feels thoroughly deserved.

Page 8 of 16
Page 8 of 16
8. The Field (1990)

8. The Field (1990)

The film: This little-seen Irish drama finds a pre-Sharpe, pre-fame Bean playing Tadhg McCabe, the son of a farmer who stands to inherit a field, but gets caught up in all manner of low-key trauma until he meets a final, slightly surreal end...

How does he snuff it? His father goes mad and herds all his cattle off a cliff. Alas, poor old Tadhg gets caught up in it too, making this one of cinema's rare examples of death by cow.

Page 9 of 16
Page 9 of 16
7. Dont Say A Word (2001)

7. Dont Say A Word (2001)

The film: This slightly plodding thriller finds Sean playing jewel thief Patrick, who comes after Michael Douglas's Dr Conrad and kidnaps his daughter as part of a convoluted scheme to retrieve an expensive gem.

How does he snuff it? It's not a great movie, but Patrick does at least get a memorable death scene. Conrad chucks the gem in an excavation machine. Bean jumps in to retrieve it and gets buried alive. Brr...

Page 10 of 16
Page 10 of 16
6. Henry VIII (2003)

6. Henry VIII (2003)

The show: Bean likes his historical dramas. In this flashy two-part TV series, he plays Robert Aske the real life lawyer, turned leader of the rebellion in Yorkshire, who met a horrific end at the hands of the king. He does at least go down fighting before his eventual, horrible, demise.

How does he snuff it? He's hung outside by chains and left to slowly die. The real Aske was hung, but the series plays fast and loose with the chronology.

Page 11 of 16
Page 11 of 16
5. Patriot Games (1992)

5. Patriot Games (1992)

The film: This early '90s spy flick was arguably the role that made Bean a movie star. Playing the villainous, if mundanely-named Sean Miller, he takes on Harrison Ford's CIA agent Jack Ryan in a climactic (and comically overblown) speedboat battle to the death.

How does he snuff it? The fight is going well for Sean, but Ryan wins the day. Miller is impaled on a spike and then blown up while a storm rages around the combatants. Ah, 90s action movies, how we love thee...

Page 12 of 16
Page 12 of 16
4. Black Death (2010)

4. Black Death (2010)

The film: One of the grizzlier entries on this list comes from this obscure, but actually really rather good, medieval horror. Bean plays a knight, Ulric, who is leading a mission to find a village that has somehow escaped the touch of the Black Death. There are rumours that a necromancer may be involved, but the truth is far more sinister...

How does he snuff it? Turned on by the villagers, Ulric is tied to some horses and pulled limb from limb. Yep, it's a nasty one

Page 13 of 16
Page 13 of 16
3. Goldeneye (1995)

3. Goldeneye (1995)

The film:Does this count as two deaths? Pierce Brosnan's first and best James Bond adventure introduces Bean as Alec Trevelyan AKA 006 a compatriot of Bond who is caught and shot by a Russian soldier in the film's opening sequence. However shock! it's all a ruse. Trevelyan faked his death and, nine years later, he is back and running the Janus crime syndicate.

How does he snuff it? He falls off a radar dish. And then, just to prove that he really is a goner this time, he gets a big metal array that's also on fire dropped on top of him. What did we just say about the 90s?

Page 14 of 16
Page 14 of 16
2. Game Of Thrones (2011)

2. Game Of Thrones (2011)

The show: For many this was the moment that Game Of Thrones became more than just another fantasy show. Bean plays Lord Eddard Ned Stark, one of Westeros' few good men and someone that (non-book readers) assumed would carry on throughout the full series. Nope!

How does he snuff it? The daft git makes the mistake of trusting the oily Littlefinger (a man who had previously told Ned not to trust him) and winds up in a cell. He'll be saved, you keep thinking, but no. King Joffrey has him decapitated right in front of his family. As if to rub it in, the second season teaser poster featured a stark image of Ned's head on a spike.

Page 15 of 16
Page 15 of 16
1. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

1. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

The film: Likely the actor's single most famous scene, and his own personal favourite death. Bean plays the noble-but-flawed warrior Boromir who is overwhelmed by the dark power of the One Ring. He chases after ring-bearer Frodo, but returns to lucidity just in time to save him from a horde of Orcs. However, he pays the ultimate price...

How does he snuff it? Boromir's death is hardly surprising, but it's arguably the most powerful scene in the movie. Shot full of arrows, he keeps on going, hacking away at his enemies, and granting the hobbits a chance to escape.

Page 16 of 16
Page 16 of 16
Will Salmon
Will Salmon
Social Links Navigation
Streaming Editor

Will Salmon is the Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.

Read more
The hammer scene from Oldboy
The 32 greatest revenge thrillers ever made
 
 
best walking dead episodes
The best Walking Dead episodes, ranked!
 
 
Robert Redford
Robert Redford's final on-screen appearance was a cameo alongside George R.R. Martin – and it featured a Winds of Winter joke
 
 
Michael Imperioli as Christoper Moltisanti and James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos.
The 25 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Antony Starr as Homelander on stage with his arm's stretched out during The Boys season 4.
The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch in October 2025
 
 
Next James Bond
Next James Bond: The 27 actors who could replace Daniel Craig as the new 007
 
 
Latest in Movies
Rumi, Mira, and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters
KPop Demon Hunters songwriter and Rumi singing voice EJAE confirms she used no AI to write the Netflix film's songs, and says Huntr/x AI comparisons are "hurtful"
 
 
Vera Farmiga as Lorraine and Patrick Wilson as Ed in The Conjuring
After breaking box office records, a prequel to the Conjuring is officially underway – but stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson may not return
 
 
Road House
Road House director Doug Liman is making his own, separate sequel from the Jake Gyllenhaal remake, following a dispute with Amazon
 
 
Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott in Scream 7
First Scream 7 trailer sees Ghostface return to terrorize Neve Campbell's Sidney and this time, anyone could be behind the mask
 
 
Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Knives Out 3 earns a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, but it just falls short of the original murder mystery film
 
 
Saw
With James Wan back in charge of Saw, star of the original says he'd be keen to return to the horror franchise
 
 
Latest in Features
Arc Raiders survivors in metal and fabric armor
Arc Raiders is the first extraction shooter to reach Escape from Tarkov's highs, and the secret is making it feel like an RPG that you can "almost play as a single-player game"
 
 
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes The Walking Dead season 1 episode 1 Days Gone Bye
15 years later, The Walking Dead's very first episode is still one of the best starts to a series ever
 
 
The Outer Worlds 2 screenshot of the Incognito ship surrounded by GamesRadar+'s On the Radar interview banner
The Outer World 2's Incognito ship is your home base, but it also takes inspiration from the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars and reflects how "the player chooses to play"
 
 
The protagonist of Cronos: The New Dawn stands beside an exploded building
"We experiment a lot, and now we're in the era of reaping the fruits": From Silent Hill 2 to Cronos: The New Dawn, here's how Bloober Team gilded its survival horror rep
 
 
Fighters from Super Smash Bros Ultimate including Link, Mario, Samus and others on a red background
Can you name all 84 Super Smash Bros Ultimate fighters without looking them up?
 
 
A screenshot of a Slurpuff eating sweets at a cafe in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's mindless platforming is driving me up a wall because it won't let me jump over them
 
 
  1. Spooktacular box art featuring a movie theater suffused with eerie green light
    1
    This is the perfect family board game for Halloween
  2. 2
    It’s hard to imagine there are many gamers who won’t enjoy this quick but tactical board game for 2 players
  3. 3
    The Outer Worlds 2 review: "The Fallout New Vegas creators have crafted a masterful space age RPG that's willing to play game master to my silliest decisions"
  4. 4
    Once Upon a Katamari review: "Time traveling cowboy adventures, ninja thievery, pirate battles, and more make this the most inventive evolution of the series yet"
  5. 5
    Jurassic World Evolution 3 review: "Far from a fossil, this park builder is one you'll keep coming back to, despite its flaws"
  1. Chainsaw Man
    1
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  2. 2
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  3. 3
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  4. 4
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  5. 5
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  1. Liam Hemsworth as Geralt in The Witcher season 4
    1
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  2. 2
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  3. 3
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  4. 4
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"
  5. 5
    Gen V season 2 review: "As strong as the first season, if not stronger"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...