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
  • Black Friday
    • Gaming
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
    • PC
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
    • Tabletop & Merch
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • 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
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi 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
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Black Friday
    • View Black Friday
      • Black Friday PS5 Deals
      • Black Friday Switch Deals
      • Black Friday Xbox Deals
      • Black Friday Retro Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Laptop Deals
      • Black Friday Gaming Monitor Deals
      • Black Friday Graphics Card Deals
      • Black Friday Alienware Deals
      • Black Friday Lego Deals
      • Black Friday Board Game Deals
      • Black Friday Pokémon Card Deals
      • Black Friday Warhammer Deals
      • Gift Guides
  • 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
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi 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
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
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
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
The Long Walk
Horror Movies The best Stephen King adaptations ranked, from Carrie to The Long Walk
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 November 2025
Brian Cox in Succession
TV The 25 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now
Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later
Horror Movies The 25 best zombie movies of all time
Sci-Fi Shows The best Star Trek episodes every Trekkie should watch
Next James Bond
Action Movies Next James Bond: The 27 actors who could replace Daniel Craig as the new 007
Godzilla attacks a boat in Godzilla Minus One.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
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
Simone Kessell as Lottie in Yellowjackets
Streaming Services The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
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
A House of Dynamite
Thriller Movies The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch this week
Trending
  • Black Ops 7 release time
  • New Games for 2025
  • Early Black Friday deals
  • Gift Guides
  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
 
 
The Long Walk
The best Stephen King adaptations ranked, from Carrie to The Long Walk
 
 
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 November 2025
 
 
Brian Cox in Succession
The 25 best shows on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Latest in Movies
Multi-colored Labubu dolls jumping and sliding on rainbow surfaces in a space-like scene
The inevitable has happened as a Labubu movie is reportedly in the works
 
 
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Dominic Sessa, Dave Franco, Justice Smith, Isla Fisher, and Ariana Greenblatt in Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Now You See Me: Now You Don't director says hearing the audience gasp at the threequel's big twist made him feel like a real magician: "The movie as a whole works as a magic trick"
 
 
The cast of Star Trek (2009): Chris Pine as Captain Kirk, Simon Pegg as Scotty, Karl Urban as Bones, John Cho as Sulu, and Zoe Saldaña as Uhura.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves directors will helm a new Star Trek film that reportedly features an all-new setting and characters unrelated to previous movies or shows
 
 
Stephen Lang as Quaritch in Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron says villain Quaritch is "undergoing an identity crisis" in the film, and teases a possible redemption: "Jake would rather have this guy on his side"
 
 
Devanny Pinn as Betty Boop in upcoming horror movie Boop
Move over Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop is getting her own horror movie – and its first look is disgustingly bloody
 
 
Bud in Predator: Badlands
Dan Trachtenberg worried "a little" about making Bud too cute in Predator: Badlands, but Marvel's Rocket and Groot convinced him she could be both "adorable and super badass"
 
 
Latest in Features
Winter Burrow artwork showing the protagonist mouse looking out over a snowy landscape towards the burrow. The GamesRadar+ Indie Spotlight logo is in the top right-hand corner of the image
Winter Burrow is like a very cozy, laid back Don't Starve with a bittersweet edge that tugs at the heartstrings
 
 
An explorer in Starfield wearing a red leather jacket standing in front of a fireplace
Two years later, Starfield remains the game Bethesda wanted to make all along – and it was never meant to be a crowd-pleaser
 
 
Golshifteh Farahani and Mélissa Boros in Alpha
Titane director Julia Ducournau's new movie is lighter on the body horror, but stays rooted in the same messy, moving family drama
 
 
Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2.
New on Disney Plus in December 2025: all the latest movies and shows streaming this month
 
 
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5
Stranger Things season 5 cast and creators talk closing the door on the Upside Down: "It was important for us to resolve all storylines and tie up any loose ends"
 
 
Key art for Demon's Souls showing a knight in front of a dark castle as enemies approach, with the PS5 five year anniversary GamesRadar+ frame along the side
Five years after launching with PS5, Demon's Souls is still a glittering soulslike high bar and feels brand new
 
 
  1. Key art of Kagan squatting with a gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
    1
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review-in-progress: "I respect Treyarch's attempt to go bonkers and make the weirdest Call of Duty possible"
  2. 2
    Possessor(s) review: "Smart ideas are quickly buried in this demonic Metroidvania that's far too mundane and dull in a sea of sharp competition"
  3. 3
    Lumines Arise review: "Just as effective as Tetris Effect, block matching to a beat becomes a transcendent experience"
  4. 4
    Anno 117: Pax Romana review: "Whether dealing with rivals through warfare or diplomacy, there's a great deal to like in this engrossing city builder"
  5. 5
    Arc Raiders review: "The most memorable multiplayer experiences I've had all year – this shooter is tense but wonderfully approachable"
  1. Glen Powell as Ben Richards in The Running Man
    1
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  2. 2
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  3. 3
    Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"
  4. 4
    Tron: Ares review: "Misses out by swapping the Grid for the real world"
  5. 5
    One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic"
  1. Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka, looking scared, in Pluribus.
    1
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  2. 2
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  3. 3
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  4. 4
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
  5. 5
    Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"

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...