Cancer is one of the most dangerous diseases of the 21st century. Despite the fact that medicine has achieved some success in the treatment of this disease, and with timely diagnosis, treatment brings positive results, cancer annually claims a huge number of lives. The insidious disease spares no one. It is impossible to be insured against it. Famous actors who died of cancer are a prime example of this.
Marcello Mastroianni
The great Italian actor died at the age of 72 from pancreatic cancer. The film La Dolce Vita, directed by Federico Fellini in 1960, instantly made the young Mastroianni a celebrity. Critics have always favorably accepted the work of the actor, and his aloof manner of performing roles was unusual for Europe, but interesting. Together with Sophia Loren, they made one of the most beautiful acting duets in the history of world cinema.
Patrick Swayze
Practically all the actors who died of cancer tried to fight the disease to the last. Not everyone was able to defeat her. In 2008, Patrick Swayze's doctor made a press statement about the actor's pancreatic cancer. He talked aboutfavorable prognosis, but at the same time there was evidence that the account of Swayze's life goes on for weeks. Soon the actor himself said that the treatment was successful, and the growth of cancer cells was stopped. But in the spring of 2009, his condition worsened, and in September of the same year, Patrick Swayze died at the age of 57.
He was a versatile actor with many talents: he graduated from a ballet school, was a professional martial artist, wrote and performed songs.
Gerard Philip
He is best known for playing the reckless rake Fanfan in the movie Fanfan Tulip. The picture was a huge success in many countries for more than one decade.
It's sad when a great actor dies young from cancer or other disease. Gerard Philippe was only 36 years old when he passed away. Cause of death - liver cancer.
Paul Newman
Famous American actor, producer and director, repeatedly nominated for an Oscar. He was rightfully considered one of the most influential people in Hollywood. The most famous works of the actor are the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Scam, The Color of Money.
In the summer of 2008, doctors diagnosed the actor with lung cancer. Paul Newman died a few months later, at the age of 83.
Dennis Hopper
Actor, director and screenwriter with a difficult fate. At one time he was considered an inconvenient performer due to Hopper's demands to re-shoot scenes with his participation several times. After the onset of problems with alcohol and drugsthe actor practically stopped acting in the seventies. Then he went to rehab and returned to acting.
Besides cinematography, there were other hobbies in Hopper's life. He took photographs and painted pictures. His work has been repeatedly exhibited in art galleries.
In 2009, the actor was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Dennis Hopper died in 2010. He was 74 years old.
Russian actors who died of cancer: a sad list of celebrities
Lyubov Polishchuk
The death of this magnificent actress was a real shock for connoisseurs of her work. She died in 2006, at the age of 57, after a serious illness - sarcoma of the spine.
Fame for the actress brought an episodic role in the comedy "The Twelve Chairs", where she played Andrei Mironov's dance partner.
According to one of the versions, the cause of the disease was a spinal injury received by Polishchuk as a result of a car accident. She was undergoing treatment for back pain, wore an orthopedic corset, underwent surgery to remove part of her spine. All this time, she continued to act, despite severe pain and fatigue. The last work of the actress was the series "My Fair Nanny".
Oleg Yankovsky
Russian actors who have died of cancer make up a long list. Among them there are both little-known artists and idols adored by the audience. One of them is Oleg Yankovsky. He owned the mostdiverse roles, but the pinnacle of his work can be called the image of Baron Munchausen in the film "The Same Munchausen" based on the play by Grigory Gorin. Thanks to Yankovsky, the famous inventor appeared before the audience in a new guise - an ironic, intelligent and courageous person who is not afraid to go against a hypocritical and sanctimonious society.
In 2009, Oleg Yankovsky died of pancreatic cancer. The terrible disease was discovered too late, when the time for treatment was lost.
Anna Samokhina
Actors who suddenly died of cancer cause a feeling of special regret and even shock. It is impossible to believe that just yesterday a person who seemed perfectly he althy is dying. The death of Anna Samokhina, a talented actress and amazingly beautiful woman, was a shock to many. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer very late - at the last, inoperable stage, when nothing could be done. The course of chemotherapy only worsened the condition of the actress. The disease developed rapidly, and foreign clinics refused to treat Anna Samokhina, believing that they could no longer help her. The actress passed away at the age of 47, in February 2010.
Alexander Abdulov
The news that a beloved actor was dying of cancer shocked the country in 2007. Alexander Abdulov was from a family closely associated with art - the actor's father was a theater director. Abdulov himself did not dream of a career as an artist, and after graduating from school he enteredpedagogical institute. A little later, he began to study at GITIS.
Abdulov has become the hallmark of the Lenkom Theatre, and his entire theatrical career is associated with director Mark Zakharov. In the cinema, fame came to him after the release of the fairy tale film "An Ordinary Miracle".
In 2007, doctors diagnosed the actor with inoperable lung cancer of the fourth stage. In January 2008, Alexander Abdulov passed away. He was 54 years old.
And many, many more…
Many actors who die of cancer manage to live long and creative lives. Mikhail Kozakov died of lung cancer at the age of 76, Kirill Lavrov lived for 81 years and died of leukemia. Ilya Oleinikov, a wonderful actor with an amazing sense of humor, lived to be 65 years old and died of lung cancer caused by years of smoking. Valery Zolotukhin died at the age of 71 from glioblastoma (brain tumor).
Favorite Soviet actors who died of cancer
Georgy Zhzhonov
The famous Soviet actor was best remembered by the audience for a series of films about the resident and the disaster picture "Crew". In total, he played more than 100 roles in films. Died of lung cancer in 2005, aged 90.
Nikolai Grinko
In the filmography of a wonderful actor - about 130 roles played, not counting work in the theater. The most famous paintings with his participation: "Stalker", "The Adventures of Pinocchio", "The Adventures of Electronics". Died at age 68 from leukemia.
Nikita Mikhailovsky
Died at 27 NikitaMikhailovsky, who played Roma from the poignant picture "You never dreamed of." The cause of death is leukemia. During his short life, he played in 16 films and was a promising actor. Nikita Mikhailovsky died in 1991.
Conclusion
The actors who died of cancer, whose photos can be seen above, passed away, unable to overcome a fatal illness. Some of them lived to a ripe old age, while others died very young. Unfortunately, even today medicine is not always able to cure cancer. The latest known victim of the disease is Russian singer and actress Zhanna Friske, who passed away in June 2015.
