Heath Ledger has created serious critical buzz for his portrayal as The Joker in The Dark Knight, and there are even talks of him being awarded an Oscar posthumously for his work in the film. This made me consider other actors who have shined on the silver screen long after their lives were cut short, and led me to compile a list of the five greatest ever movie performances delivered from beyond the grave.

See the list

1. Heath Ledger

Forget all the hype, and screw all the advertising. Go see this movie and you’ll agree that Heath Ledger is fucking fantastic. You can’t take your eyes off him on screen, and I consider his role as The Joker as the greatest ever delivered after death.

2. James Dean

James Dean INVENTED dying way before your time, when he swerved off the highway and died in a fiery crash just hours after receiving a speeding ticket. He was nominated for two Oscars after he died, for East of Eden in 1955, and Giant in 1956. He didn’t win either trophy, but has become on of the most legendary screen actors of all time, despite only having starring roles in three major films.

3. Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee plays Erick Draven in The Crow, a man back from the dead, ironically I guess, to avenge the murder of his fiancee at the hands of ruthless thugs. The Crow has grown in to a genuine cult classic, and is surely one of the finest films starring a dead guy in recent memory. Unfortunately. Brandon Lee’s tragic death involving a faulty gun prop prevented him from witnessing the film’s success.

4. Tupac Shakur

Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, Tupac Shakur was also a very talented actor, and turned out critically acclaimed performances in Poetic Justice, and Above The Rim, both released pre-being gunned down in Las Vegas. After his death, hie best acting came in Gridlock’d, co-starring Tim Roth. If he were still alive, which some think he is, Tupac would have climbed the heights of the acting world as high as he did the rap game with his passion and determination.

5. Richard Harris

Portraying Dumbledore might not be his greatest achievement in acting (twice nominated for Academy Awards in other films) but it will certainly go down as the most iconic role for Richard Harris, who died after the second installment in the Harry Potter film franchise. His body of work and career achievements combined with the popularity of the character, land him at number five on the list.