"The NeverEnding Story" gave a generation a world of dreams and imagination, but unfortunately,
some stories do have an end. These actors from the films are sadly no longer with us.
The wonderful adventures in "The NeverEnding Story" wouldn't have even begun if Bastian
hadn't stumbled into the bookstore owned by cranky Carl Conrad Coreander, portrayed by Thomas Hill.
"The video arcade is down the street. Here we just sell small,
rectangular objects. They're called books."
Over the years, Hill played a wide range of characters in many television series and films,
most notably the recurring role of Jim Dixon in the classic CBS sitcom "Newhart." However,
he returned to the role of the ornery bookseller he had
created six years prior in 1990's "The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter."
On April 20, 2009, the 81-year-old actor died from a heart attack, but he will always be
remembered as the gruff old man who inspired a world of children to crack open a book.
Moses Gunn memorably portrayed the herald of the Childlike Empress
who sends Atreyu on his quest to save Fantasia.
"Is there any chance of success?"
"I do not know."
Aside from "The NeverEnding Story," Gunn featured in a number of prominent roles in
film and television, including Shaft's archnemesis Bumpy Jonas in "Shaft" and "Shaft's Big Score!" He
was also nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Kintango in ABC's 1977 miniseries "Roots."
His success wasn't just limited to the screen, either. For his stage work,
he won an Obie Award in 1968 for playing Aaron in "Titus Andronicus" and he was
nominated for a Tony in 1976 for portraying Benjamin Hurspool in "The Poison Tree."
On December 16, 1993, the 64-year-old actor died from asthma complications,
leaving behind a wealth of treasured performances.
Played by Patricia Hayes, Urgl is a gnome who spends most of her time making gross
broths and bickering with her husband, Engywook.
"Now it's my turn with him."
"Oh no you don't. I decide when he's well. It's your turn when I say it's your turn."
Appearing in films and television since 1936, Hayes accrued over 130 acting credits to her name,
including roles in the fantasy film "Willow" and the comedy classic "A
Fish Called Wanda." She also appeared in television classics like BBC's "The Benny
Hill Show," "Till Death Us Do Part," and "Spooner's Patch." Her role in a
1971 episode of the BBC anthology series "Play for Today" snagged her a BAFTA win.
On September 19, 1998, Hayes died due to natural causes at the age of 88.
Sydney Bromley gave a memorable performance as Engywook in "The
NeverEnding Story," imbuing the scientist gnome with the perfect
balance of comedic chaos and dramatic gravitas. The character's knowledge of
the Southern Oracle helps Atreyu further along on his quest to save the Empress.
"Have you ever been to the Southern Oracle?"
"What do you think?"
Throughout a career that spanned over 50 years,
Bromley found himself in roles that were just as fantastical and adventurous. He was also
in other fantasy classics, like the 1981 epic "Dragonslayer" and 1986's "Pirates."
On August 14, 1987, Bromley died at the age of
78. But his work will be remembered as a gateway to adventure for many.
Played by Tilo Prückner, the Night Hob is one of
the first fantastical creatures we meet in "The NeverEnding Story."
"Is he a nutcase?"
"No, he's a rockbiter."
"A rockbiter!"
While internationally Prückner is most likely known for playing the Night Hob, he has acted in
over 200 German films and television series dating from 1967 all the way through 2021. He also wrote
and published his only novel in 2013, which told the story of a doctor in a failing relationship.
On July 2, 2020, Prückner died of heart failure at the age of 79, ending a truly remarkable career.
Perhaps the most emotionally devastating scene in "The NeverEnding Story" — or any movie, for that
matter — is when Atreyu's horse Artax succumbs to despair and drowns in the Swamp of Sadness.
"Artax! Fight against the sadness, Artax."
The scene is so powerful and convincing that it led to a persistent rumor that the
filmmakers actually drowned the horse onset — which isn't true.
In actuality, two horses were trained to go up to their necks in water and
were frequently swapped out while filming to not overwhelm them. The
horses were never fully submerged, as is evident in the finished film.
After filming was complete, one of the horses was gifted to the actor playing
Atreyu, Noah Hathaway. However, due to how complicated it would be to ship to his home,
Hathaway decided to leave the horse in Germany with his stunt-riding double.
The horse lived on his ranch for the next 20 or so years before passing.
Released six years after the 1984 original, "The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter" was in
need of a younger actor to play Bastian, the role originally portrayed by Barret Oliver. Jonathan
Brandis stepped in to fill the role and told the story of Bastian returning to again save Fantasia.
"Is there no one with the courage to stand up with me against the giants?"
Prior to the sequel, Brandis had mostly appeared in small television roles. Afterwards,
he quickly found himself in a ton of higher-profile roles throughout the early
'90s. Those included "Stephen King's It," Rodney Dangerfield's 1992 sports comedy "Ladybugs," and
the 1992 Chuck Norris karate comedy "Sidekicks." But he truly became a certified teen idol when he
was cast as the scientific genius Lucas in NBC's sci-fi action series "seaQuest DSV."
Tragically, on November 12, 2003, Brandis died by suicide at the age of 27.
Freddie Jones does double duty in "The NeverEnding Story III," playing the Old
Man of Wandering Mountain, as well as taking over the role of Mr. Coreander.
"Shh!"
The Old Man of Wandering Mountain was the author of the NeverEnding Story in the original novel,
but here he functions more as its protector, as the book basically writes itself. That is until
some bullies steal the book from Coreander's library and start writing a new future.
Throughout his nearly 60-year career, Jones appeared in over 200 film and television projects.
These included big films like 1983's "Krull," 1985's "Young Sherlock Holmes," and 2002's "The
Count of Monte Cristo." He also featured in three David Lynch films, "Dune," "The Elephant Man," and
"Wild at Heart." His final role was a 13-year run as Sandy Thomas on the ITV soap opera "Emmerdale."
On July 9, 2019, Jones died at the age of 91,
leaving behind a wife and three sons — including "Harry Potter" and Marvel alum Toby Jones.
Falkor the Luck Dragon was voiced by a different actor in all three
films. In "The NeverEnding Story III," the fluffy
and lovable character was voiced by fan convention mainstay William Hootkins.
"Oh no, I'm losing altitude. Look out below."
Hootkins appeared in over 100 projects, including 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
and 1989's "Batman." But he was probably best recognized for flying his X-Wing in
the Battle of Yavin under the callsign Red Six in the 1977 classic "Star Wars." That's right,
Hootkins was the fan-favorite Rebel pilot Jek Tono Porkins.
On October 23, 2005, Hootkins died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 57.
In "The NeverEnding Story III," Fantasia is threatened by a group of bullies calling
themselves the Nasties. Each Nasty has their role in the group, and the muscle was provided by Rage,
beefily portrayed by Adrien Dorval. [grunting]
Over the years, Dorval contributed his talents to a wide range of popular television series,
usually in small parts. That includes "MacGyver," "Highlander," the 2004
"Battlestar Galactica," "Stargate SG-1," and more. On the feature film side,
he popped up in "Shanghai Noon" and "The Chronicles of Riddick," to name a few.
On January 5, 2021, Dorval died from cancer at the age of 57.
In "The NeverEnding Story III," the Childlike Empress and the Old Man of Wandering Mountain
are assisted in their quest to Fantasia by a character known only as Large Head.
"I was able to butt us through to the secret tunnels for our escape."
"Well, that's using your head."
For the nine days actor Thomas Petruo was on set, he would spend over four
hours in makeup each morning to achieve the bulbous-headed look of the character.
While he has a few other on-screen credits to his name, Petruo put a much larger stamp
on the world of voice acting. Specifically, he dubbed over 2,000 films into his native German.
Notable instances include providing the voice for Biff Tannen in all of
the "Back to the Future" films, dubbing over Gary Oldman in four separate films,
and voicing Sheldon Plankton in the Nickelodeon television series "SpongeBob SquarePants."
"Vielleicht hast du recht. Manchmal bin ich ein
richtiger vollidiot. Reicht befehle die mir dabei zu helfen vater zu werden."
On April 13, 2018, Petruo died at the age of 61, leaving behind a lifetime of voices.
At the beginning of the first NeverEnding Story, Bastian finds himself on the run from
a handful of bullies. Just before he makes it to the bookstore, Bastian ducks past two
men on the sidewalk, causing one of them to drop a bottle of milk. It's actually a sneaky
cameo. The guy who drops the milk is played by the film's director, Wolfgang Petersen,
who went on to direct films like "Air Force One," "The Perfect Storm," and "Troy."
The man next to him is Bernd Eichinger, the producer of "The NeverEnding Story."
Eichinger produced a wide range of films, including four "Resident Evil" films,
the first two "Fantastic Four" films, and the Sean Connery/Christian Slater film "The Name
of the Rose." In addition to producing, he was also an accomplished screenwriter,
having written 2006's "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" about a scent-obsessed serial killer
and 2004's "Downfall" about the rise and fall of Hitler. The latter received
an Oscar nomination and thousands of re-subtitled "Hitler Rant" parodies.
Tragically, they've both passed. At the age of 61, after having worked on nearly 100 films,
Eichinger died of a heart attack on January 24, 2011.
Petersen died on August 12, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. He was 81.