It's often distressing to hear about the death of a famous actor.
Their passings can evoke the feeling of an end to an era, as once-vital, charismatic
performers head offstage for good after a final bow.
These actors made us laugh, made us cry, and made us feel - and many of them seem like
they're gone too soon.
Let's remember some of the actors that we've lost in 2018.
Verne Troyer
Verne Troyer, best known as the actor who plays Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies,
died of alcohol poisoning on April 21 at the age of 49.
Troyer, who stood at 2 feet, 8 inches, was born with achondroplasia dwarfism - a condition
that often results in undersized arms and legs.
He grew up in an Amish community in Michigan and achieved fame when he debuted opposite
Mike Myers in 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Troyer had more than 50 acting credits to his name, with roles including Griphook in
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Coach Punch Cherkov in The Love Guru.
A message announcing his death posted to his Facebook page said, "Verne was an extremely
caring individual.
He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh."
Stefán Karl Stefánsson
Stefán Karl Stefánsson, an Icelandic actor most known for his role as Robbie Rotten on
the TV series Lazy Town, died on August 21 among his friends and family following a years-long
battle with cancer of the bile duct.
He was 43 years old.
As an actor, Stefánsson was most readily identifiable with his work on the popular
children's series, which aired in more than 100 countries, and on which he starred for
more than ten years.
A huge portion of his notoriety came from a popular meme that sprung from the series,
based on the exuberant musical number "We Are Number One."
"We are number one, hey!"
Whatever its ironic roots may have been, the appreciation for Stefánsson grew deeply in
online meme communities over the years, and he showed much appreciation to fans in return.
He is survived by his wife and four children - and he is forever number one.
Jackson Odell
Jackson Odell, an actor, musician, and songwriter, was found dead in his home on June 8th, according
to a report by TMZ. 20 years old, he died of an accidental overdose of heroin and cocaine.
Odell began his acting career at the age of 11, making his debut on the series Private
Practice.
He landed his first major part in the 2011 feature Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer,
going on to make appearances on iCarly, Modern Family, and Arrested Development.
As an actor, Odell is most known to audiences for his work on The Goldbergs, where he played
recurring character Ari Caldwell.
In recent years, Odell's work had pivoted toward a role as a singer-songwriter, with
several of his compositions appearing on the soundtracks to the 2016 movie Great Plains
and the 2018 release Forever My Girl.
Jon Schnepp
Jon Schnepp, a writer, director, editor and animator known for his many contributions
to Adult Swim programming, died on July 19th from complications following a massive stroke.
He was 51.
Primarily known for his work on Metalocalypse, Schnepp also occasionally contributed to that
series and others as a voice actor, with his other appearances including Aqua Teen Hunger
Force and Space Ghost Coast 2 Coast.
He directed several documentaries, including The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?.
He was also an on-camera personality for entertainment website Collider, appearing as a panelist
on Collider Movie Talk and hosting Collider Heroes.
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain, a writer, presenter, producer and performer who helped shape the way we
see international food culture, took his own life on June 8th in France during the production
of his CNN travelogue series Parts Unknown.
He was 61.
Bourdain rose to prominence in 2000 on the back of his bestselling book Kitchen Confidential:
Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.
His unapologetic attitude and confessional style helped endear him to a wide audience,
with the book being adapted into a television series in 2005.
That show, also called Kitchen Confidential, starred Bradley Cooper as a "bad boy chef"
based on Bourdain himself.
Bourdain grew to be a charismatic presence on the international food scene as he began
appearing on television as the host of several shows, including A Cook's Tour, No Reservations,
and The Layover.
His notoriety also led to winking cameo appearances, with Bourdain appearing as himself in the
2015 film The Big Short.
He also lent his voice to characters inspired by him in the animated series Archer and Sanjay
and Craig.
He was decorated with awards from the entertainment industry for his work, earning five Emmys
and a Peabody Award.
Pamela Gidley
Model-turned-actress Pamela Gidley passed away at the age of 52 on April 16th, dying
peacefully of natural causes.
Gidley's debut role was in the 1986 skateboarding movie Thrashin', in which she appeared alongside
Josh Brolin and childhood friend Sherilyn Fenn, who would later play Audrey on the series
Twin Peaks.
Early in her career, Gidley appeared in the cult sci-fi comedy movie Cherry 2000, playing
a lifelike android designed to be "the perfect mate."
She went on to have her own notable role in the 1992 Twin Peaks prequel feature Fire Walk
With Me, appearing as the first victim of the killer who would later haunt the series.
She also had a regular role on the buddy cop series Angel Street and starred on the mystery
series Strange Luck. with later roles including work on The Pretender, CSI, and Skin.
Her last credited role is Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces, a long-lost compilation of
extended and deleted scenes from Fire Walk With Me.
Mickey Jones
Mickey Jones, a musician and character actor known for his roles in Home Improvement and
Justified, died on February 7th at the age of 76.
Jones worked as an entertainer since his teenage years, working as a drummer with the likes
of Trini Lopez, Bob Dylan, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition.
He began pivoting to an acting career in the late '60s; by 1976, Jones was a full-time
actor, and went on to appear in a number of TV shows and movies including The Rockford
Files, Charlie's Angels, The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Incredible Hulk.
Jones' regular role on Home Improvement as construction worker Pete Bilker made use of
both his talents, with the character playing the drums in a company band.
He also had a recurring role in Justified, playing marijuana distributor Rodney "Hot
Rod" Dunham.
His film roles include Tin Cup, Total Recall, and Sling Blade, in which he also put his
drumming talents to use.
His final roles include the NBC comedy series Growing Up Fisher and a 2015 appearance in
the Adult Swim comedy Newsreaders.
Leon White
Professional wrestler Leon Allen White, better known as Vader, died on June 18 from complications
from pneumonia after a years-long battle with congestive heart failure.
He was 63.
Also known as Baby Bull and Big Van Vader, White rose to prominence in wrestling during
the early '90s, coming into his own as a formidable heel who entered rings with a distinctive
and imposing dark helmet.
Like many wrestlers, White occasionally took his charismatic performing talents to more
mainstream productions, appearing on episodes of Baywatch and Boy Meets World.
His character also appeared in a WCW-themed comic book series published by Marvel Comics.
In November 2016, White was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and given less than
two years to live.
He faced the development as only a professional wrestler would, selling T-shirts with slogans
such as "Big Vader Just Won't Die" and "2 Years to Live My Ass."
He is survived by two children, including the second-generation professional wrestler
Jesse White, who is also known by the stage name of Jake Carter.
Stanley Anderson
Stage and screen actor Stanley Anderson died on June 24th at his home in Santa Rosa, California
at the age of 78, six weeks after receiving a diagnosis of brain cancer.
Anderson was born in 1939 in Billings, Montana.
While he would go on to leave his mark on a number of TV shows and movies, he didn't
segue into onscreen work until he was already a practiced veteran of the stage.
His career on screen began in the 1990s with appearances on such series as The Drew Carey
Show, The Practice, and NYPD Blue.
Among his more notable performances was his role as the judge in the widely seen series
finale of Seinfeld, and as an early adversary of the Green Goblin in the Sam Raimi-directed
Spider-Man.
In addition to his work as a performer, Anderson was also a voiceover talent, reading scripts
for documentaries on National Geographic, Discovery, TLC, PBS, and the History Channel.
He also lent his voice to nationwide advertisements for Democratic party candidates and causes.
According to his family, quote, "He was most proud, ultimately, of the part he played in
politics."
Robert Mandan
Robert Mandan, an actor who held a consistent presence on television for more than four
decades, died on April 29th in Los Angeles following a long period of illness.
He was 86 years old.
Born in Missouri in 1932, Mandan appeared on a number of soap operas throughout his
career, such as General Hospital, Santa Barbara, and Days of Our Lives.
But his most acclaimed role was on the parody sitcom Soap, which ran from 1977 to 1981.
Beyond Soap, Mandan appeared on the sitcom Three's Company, continuing on to that show's
1984 spin-off Three's a Crowd.
His other notable television roles include turns on Married… With Children, Sanford
and Son, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - among many, many more over a long and robust career.
Eunice Gayson
Eunice Gayson, who helped establish a cinematic tradition as the first "Bond girl" of the
James Bond film series, died on June 8th at the age of 90.
Gayson's most well-known role remains her turn as Sylvia Trench in Dr. No and From Russia
with Love, from which she became connected to one of the all-time classic lines in cinema.
Introducing herself as "Trench, Sylvia Trench," her character prompted the immortal introduction
of Sean Connery's MI6 agent, "Bond, James Bond."
Her performance as a capable foil for Bond established a template for the movies that's
still in use today.
After her turn in the Bond series, Gayson continued to act on-screen until 1972, after
which she exclusively performed on-stage.
She is survived by a daughter, Kate, who followed up on her mother's James Bond legacy with
an appearance in the 1995 film GoldenEye.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call or chat online with
the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
That's 1-800-273-8255.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please call the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Administration's 24/7 National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
That number again is 1-800-662-4357.