Famous Last Words: Actors and Actresses

A select collection of the dying words spoken by well-known TV and movie stars

A vintage photo of comedian Lucille Ball
Comedienne Lucille Ball's final words were, "My Florida water.". David McNew/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Whether realized at the time they are said or only in hindsight, nearly everyone will express a word, phrase or sentence that proves the last thing he or she ever says while alive. Sometimes profound, sometimes everyday, here you will find a select collection of the last words spoken by famous actors and actresses of cinema, television and stage.

Desi Arnaz (1917-1986)
I love you too, Honey. Good luck with your show.

Arnaz said this to his former wife, Lucille Ball, over the telephone.

Lucille Ball (1911-1989)
My Florida water.

The comedienne and star of I Love Lucy replied with these words when asked if she wanted anything.

Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968)
Codeine... Bourbon...

John Barrymore (1882-1942)
Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him.

Richard Burton (1925-1984)
Our revels now are ended.

Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)
I should never have switched from scotch to martinis.

John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865)
Useless, useless.

The man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln was a well-known stage actor from a prominent theatrical family.

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)
Why not? It belongs to him.

Probably apocryphal, the silent-film star allegedly said this in response to a priest at Chaplin's deathbed who had said, "May the Lord have mercy on your soul."

Graham Chapman (1941-1989)
Hello.

Suffering from terminal cancer, the comedian of Monty Python fame said this from his hospital bed after his adopted son arrived.

Joan Crawford (1904-1977)
Damn it... Don't you dare ask God to help me.

Crawford allegedly uttered these words to her maid, who had started praying for the actress.

Nelson Eddy (1901-1967)
I can't see. I can't hear.

While singing at a nightclub in Florida, Eddy suffered a stroke on stage and died several hours later.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. (1883-1939)
I've never felt better.

Errol Flynn (1909-1959)
I've had a hell of a lot of fun and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

Ava Gardner (1922-1990)
I'm so tired.

Jackie Gleason (1916-1987)
I always knew what I was doing.

Cary Grant (1904-1986)
I love you, Barbara. Don't worry.

Epitomizing style, sophistication and elegance throughout his life, Grant uttered these words to his wife as he was taken into intensive care after suffering a stroke.

Edmund Gwenn (1877-1959)
Yes, it's tough, but not as tough as doing comedy.

"Kris Kringle" from the film Miracle on 34th Street allegedly said this after a friend commented that it is "hard to die."

Oliver Hardy (1892-1957)
I love you.

The portly half of Laurel and Hardy expressed this to his wife.

Jean Harlow (1911-1937)
Where is Aunt Jetty? Hope she didn't run out on me...

Bob Hope (1903-2003)
Surprise me.

The radio and film star said this to his wife, Dolores, after she asked him where he wanted to be buried. For the record, Hope was interred in the Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Rock Hudson (1925-1985)
No, I don't think so.

This was Hudson's reply when asked if he wanted some more coffee.

Al Jolson (1886-1950)
This is it! I'm going. I'm going.

Boris Karloff (1887-1969)
Walter Pidgeon.

Why the actor most famous for his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster mentioned the Canadian actor is unknown.

Stan Laurel (1890-1965)
No, but I'd rather be skiing than doing what I'm doing.

The slender half of Laurel and Hardy said this to his nurse, who had asked if Laurel skied after the comedian initially uttered, "I wish I was skiing."

Jeanette MacDonald (1903-1965)
I love you.

Often paired with actor/singer Nelson Eddy in Hollywood musicals, MacDonald expressed this sentiment to her husband, Gene Raymond.

Groucho Marx (1890-1977)
Die, my dear? Why that's the last thing I'll do!

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)
Say goodbye to Pat, say goodbye to Jack and say goodbye to yourself, because you're a nice guy.

The blonde bombshell allegedly said these words to actor Peter Lawford, President John F. Kennedy's brother-in-law, over the telephone the night she died.

Laurence Olivier (1907-1989)
This isn't Hamlet, you know. It's not meant to go into the bloody ear.

The star of numerous productions of Shakespeare's plays, Olivier said this to his nurse, who'd spilled water on the actor while moistening his lips. In the play, Hamlet's father is murdered by Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, who drips poison into the doomed man's ear as he sleeps.

George Reeves (1914-1959)
I'm tired. I'm going back to bed.

Television's original Superman said this to friends before he committed suicide.

George Sanders (1906-1972)
Dear World, I am leaving you because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool -- good luck.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, the British actor wrote these words in a suicide note before taking his life in a hotel in Spain.

Jimmy Stewart (1908-1997)
I'm going to go be with Gloria now.

Stewart's wife, Gloria, preceded him in death by three years.

Carl Switzer (1927-1959)
I'm going to kill you!

"Alfalfa" from the Our Gang series of film shorts allegedly said this while confronting Moses Samuel Stiltz about payment of a $50 debt that the child-star believed Stiltz owed him. The man then raised a .38-caliber pistol and shot Switzer in the groin. "Alfalfa" was pronounced D.O.A. upon arrival at the hospital due to a massive loss of blood.

Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926)
Don't pull down the blinds. I feel fine. I want the sunlight to greet me!