A relatively large number of regular and guest cast members involved with the movie and TV versions
of The Night Stalker have died since the movie first aired in the early 70's. Comparing the # of the
deceased involved with The Night Stalker, contrasted with, say, the original Star Trek, is a depressing
experience.
The most notable death is that of Simon Oakland, who appeared in both of the movies and every episode of
the TV series. A talented violinist and veteran actor, his movie appearances included The Sand Pebbles,
Psycho, and West Side Story. A more familiar face to television, he appeared on Twilight Zone, Outer
Limits, Toma, Black Sheep Squadron, and many more. His death precludes any possibility of a remake/reunion
capable of recapturing the chemistry between Carl Kolchak and Tony Vincenzo
Other actors & actresses involved with the show, now deceased, include:
Actor |
Episode or Movie |
Date of Death |
| Stanley Adams | The Night Stalker, The Devil's Platform | 4/27/77 (suicide by gunshot) |
| Claude Akins | The Night Stalker | 1/27/94 (cancer) |
| Barry Atwater | The Night Stralker | 5/24/78 (stroke) |
| Jim Backus | Chopper | 7/3/89 (pneumonia) |
| Sorrell Booke | Legacy of Terror | 2/11/94 (cancer) |
| John Carradine | The Night Strangler | 11/27/88 (natural causes) |
| Lewis Charles | The Werewolf | 11/9/99 (cancer) |
| Dort Clark | The Werewolf | 3/30/89 (diabetes and cancer) |
| Hans Conreid | The Knightly Murders | 1/5/82 (heart ailment) |
| Wally Cox | The Night Strangler | 2/15/73 (heart attack) |
| Scatman Crothers | The Zombie | 11/22/86 (lung cancer) |
| John Dehner | The Knightly Murders | 2/4/92 (emphysemia/diabetes) |
| John Doucette | The Vampire | 8/16/94 (cancer) |
| David Doyle | Firefall | 2/26/97 (heart attack) |
| Fritz Feld | They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be | 11/18/93 |
| Ben Frommer | The Zombie | 5/5/92 |
| Margaret Hamilton | The Night Strangler | 5/16/85 (heart attack) |
| John Hoyt | The Sentry | 9/15/91 (lung cancer) |
| Carolyn Jones | Demon in Lace | 8/3/83 (cancer) |
| Henry Jones | The Werewolf | 5/17/99 (fall) |
| Victor Jory | Bad Medicine | 2/12/82 |
| Larry Linville | The Night Stalker and Chopper | 4/10/2000 (pneumonia w/complications) |
| Phil Leeds | They Have Been, They Are, They Will be | 8/16/98 (pneumonia) |
| Ken Lynch | The Ripper | 2/13/90 (virus) |
| Ruth McDevitt | Series Regular, The Ripper | 5/27/76 |
| John Marley | Primal Scream | 5/22/84 |
| Murray Matheson | Horror in the Heights | 4/25/85 |
| Ralph Meeker | The Night Stalker | 8/5/88 (heart attack) |
| J. Pat O'Malley | The Zombie | 2/27/87 (heart condition) |
| Phil Silvers | Horror in the Heights | 11/1/85 |
| Kent Smith | The Night Stalker | 4/23/85 |
| Jackie Vernon | Demon in Lace | 11/10/87 (heart attack) |
| Don Weis | Director: The Vampire, Firefall, The Trevi Collection, Demon in Lace | 1/25/00 (natural causes) |
| Jesse White | Chopper | 1/9/97 (after surgery) |
| Mary Wickes | They Have Been... | 10/22/85 (after surgery) |
| Keenan Wynn | The Spanish Moss Murders, Demon in Lace | 10/14/86 (cancer) |