Stars From The '80s Film Private Benjamin You Didn't Know Died

More than 45 years after its release, "Private Benjamin" continues to be a fan favorite, and despite having a fairly established career by the time the film was made (and starring in countless blockbusters after), it's still seen as one of Goldie Hawn's best performances. Sadly, not all of the "Private Benjamin" stars are still with us, but they live on thanks to their work on the iconic film. 

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We'll start with Robert Webber, who played Colonel Clay Thornbush in the film. The actor died nine years after "Private Benjamin" was released, and was just 64 at the time of his passing in 1989. As was reported by The New York Times, he had Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS, the same devastating disease that would claim Eric Dane's life many years later. 

Other than his role in "Private Benjamin," Webber's list of credits was incredibly lengthy, and at the time of his passing, The New York Times noted that he'd said he'd worked in at least 400 TV productions by the early '60s, at which point he'd stopped keeping track of all of them. Webber had also continued to work steadily after "Private Benjamin" was released, in "Nuts" alongside Barbra Streisand and "Half Nelson." In their obituary for the late actor, the Los Angeles Times referred to him as "the quintessential Hollywood character actor." His widow asked for donations to be made to ALS research in his honor, which was a poignant way to pay it forward. 

A few years after Robert Webber's passing, another "Private Benjamin" cast member passed away. This time, it was Sam Wanamaker, who had played Goldie Hawn's onscreen father, Teddy Benjamin. The legendary actor, who was also known for his roles in "Holocaust" and "Baby Boom" among countless other productions, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer five years prior to his 1993 passing. Speaking to the Independent, his daughter Jessica Wanamaker had admitted, "We knew for a long time that this was happening, but his death is still a shock."

At the time of his death, Sam had been working on a passion project to rebuild Shakespeare's Globe Playhouse. This, after he'd relocated to the United Kingdom after being blacklisted for "un-American" activities in the 1950s, and realized that the theater was only commemorated with a plaque. Sadly, he wouldn't live to see its completion, though he is forever tied to the project, and a 1997 "CBS Sunday Morning" report highlighted his commitment to the iconic theater's restoration. In a heartwarming conclusion to that report, Tom Fenton said, "Sam Wanamaker died in 1993, too soon to see his dream completed, but on the south bank of the Thames, his heart still beats, and so does William Shakespeare's." A touching sendoff for any actor, let alone one whose passion for Shakespeare's work was so deep.

Some may know that Sam is the father of fellow actor Zoe Wanamaker, and in another very special moment, she read the prologue of "Henry V" on the stage of the completed Globe Playhouse, with the late Queen Elizabeth II in the audience. Talk about a bittersweet but full-circle moment. More than two decades after Sam's death, he was also honored through another theater on the same property. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is modeled after the Blackfriars Playhouse and was officially opened in September 2014. 

Eileen Brennan starred as Doreen Lewis in "Private Benjamin," the super-tough captain with standout lines like, "No one stops being a communist, Benjamin, it's a terminal disease" (via Top Clips). Brennan, who was nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar for her performance, passed away in 2013.

Despite Brennan's on-screen beef with Goldie Hawn's character in "Private Benjamin," she and the "Snatched" star grew incredibly close while filming, and Hawn was even present for the tragic moment Brennan was hit by a car in 1982. Thankfully, Brennan survived the horrific accident, though the impact was devastating, and she became dependent on painkillers and antidepressants for some time afterward.

Brennan was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy in 1990, but it was bladder cancer that ultimately took her life at the age of 80. Of her passing, Hawn had shared an emotional statement to the press, lauding her as "a rare human." "Eileen was a brilliant comedian, a powerful dramatic actress and had the voice of an angel. I will miss my old friend," she'd gushed (via CBS News). Hawn also paid tribute to her friend in a post to X, then still known as Twitter. "No one ever made me laugh more! Now I cry. Please keep singing darling from on high," she wrote. In addition to her work in "Private Benjamin," Brennan was also known for her roles in "Clue" and "Murder by Death." She was also one of the stars of "Blossom," playing the role of Mayim Bialik's neighbor.

While it's always sad to hear of a star's passing, it certainly is heartwarming to know that some have reached impressive ages, and that was the case with Harry Dean Stanton, who lived to the age of 91. The actor, who brought Sergeant Jim Ballard to life in "Private Benjamin," died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in September 2017. His cause of death was cited as natural causes. 

By the time Stanton joined the cast of "Private Benjamin," he'd been a fairly successful working actor for over 25 years. However, as many pointed out in his later years, for much of his early career, he was better known as a character actor. In fact, it was a few years after "Private Benjamin" was released that he became a well-known figure in his own right. That came after his work in "Repo Man" and "Paris, Texas." Even before then, though, he was close with many of the Hollywood in-crowd (and as Vanity Fair reported, Jack Nicholson, who'd been Stanton's roommate at one point, even craftily included his initials or full name in all of his movies, such as carving them into trees). As such, it's no surprise that a number of those big names even featured in a documentary about Stanton, "Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction." In that doc, director David Lynch, musician Kris Kristofferson, and actor Sam Shepard all opened up about their experiences both personal and professional with Stanton. 

"Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction" was released in 2012, five years before he passed away. In one interview used in the documentary, Lynch asked Stanton what he would want to be remembered for when he inevitably died. "Doesn't matter," he declared, not missing a beat (via lentesneeuw). A humble Hollywood legend, if ever there was one.