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Quiz about Death in the Movies Main Characters

Death in the Movies: Main Characters Quiz

In many films, the death of one or more of the main characters is usually a major plot point in the movie. Do you know how the main character (or characters) died in these films?

A multiple-choice quiz by Reamar42. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
Reamar42

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
425,588

Updated
Sep 16 26

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
79

Last 3 plays: Guest 86 (7/10), Guest 76 (4/10), Guest 174 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In this 1961 historical epic, the 11th century Spanish knight Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known as "El Cid", is played by Charlton Heston. How does he die in the film? Hint

Drowned while crossing a river

Killed when falling off his horse

Beheaded

Shot by an arrow

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. "The Alamo" is an epic 1960 film in which most of the major characters are killed off in the climactic battle. Which actor played Davy Crockett in the film? Hint

Richard Boone

Fess Parker

John Wayne

Richard Widmark

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Question 3 of 10

3. Mel Gibson plays 13th century Scottish rebel William Wallace in the 1995 film "Braveheart". How does Wallace die in the end? Hint

Drowned while fleeing English troops

Burned at the stake

Hanged, drawn, and quartered

Shot with arrows in battle

4. In his final film, "The Shootist", John Wayne plays John Books, a gunfighter who has lived into the 20th century. Books learns that he has cancer, and rents a room in a widow's boarding house. How does Books choose to die in the end? Hint

Suicide by morphine

Natural causes

Gunfight

Suicide by gun

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. In this World War II film, newly-captured American pilot Colonel Ryan leads a mass escape of mostly British prisoners out of an Italian prison camp, but dies before they get away. Who played Ryan? Hint

Frank Sinatra

Richard Widmark

Clint Eastwood

Kirk Douglas

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Question 6 of 10

6. The 1965 film "The Great Escape", while not entirely accurate in its depiction of a mass escape of Allied prisoners from a World War II German prison camp, saw most of the main characters killed before the end of the film. Of the 76 men who actually escaped, how many were killed by the Germans? Hint

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. In this 1967 film, Depression-era American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rob and murder their way across the American Midwest. What happens to the couple at the end of the film? Hint

Ambushed and killed by police

Killed in a bank robbery

Die in a murder-suicide pact

Captured and executed

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. How does the titular character in the 1972 classic film "The Godfather" die in the movie? Hint

Killed by mobsters

Killed in shootout with FBI agents

Run over by a train

Heart attack

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Question 9 of 10

9. In July, 1944, dissatisfied German officers plot to kill Adolf Hitler and end the war. Colonel Von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) plants a bomb at Hitler's headquarters, but it falls to kill him, and the revolt fails. What happens to Stauffenberg in the end? Hint

Executed in prison

Shot by firing squad

Shot while escaping

Suicide

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. In the epic 1960 film "Spartacus", a Thracian slave (Kirk Douglas) leads a revolt against Rome. After the slave army is defeated by Roman troops, how are Spartacus and many of the other rebels killed? Hint

Beheading

Crucifixion

Beaten to death

Shot with arrows

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In this 1961 historical epic, the 11th century Spanish knight Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known as "El Cid", is played by Charlton Heston. How does he die in the film?

Answer: Shot by an arrow

Known as El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz fights with honor against the invading Moors. Dying from an arrow wound while defending the city of Valencia, his wife and men honor his last wishes by mounting El Cid's body in an iron frame on his horse. He then leads a final charge against the invaders.

2. "The Alamo" is an epic 1960 film in which most of the major characters are killed off in the climactic battle. Which actor played Davy Crockett in the film?

Answer: John Wayne

John Wayne directed as well as played Davy Crockett in the film. Crockett is killed by Mexican soldiers as the fort is taken towards the end of the movie. Richard Boone plays General Sam Houston, who was not present at the Alamo, while Richard Widmark plays Jim Bowie, who was also killed in the battle. Fess Parker was not in the film, but played Crockett in earlier films.

3. Mel Gibson plays 13th century Scottish rebel William Wallace in the 1995 film "Braveheart". How does Wallace die in the end?

Answer: Hanged, drawn, and quartered

"Braveheart" is a mostly inaccurate account of the 13th century Scottish rebellion led by William Wallace, but the manner of Wallace's death was as portrayed. He was hanged, drawn, and his body was cut into quarters, which were sent to the four corners of the kingdom and displayed as a warning. This was the punishment for treason at the time.

Answer: Gunfight

After being told that he has inoperable cancer, aging gunfighter J. B. Books rents a room in the widow Roger's boarding house, intending to die there. After his doctor gives Books a vivid description of his impending death, Books enlists the help of his landlady's son Gillom (Ron Howard) to assemble a trio of gunmen so that Books can go out his way.

Answer: Frank Sinatra

In "Von Ryan's Express", American Colonel Ryan is shot down and captured by the Italians and taken to a camp full of British prisoners. Their guards desert when Italy surrenders, and the men are captured by the Germans. The prisoners commandeer the train that is taking them to Germany, and Ryan, a sympathetic Italian captain, and the train engineer devise a plan to get to Switzerland. Ryan is killed just as the train pulls away from German troops sent to stop them.

Answer: 50

"The Great Escape", with an ensemble cast of British and American actors, told a fairly accurate story of the March, 1944 escape from German Stalag Luft III near Sagan, Poland. Most of the characters were composites of actual people. The film was accurate in the number of prisoners who were killed, which was 50, while 23 men were recaptured and brought back to the camp. Just three men managed to make it out of Nazi Germany.

7. In this 1967 film, Depression-era American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rob and murder their way across the American Midwest. What happens to the couple at the end of the film?

Answer: Ambushed and killed by police

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty played the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde in the romanticized 1967 film. In truth, the couple and their various accomplices lived a hand-to-mouth existence, robbing small banks and stores and often camping outside. In the end, the couple were ambushed in rural Louisiana by law enforcement officers and both were killed.

8. How does the titular character in the 1972 classic film "The Godfather" die in the movie?

Answer: Heart attack

Marlon Brando plays Vito Corleone, the titular character in the 1972 movie "The Godfather". After being serious wounded by rival gangsters which leads to a mob war in which his oldest son and heir is killed, Vito brokers a peace between the warring factions, allowing his youngest son to take over the family business. Shortly afterwards, Vito has a heart attack while playing with his grandson in the garden.

Answer: Shot by firing squad

While the 2008 film "Valkyrie" omits some details and dramatizes others, the fates of the conspirators in the failed plot were depicted accurately. Stauffenberg and three other officers were shot by an impromptu firing squad on the night of the attempted coup by order of General Fromm (Tom Wilkinson), who knew of the plot and was trying to cover up his role in it.

Answer: Crucifixion

A sweeping historical film, "Spartacus" dramatizes the 79 BCE slave revolt against Rome. After defeating several Roman armies sent against them, the slave army is betrayed when they try to buy passage out of Italy from pirates. Spartacus decides to attack Rome itself, but is outmanoeuvred and defeated.

The victorious Roman general Marcus Crassus (Laurence Olivier) orders 600 of the rebels, including Spartacus, to be crucified along the road back to Rome.

Source: Author Reamar42

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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