Every Big Bang Theory Actor Who Has Passed Away

It's a relatively small show in a very big universe, and it's featured a lot of stars from sci-fi royalty, the scientific community, and every corner of entertainment. Here are all of the actors from The Big Bang Theory who have passed on. Despite almost never being seen clearly on screen, Mrs. Wolowitz was a notable presence in The Big Bang Theory. You can take the damn plastic couch once in a while. Why? So you and Howard can hump on it? Always shouting from another room at her son Howard, her raspy, commanding voice was a whole character by itself. She can be heard, but never really seen, in about 40 episodes. And while Mrs. Wolowitz may have been her most well-known role, she'd been acting since the mid-'70s in a huge variety of movies and TV shows. In the Season 8 episode, The Comic Book Story Generation, Howard suddenly reveals that his mother died in her sleep. Actor Carol Ann Suzy, who provided the voice, had actually suddenly passed away, just a week after it was discovered she had cancer at the age of 62. At the time, the writers were unsure how Suzy's death would impact the show, but she was officially written out of the series as the characters and actors mourned her death. Showrunner Steve Malaro told The Hollywood Reporter that once the devastation of her sudden passing had settled, the needs for the show arose, saying, I don't think we could bring ourselves to replace the actor. The thought of it felt awful to us. That left us with two options. We send the character away, which seemed false and fake. Or we go right into it and write it into the show. So that's what we chose to do." There was also a third option that the producers wanted to explore, asking Melissa Rauch to replace Suzy with her accurate impression. You guys ever notice sometimes Bernadette sounds like my mom? I don't hear it. No, not at all. But it just felt more respectful to lay the character to rest. The Big Bang Theory regularly featured guest stars from the geekiest side of pop culture, and that included a string of Star Wars actors. In the episode The Convention Conundrum, Sheldon can't get tickets to San Diego Comic-Con, so he tries to create his own comic convention instead. To start, he plans to invite his favorite Star Wars actor, James L. Jones. Of course, this involves a fair bit of stalking. James L. Jones played himself, tagging along with Sheldon on a wild night after a failed trip to Comic-Con. One of cinema's greatest icons, Jones got his start on television, appearing in guest roles in soap operas like Guiding Light and As the World Turns. His big-screen breakout was 1970's The Great White Hope, playing a boxer. From there, Jones became known for his towering stage presence, as well as his iconic voice. From Field of Dreams to Conan the Barbarian, his roles ran the gamut. His Big Bang Theory episode would mark one of his last appearances on screen. Jones passed away in September 2024 at the age of 93. And believe it or not, the episode was the first time that Carrie Fisher and James L. Jones had ever met, as Jones had spent all of his time voicing Darth Vader in a recording booth. It was sweet. It was finally good to meet her." In the episode, Jones is a good sport and invites Sheldon to hang out at a carnival and do karaoke, as well as prank some neighbors with a ding-dong ditch. One of these neighbors is none other than Carrie Fisher. It's not fun anymore, James!" Sadly, Fisher's role in The Big Bang Theory begins and ends here. In December 2016, Fisher was on an airplane when she suffered a heart attack. While an emergency medical technician was on board at the time and tended to her, she had become unresponsive by the time the plane landed. Fisher was rushed to an intensive care unit, but died days later. She was 60 years old. In a season three episode, The Bozeman Reaction, Sheldon and Leonard become victims of an apparent burglary. Julio Ocasio-Machoso plays Officer Hackett, who takes their statement. Machoso was a veteran of TV who countered a number of top dramas among his credits, including Nip-Tuck, Cold Case, and CSI. Though Machoso often turned up in single-episode roles, the actor did have some recurring parts. Most notably, he starred alongside Gabriel Luna in the action drama Matador, about a soccer player-turned-CIA agent, and in Jimmy Smith's lead drama Kane. Machoso also starred in a sitcom, leading the short-lived Greetings from Tucson, in which he played the patriarch of a Mexican-American family. Primetime audiences might remember Machoso from his memorable recurring role as Martín on Coach in the 1990s, or even his brief but memorable appearance as a disgruntled fellow tenant of Jerry's in the Seinfeld episode The Kiss Hello. Machoso died at the age of 62 in 2017 following a heart attack. A street was named in his honor in Miami. Travis Davis wasn't a major star, but he had a healthy career in TV and video games that grew out of his comedy roots. During his one appearance on The Big Bang Theory, he isn't even seen on screen, playing the voice of NASA Ground Control in the episode The Classified Materials Turbulence. "...ISS Houston, which crew members would be involved in this EVA?" Davis appeared on TV in episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger, Norm, and Desperate Housewives, while on the big screen he had small roles in favorites like 2022's Slackers and the Some of Davis' bigger work came as a voice artist in video games, playing characters for entries in franchises like Command & Conquer, Medal of Honor, and the Ratchet & Clank series. "...What can I say? I thought I was a goner back there. I owe you guys big time." His role on The Big Bang Theory was his final voice role before his passing in 2009. Adam Greger only made a single appearance on The Big Bang Theory, but his memorable moment in the bat jar conjecture as Dmitry, a genius janitor at Caltech who finds himself dragged into a physics bowl, still sticks with fans. "...Here I am janitor in former Soviet Union. I am physicist. Leningrad Polytechnica. Go polar bears!" Greger specialized in playing Russian characters during his long career, which began in the 80s. Mainly a guest player, he showed up in Hill Street Blues, The Greatest American Hero, Fame, and The A-Team. He made over 21 appearances on Days of Our Lives as a variety of characters. His film work mainly included B-movies, but he had bit parts in Night and Day and Frank McCluskey's C.I. He also did voice acting for the video game industry, playing a Russian baddie in SWAT 4 and an ancient Babylonian god in Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. "...Welcome to the Aetherium, mortal." Gregor passed away on October 27, 2023. Kimberly Hebert Gregory was already well-established as a character actor when she showed up in the season 7 episode The Anything Can Happen Recurrence, where she played Miss D'Vorah, a medium that Penny and Sheldon visit. Gregory was much more than her appearance on Big Bang. Audiences may recall her from her breakout role in Vice Principals, in which she played Dr. Belinda Brown. She also appeared in notable roles on Devious Maids, Kevin, Probably Saves the World, and Genius, while guest spots included Grey's Anatomy, Barry, The Chi, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. And animation fans are likely familiar with her voice, thanks to her long-running role on Craig of the Creek, where she voiced Nicole. Gregory passed away on October 5, 2025, at the age of 52. Veteran TV character actor Ronald Hunter made his debut in a 1976 episode of the BBC documentary show Horizon, playing Dr. Kenneth Edelin in the episode The Edelin Affair. He cemented himself as a go-to guest actor during the 1980s, with appearances in hits like Cagney & Lacey, Magnum, P.I., and Knott's Landing. He didn't slow down in the 90s, either, showing up in TV sensations like NYPD Blue, Ally McBeal, and Golden Girls. In 2008, Hunter made his one-and-only appearance on The Big Bang Theory, popping up in the episode The Peanut Reaction. While shopping for a gift for Leonard in an electronics store, Sheldon ends up giving advice to several customers, including Hunter's dad. "...Firewire or USB?" "...It depends on what bus you have available." "...I drive a Chevy Cavalier." Around that time, Hunter was showing up in episodes of Monk, Criminal Minds, the memorable but short-lived Journeyman, and even Drake & Josh. But he was also well-known for his work on the stage. He died of heart and kidney failure complications at the age of 70 in 2013. Since the protagonists of The Big Bang Theory work at the California Institute of Technology, they aren't just into science fiction. They also love science itself. They always try to incorporate actual scientists into minor roles on the show, regardless of prior acting experience, among them actual theoretical physicists Brian Green and Kip Thorne and chemical engineer Francis Arnold. Among them was Dr. George Smoot, a Nobel Prize winner who'd worked on cosmic background radiation and the actual scientific Big Bang Theory, the namesake of the show. Dr. Smoot made two separate appearances on the show, albeit briefly, in both the Season 2 episode The Terminator Decoupling and the 12 seasons The Laureate Accumulation. "...With all due respect, Dr. Cooper, are you on crack?" Dr. Smoot's impact on the show went beyond just his two appearances and, you know, studying the birth of the universe. While guest-starring in Season 2, he told the crew a self-deprecating physics joke that would be incorporated into the show a few episodes later. "...It's a little insulting, don't you think?" "...How would I know? I'm not even sure I get it." Dr. Smoot passed away on September 18, 2025, at the age of 80, leaving behind nothing less than a greater understanding of the universe. Stephen Hawking appeared in multiple episodes throughout the series' run, including The Hawking Excitation, The Extract Obliteration, and The Celebration Experimentation. On March 14, 2018, Hawking died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 76. Famously, he had been diagnosed with a rare motor neuron disease at the age of 21. At the time, doctors predicted he only had a few years to live. Hawking defied the odds by reaching old age, although he lived most of his life in a wheelchair and used a voice synthesizer to communicate. In the episode The Celebration Experimentation, Leonard, Raj, and Howard are trying to figure out what to get Sheldon for his birthday present. Since Sheldon was devastated Batman didn't show up for his sixth birthday, his friends decide to invite one of the actors who portrayed him, Adam West. As it turns out, he isn't that hard to find, because the local comic store owner, Stewart, has West's contact information. While ferrying West to Sheldon's birthday, Leonard, Raj, and Howard have a heated debate over who was the best Batman actor, and West has his own opinion on the matter. Are you crazy? How can you put Michael Keaton in front of Christian Bale? Oh, please. Adam West died peacefully, surrounded by family members, in 2017 at the age of 88. Comic books play a big part in the lives of the Big Bang Theory's main characters, and so it would only make sense for the king of comics himself to appear in the show. Stan Lee cameoed in the episode The Excelsior Acquisition, and unlike most guest stars, he didn't get along with Sheldon. In that episode, Sheldon goes to court because he ran a red light while driving Penny to the hospital. The court date prevents Sheldon from meeting Lee at the comic store, and since Penny feels bad, they drop by his house uninvited. As a result, Lee files and signs a restraining order against Sheldon, who hangs it on the wall. Stan Lee's signature is still Stan Lee's signature, no matter what it's on. A legend in the world of superheroes, Lee passed away in 2018 due to heart failure. He was 95 years old. Since Sheldon's heart is seemingly shaped like a Vulcan greeting, you might be surprised to hear that Leonard Nimoy never appeared on the show. But Spock did. During the episode The Transporter Malfunction, Penny purchases Star Trek transporter toys for Sheldon and Leonard, and initially, both are content to keep the toys mint in box. But Sheldon's dream consciousness, taking the form of a Spock toy and borrowing Nimoy's voice, convinces Sheldon to take the transporter out of the box and play with it. Sheldon does so and accidentally breaks his toy, so he switches his with Leonard's under the assumption that he would never take it out of the box. On February 27th, 2015, Nimoy passed away at the age of 83 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In 2014, he had publicly announced that he had the disease and blamed Jessica Walter may not have been known for her sci-fi and comic credentials when she appeared on The Big Bang Theory, but she still enjoyed a career that would be the envy of most actors. Walter is, of course, best known for having played Lucille Bluth on Arrested Development. "...good for her." Walter appeared in The Benefactor Factor as Mrs. Latham, the titular benefactor. Mrs. Latham initially comes off as condescending, and that's because she is. As the episode goes on, however, Leonard does anything he can to secure funds for his department, including going on dates with Mrs. Latham. Hijinks ensue, but the audience never learns how the dates truly went. An icon of TV comedy, Jessica Walter passed away in her sleep on March 24th, 2021, at the age of 80. Every young protagonist needs a mentor, and the man responsible for taking on that role in The Big Bang Theory was Professor Proton, albeit unwillingly. Real name Arthur Jeffries, the figure was a children's entertainer and science host who was a favorite of both Sheldon and Leonard during their youth. Somewhat grumpy and reluctant to engage with the pair when they hire him, he warms up to them eventually. Bob Newhart was nominated for several primetime Emmy awards for his role as Arthur. Before that, he had landed the gong for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2013, after appearing in the episode, The Proton Resurgence, his debut episode on The Big Bang Theory. Newhart went on to appear in several other episodes, taking his number of appearances in the sitcom to six in total, with his final on-screen credit coming in the Season 12 episode, The Planetarium Collision. Newhart died on July 18th, 2024, at the age of 94. A statement from his publicist, Jerry Digny, confirmed that he had suffered from several short illnesses before his death, adding that Newhart passed away at his home.