What These Killed Off Stranger Things Actors Are Doing Today

When you live in a town like Hawkins, Indiana, with its very own secret government laboratory doing all kinds of experimentation underground, it's only a matter of time before the list of casualties grows. Of course, since Stranger Things is largely aimed at a pretty wide age range, the collateral damage — at least among characters who have been given names — is relatively small considering the devouring presences of supernatural entities the Demogorgon, Demodogs, and the Mind Flayer. 

But it's not only monsters from other dimensions that the residents of Hawkins and its surroundings need to worry about: the growing cadre of evil American scientists and Russian military agents infiltrating the small suburban town also threaten the lives and healthy futures of Hawkins residents. And while there have been some significant deaths in the three seasons of Stranger Things, the show must go on elsewhere for those actors whose characters have died. From Barb to Bob — or rather, Shannon Purser to Sean Astin — here's what these killed off Stranger Things actors are doing today.

The gentle giant Benny Hammond, played by Chris Sullivan, owned one of Hawkins' favorite burger joints until he crossed paths with escaped human experiment Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Being tenderhearted and kind despite how intimidating his hulking frame and biker past might be, he decides to help the lost young girl by clothing and feeding her before calling child protective services — for her benefit, he thinks. Unfortunately for Benny, the call is intercepted by Agent Frazier (Catherine Dyer) of the Hawkins Laboratory, who summarily dispatches a team to recover Eleven, killing Benny in the process and making it look like a suicide. Eleven flees once again, finding new sanctuary with Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) and his friends.

Chris Sullivan has not taken a break since his short turn in Stranger Things and his death in the second episode. Sullivan has played Toby on NBC's phenom family drama This Is Us since its first season airing in 2016, and finally getting nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama in 2019. He also joined the the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Taserface in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Sullivan has had another recurring role as Joe on Camping, as well as one-off episodes in The Good Fight and Curb Your Enthusiasm and movie roles in The Independents, Walden: Life in the Woods, I Trapped the Devil, and Adopt A Highway, among others.

Australian actor Dacre Montgomery turned heads both on screen and off as mullet-wearing, shirt-allergic, six-pack-sporting, hot-rod driving Billy Hargrove in the second and third seasons of Stranger Things. Arguably one of the more complex characters on the show, Billy was a bully outside of his house, but inside he was a victim of his alcoholic father's vicious abuse. He was overly protective of his sister Max (Sadie Sink) but a womanizer in all other regards, even pursuing the moms of his classmates. Billy gets possessed by the Mind Flayer that, through him, ends up infecting a number of people in Hawkins before he ultimately sacrifices himself to save Eleven from the monster living in him.

While Montgomery hasn't yet made any big appearances in movies or television since Billy's death, the actor told Nylon that he's been studying the craft, as well as writing and directing as he reads scripts and considers new projects. He wrote, produced, and directed a short film titled "In Vitro," set for release in 2020. His biggest acting win so far, though, is a role in the Selena Gomez-produced romantic comedy The Broken Heart Gallery, currently in post-production. Montgomery also produces the beat poetry podcast DKMH.

Jake Busey is no stranger to playing caustic, sexist characters who are completely unapologetic in their offensive behavior, and his role as Bruce Lowe in Stranger Things is no exception. Bruce works with Nancy Wheeler at the Hawkins Post, where he makes no secret that he thinks the young journalism intern is just a glorified secretary and errand girl for the male staff. Bruce is particularly cruel to Nancy after she proposes a timely article about how the new Starcourt Mall is killing local businesses, and even worse when Nancy explains her suspicions about rat infestations being potentially connected to the Hawkins Laboratory and their science experiments. Bruce Lowe meets his end after becoming one of the Flayed (people possessed by the Mind Flayer's virus), and Nancy bashes his head in with a fire extinguisher.

Even though Busey has had a steady career as a character actor since the 1990s, he has only made a handful appearances since the third season of Stranger Things. He played Shaw on the short-lived Swamp Thing series, and appeared in one episode of Mr. Robot as Freddy Lomax. He had a small role in the children's movie The Adventures of Dally and Spanky, and has four films currently awaiting release dates: Guitars and Guns, Soldier's Heart, Shooting Stars, and the lead role in Johnny Walls' Bluegrass Spirit.

Heather's mother Janet Holloway, portrayed during her brief stint in Stranger Things by Holly A. Morris, isn't on screen for long, but Morris' meaty performance lends her a great deal of nuance. Mrs. Holloway makes no secret of the tension between her and her daughter (even with company present), and even without the Mind Flayer's machinations, it's clear that Heather and Janet were always bound for a showdown of some sort. Of course, it likely would have been the kind that resulted in Heather moving out of the house rather than both her and Janet's death. After poisoning the wine at dinner, Heather and Billy Hargrove take Mrs. Holloway to the steelworks, where she's officially converted into a Flayer, along with her husband. She dies on July 4th when the Mind Flayer dissolves all the hosts to make itself stronger.

Morris appeared in one episode of the popular CW melodrama Dynasty as Dr. Danielle Hadley, as well as in the indie sports drama Overcomer. She has also wrapped production on the crime drama Modern Prodigal and the dramedy Hubcap, and is currently filming DC Comics' new television show Star Girl set for a 2020 release.

As our intrepid heroes uncover more and more details about the nefarious Russian military plot to reopen the portal to the Upside Down, they kidnap Dr. Alexei, played by Alec Utgoff. Dr. Alexei is cunning and duplicitous, sometimes presenting as an innocent cherry-Slurpee-loving babe-in-the-woods who is being manipulated by more powerful men, and other times as a master manipulator in his own right. Alexei holds the secret to "The Key," which the Russians are trying to use to open the portal, and is ready to defect to the USA. Alexei meets his end at the hands one of his Russian comrades, a hitman named Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko), who dispatches him coldly by the end of the third season.

British Ukrainian actor Alec Utgoff can be seen in Stephen Moffatt and Mark Gattis' television miniseries Dracula, premiering on Netflix in 2020. Utgoff plays Abramoff in the three-part BBC series that also stars Claes Bang, Dolly Wells, and John Heffernan.

Andrew Benator's "Elevator Scientist" might not have been given a name, but his presence is rather important to the start of Stranger Things' bizarre events. He sits in on the various sensory deprivation experiments performed on Eleven, assisting in the control booth, as well as being one of the Demogorgon's first victims after it is unleashed from the Upside Down. In a moment of prolonged suspense as he waits in an elevator, the scientist is snatched up by the creature's clawed hands just as the doors close.

After being one of the first Stranger Things casualties to set the stage for far more grim and gruesome deaths, Benator has had a recurring role on The Gifted as well as bit parts in big-budget films like Game Night and The Founder. Benator will also appear in Amazing Stories, an upcoming reboot of Steven Spielberg's '80s anthology series.