Goosebumps Actors You May Not Know Passed Away

"Goosebumps," R.L. Stine's anthology of spooky stories for kids, took the world by storm in the early 1990s. Given the popularity of the books, a live-action adaptation seemed inevitable. A TV special based on "The Haunted Mask" dropped just before Halloween in 1995, and a full-fledged series soon followed. The relatively low word count meant that each book equated to roughly one episode. They weren't always entirely faithful to the source material, but the show did a great job capturing the spirit of the books.

Like most successful anthology shows, "Goosebumps" attracted some notable guest stars. Some were well-known actors (like Adam West, who featured in the two-part episode "Attack of the Mutant"), while others were up-and-coming stars (like Ryan Gosling, who popped up in "Say Cheese and Die"). Sometimes, however, the real standouts were the great character actors who never achieved stardom but charmed us just the same. Sadly, some of them are no longer with us.

From promising youngsters to industry veterans, these are the "Goosebumps" actors you may not know passed away.

"An Old Story" is one of the most bizarre "Goosebumps" entries. It's the tale of two brothers who get sent to stay with their eccentric aunt. During their visit, they begin to feel a little strange. It turns out that their aunt has used magic on them, and they are transforming into old men. Why has she done this? Well, because she intends to sell them to her friends as potential husbands. And, just to make things even weirder, the child actors play their older selves in makeup. The whole thing is pretty surreal.

It might not be the best "Goosebumps" episode, but it's worth watching for Patricia Gage's performance alone: Her Aunt Dahlia is sweet and caring at first, but it soon becomes clear that she's up to no good. Like many character actors, her work was pretty varied. She was in mainstream fare like "The Littlest Hobo" and "As the World Turns," but she also appeared in cult hits like David Cronenberg's "Rabid" and "American Psycho," in which she played Mrs. Wolfe.

Gage died in 2010 at the age of 69.

"Goosebumps" stories often feature red herrings, suspicious characters thrown into the mix to distract young readers from the truth. When "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp" was adapted for TV, producers cast the actor and jazz singer Don Francks as their red herring, and it was an inspired choice.

Viewers are led to believe that Francks is the titular werewolf, and he seems to relish in the misdirection. He imbues his hermit character with wild eyes, nervous twitches, and a howl so convincing that you can't help but be fooled. Perhaps this kind of dedication is why he had such a long and successful career as a character actor.

The Canadian plied his trade on shows like "The Wild Wild West," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," "Mission: Impossible," and "La Femme Nikita," the first TV adaptation of Luc Besson's hit film. His big screen credits include the cult classics "Heavy Metal," the original "My Bloody Valentine," and the Keanu Reeves action flick "Johnny Mnemonic."

Francks died of cancer in 2016, his agent confirmed (via The Hollywood Reporter). He was 84.

R.L. Stine makes the mundane terrifying in "Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes," turning adorable outdoor decorations into something sinister. The episode based on the book makes the little critters even more menacing, reimagining them as vampire-like creatures capable of changing the people they bite into lawn figurines. This is the fate of Major McCall, the neighbor of the protagonists. He's a gruff military man with a bad attitude and a love of gardening, played brilliantly by the veteran character actor David Hemblen.

Hemblen had over a hundred credits to his name when he died in 2020 at the age of 79, including roles in many recognizable films and TV shows. Some of those credits he shares with actors we've already discussed (he was in "Avonlea" and "La Femme Nikita," for example). However, it's his voiceover work that stands out the most. He voiced iconic villains like Shere Khan ("The Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli") and Marvel's Magneto ("X-Men: The Animated Series"), and horror fans will also remember him as the voice of The Vaultkeeper in the kids' anthology show "Tales from the Cryptkeeper."

At the end of Season 3's "Teacher's Pet," the words "In Loving Memory of Michelle Risi" appear on the screen. Risi stars as the episode's protagonist, a girl known for telling tall tales. Because of her reputation, nobody believes Becca when she stumbles across a rabbit with the face of a lizard during a woodland field trip. Dismissed by her teacher and classmates, she and her best friend Benjy decide to investigate the strange find themselves. It's a memorable episode, but one tinged with sadness.

Risi died of meningitis at the age of 16, cutting short a promising career. "Goosebumps" wasn't the only big anthology show she appeared in: The up-and-coming Canadian actor played Missy in an episode of "The Wonderful World of Disney." She also had minor roles in the films "Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy" and "54," a New York City-set drama starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell.

In the "Goosebumps" Season 2 episode "How to Kill a Monster," step-siblings Gretchen and Clark are sent to stay with grandparents when their newly-hitched folks head off on their honeymoon. Luckily, Grandma Rose and Grandpa Eddie trust them to stay home alone, so they've got the place to themselves — or so they think. What their forgetful grandparents neglect to tell them before heading out for the day is that there's a monster upstairs.

Grandpa Eddie, who shot the monster while hunting and mistakenly believed it to be dead, was played by Peter Boretski. It was one of his last TV roles (the Winnipeg native died in 2001, four years after the episode aired) and among his most memorable. He was also seen in the likes of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits." In terms of feature films, Boretski was best known for his minor roles in David Cronenberg's "Naked Lunch" and the Helena Bonham Carter-led drama "Margaret's Museum."

Slappy the ventriloquist dummy has become something of a mascot for the "Goosebumps" franchise. This may be due, in part, to the incredible original cover for "Night of the Living Dummy." While many of the books had memorable covers, there's something deeply ominous about that grinning, shiny face and those glazed-over eyes. Slappy popped up several times in the "Goosebumps" TV series, including in an episode featuring future "Star Wars" actor Hayden Christensen. In the episode "Bride of the Living Dummy," a ventriloquist named Jimmy O'James discovers Slappy in an alley and uses him to turn his life around as a performer, but he gets more than he bargained for.

Jimmy was played by Wayne Robson, a charismatic actor who wore his vulnerability on his face. He played Sammy Merchant in the psychological thriller "Delores Claiborne," Rennes in "Cube," and the old man in the original "Wrong Turn." He was best known for playing Mike Hamar on "The Red Green Show," a blend of sitcom and sketch show that parodied "Home Improvement."

Robson died in 2011 at the age of 64.