Death Becomes Her
A fading Hollywood star's obsession with youth and beauty spirals into madness when her vengeful former friend's return threatens to expose the dark secrets behind her glamorous facade.
“In one small bottle... The fountain of youth. The secret of eternal life. The power of an ancient potion. Sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't.”
Synopsis
Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once her arch-rival Helen.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 262+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Arthur SchmidtShot by Dean CundeyScored by Alan SilvestriDesigned by Solomon WilliamsSound by Dick Alexander Nm1219804Costumes by Joanna JohnstonStunts by Walter Scott
Box Office
1992 · Box office
✅ Made its money back — grossed 2.7× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$149.0M
US & Canada: $58.4M — 39% of worldwide · International: $90.6M (61%)
Opening weekend: $12.1M — 21% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $17.8M — 31% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,409 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Der Tod steht ihr gutde
- (English)Death Becomes Her
- La muerte le sienta bienes
- La muerte os sienta tan bienes
- La mort vous va si bienfr
- La morte ti fa bellait
- (Bulgarian)Смъртта й прилича
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- United StatesJul 13, 1992
- TaiwanOct 24, 1992
- PhilippinesNov 25, 1992
- AustraliaNov 26, 1992
Companies
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Cast & Crew
262 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Meryl Streep
as Madeline Ashton
Bruce Willis
as Ernest Menville
Goldie Hawn
as Helen Sharp
Isabella Rossellini
as Lisle Von Rhuman
Ian Ogilvy
as Chagall
Adam Storke
as Dakota
Nancy Fish
as Rose
Alaina Reed Hall
as Psychologist
Michelle Johnson
as Anna
Mary Ellen Trainor
as Vivian Adams
William Frankfather
as Mr. Franklin
John Ingle
as Eulogist
Supporting cast
68Clement Von Franckenstein
as Opening Man
Petrea Burchard
as Opening Woman
Jim Jansen
as Second Man
Mimi Kennedy
as Second Woman
Paulo Tocha
as Landlord
Mark Davenport
as Eviction Cop
Thomas Murphy
as Eviction Cop
Michael Mills
as Police Officer
Sonia Jackson
as Psychiatric Patient
Jill C Klein
as Psychiatric Patient
Jean St James
as Psychiatric Patient
Debra Jo Rupp
as Psychiatric Patient
Carol Ann Susi
as Psychiatric Patient
Kay Yamamoto
as Psychiatric Patient
Jacquelyn K Koch
as Messenger Girl
Anya Longwell
as Chagall Receptionist
Stuart Mabray
as Chagall Security
Colleen Morris
as Starlet
Jonathan Silverman
as Jay Norman
Meg Wittner
as Woman at Book Party
Carrie Steilen
as Girl at Dakota's
Michael A Nickles
as Lisle's Body Guard
John Enos Iii
as Lisle's Body Guard
Danny Lee Clark
as Lisle's Body Guard
Fabio
as Lisle's Body Guard
Joel Beeson
as Lisle's Body Guard
Ron Stein
as Elvis
Bonnie Cahoon
as Greta Garbo
Stephanie Anderson
as Marilyn Monroe
Bob Swain
as Andy Warhol
Eric Clark
as James Dean
Dave Brock
as Jim Morrison
Lydia Peterkoch
as Blonde with Jim Morrison
Phillip Irwin Cooper
as Coroner
Ernest Harada
as Coroner
Susan Kellermann
as Second Doctor
Kevin Caldwell
as Medical Technician
Alex Hernandez
as Medical Technician
Donna Ekholdt
as Sobbing Nun
Tammy Gantz
as Sobbing Nun
Melissa Martin
as Sobbing Nun
Jeff Adkins
as Dancer
Cheryl Baxter
as Dancer
Cameron English
as Dancer
Edmond Alan Forsyth
as Dancer
Bob Gaynor
as Dancer
Don Hesser
as Dancer
Michael Higgins
as Dancer
Kenneth Hughes
as Dancer
Kenneth Knaff
as Dancer
Glean Lewis
as Dancer
Keith Mcdaniel
as Dancer
Charles Mcgowan
as Dancer
Regan Patno
as Dancer
Lacy Darryl Phillips
as Dancer
Matt Sergott
as Dancer
Paul Michael Thorpe
as Dancer
Sergio Trujillo
as Dancer
Randy Crenshaw
as Singer
Jon Joyce
as Singer
Jerry Whitman
as Singer
Timothy Burchett
as Teen in Hospital
Anthony S Johnson
as Police Supervisor
Michael Mills Nm0590114
as Police Officer
Michael O Hearn
as Man
Sydney Pollack
as E.R. Doctor
Ai Wan
as Maid in Ancient Greece
Richard Yett
as Valet
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
4Other crew
182Greg Nelson Nm0625397
additional makeup artist
Jennifer Darling
adr loop group
Joe Baker
adr loop group
Laurie Faso
adr loop group
Bill Farmer
adr loop group (as Bill Faruer)
Burr Debenning
adr loop group (as Burr De Benning)
Gordon Baker Nm0048490
animator: ILM
Scott Bonnenfant
animator: ILM (as Sxott Bonnenfant)
Maud Ackermann
Anna
Jeremiah O Driscoll
apprentice editor
Helga Lehner
Ärztin
William James Teegarden
as Jim Teegarden
Parents Guide
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