Tombstone has one of the best casts ever ᴀssembled for a Western, but its sprawling story means many of them have little to do. Since its 1993 release, Tombstone has become recognized as a Western classic. It recounts the legendary, blood-soaked feud between the Earp brothers and the outlaw Cowboys gang.

This Kurt Russell Western suffered through a messy production where the original director was fired, and Russell himself ghostdireced much of the film. The movie is loaded with great performances, dialogue and setpieces, and every time a new character arrives, they’re played by a recognizable face.

Tombstone’s incredible cast includes Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe and many, MANY more. However, issues with budget and schedule meant many pages went unfilmed, and subplots were either cut or heavily trimmed in editing. These cuts left many big actors with little to do in the final cut.

Charlton Heston (Henry Hooker)

Charlton Heston is a screen icon, so when he arrives during Tombstone’s third act, viewers sit up and take notice. Heston’s character Henry Hooker was a real-life rancher and pal of Wyatt Earp, who shielded him and his posse during the famous Earp Vendetta Ride. Heston appears in a handful of scenes, but makes little impact.

For an actor of such presence and gravitas, he’s given no juicy moments. Co-star Michael Biehn also recalled being shocked that a confrontation between his outlaw character Johnny Ringo and Hooker was cut, since Biehn figured producers would want as much screentime from Heston as possible.

Billy Zane (Mr Fabian)

Zane was on a H๏τ streak during the 1990s, stealing scenes in everything from Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight to тιтanic. The star can be a delightful ham, but while Zane brings a lot of charisma to Tombstone’s Mr Fabian, he only gets a few minutes of screentime.

Fabian is part of the same traveling theater group as Wyatt’s love interest, Josephine (Dana Delany). He’s encouraging of her crush on Earp and Fabian’s performance stirs something inside young Cowboys member Billy (Jason Priestley). Fabian’s offscreen death encourages Billy to split from the gang, but Zane’s limited appearance means Tombstone doesn’t quite earn the sorrow Fabian’s death should evoke.

Jason Priestley (Billy Breakenridge)

Speaking of arcs that aren’t fully fleshed out, Jason Priestley’s Billy was badly affected by Tombstone’s time in the editing room. Priestley is pretty good in a role, with Breakenridge clearly being too sensitive and meek to ride with the Cowboys, but he gets swept up in the gang regardless.

There are suggestions that Billy might be gay also, which is why he is so sickened by Fabian’s murder. He quits the gang and exits the story soon after, but Priestley’s whole subplot just feels uncooked. Billy’s final moment is paying off an arc the Western hadn’t fully set up.

Thomas Haden Church (Billy Clanton)

Tombstone was one of Thomas Haden Church’s first movies, after years in shows like Wings. Church plays Billy Clanton, one of the three Cowboys gunned down during the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. In terms of screentime, Billy gets into a little feud with Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer) and is on the receiving end of Doc’s “two guns” quip.

It’s a small role that Church brings some life to, but Billy’s only real function in Tombstone is to get killed. Church’s expression right before the gunfight erupts – and the moment Wyatt realizes a shootout is unavoidable – is his best moment in the film. Billy’s demise also sets the whole Earp Vendetta Ride into motion.

Robert Mitchum (Narrator)

Another screen legend and Western icon, Mitchum originally joined Tombstone to play Old Man Clanton, with the Clanton patriarch heavily involved in his son’s criminal activities. It would have taken an old pro of Mitchum’s stature to hold authority over his onscreen sons like Stephen Lang.

After sustaining an injury falling from a horse, Mitchum dropped out of the Old Man Clanton role. In the end, the part was written out of Tombstone, while Mitchum loaned his distinctive voice to the film as a narrator instead. His gravely tones fit the story perfectly, but it’s a real shame Mitchum doesn’t actually appear onscreen.

Robert John Burke (Frank McLaury)

Robert John Burke always felt like he was one role away from becoming a bigger name. He had the unenviable job of replacing Peter Weller in RoboCop 3, and played the lead in the darkly comic Stephen King adaptation Thinner. Sadly, Burke never found that starmaking part, but he has become a reliable character actor in the years since.

Burke later admitted much of his backstory was cut from Tombstone, with his outlaw character Frank McLaury also being gunned down at the O.K. Corral. Burke gets a nice mini showdown with Doc before McLaury’s demise, but it’s another example of a talented actor becoming a glorified extra in the final cut.

Michael Rooker (Sherman McMasters)

Michael Rooker is one of Tombstone’s most recognizable supporting players, whose silent disgust with the Cowboys throughout the first half fuels his move to the Earp posse. The actor is a master at taking a silent close-up and using it to tell a story, and Rooker makes the most of a role where he’s often standing in the background.

Rooker really should have gotten more to do, since McMasters becomes a key player during the Earp Vendetta Ride. Instead, he tags along, gets a few lines and even his brutal murder happens offscreen. It speaks to Rooker’s talent that McMasters feels like a bigger part than it actually is.

John Corbett (Johnny Barnes)

John Corbett is another famous face who blends into the background of Tombstone’s vast ensemble. He gets a few lines, is present during Wyatt Earp’s showdown with Cowboys leader Curly Bill (Powers Boothe) and Corbett’s big moment is getting killed by Earp shortly after his boss’s demise.

Like Burke and Church before him, Corbett isn’t given any real chance to shine. It’s hard to tell their characters apart in many ways, since they all play sweaty, dusty outlaws with a handful of lines. With the likes of Sєx and the City or My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Corbett proved he was capable of much more.

Terry O’Quinn (John Clum)

After his terrifying turn in 1987’s The Stepfather, it appeared for a time it was Terry O’Quinn’s destiny to play stern authority figures in movies or TV shows. This typecasting made sense as he naturally projects authority, but the likes of Lost showed the depth he could bring to a larger role.

Tombstone cast O’Quinn as the Mayor of the тιтular lawless town, who tries to convince the Earps to get involved with taking on the Cowboys. It’s a role that feels real similar to the one he played in Young Guns, but O’Quinn’s part is ultimately designed to feed exposition to the protagonists (and viewers).

Dana Delany (Josephine Marcus)

Dana Delany is technically the female lead of Tombstone, and the real-life love story between Josephine and Wyatt Earp is meant to be the emotional heart of the story. Sadly, Delany’s role suffered the most thanks to the screenplay being cut down. In short, the Josephine and Wyatt romance is the most half-baked part of Tombstone.

Their love story isn’t given enough room to breathe, and while she and Russell share decent chemistry, the sense of yearning rarely comes through. Dalany is a great performer, so there’s nothing wrong with how she plays the part; it just feels like half her scenes in Tombstone were left on the cutting room floor.