How did Oppenheimer die?
Christopher Nolan delivers his first biographical epic in Oppenheimer.
Based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film follows theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) who was instrumental in the creation of the first nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project.
Alongside Murphy as the title character, Oppenheimer stars Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek and Kenneth Branagh.
How did J. Robert Oppenheimer die?
J. Robert Oppenheimer died aged 62 on February 18, 1967, in his home in Princeton, New Jersey following a battle with throat cancer.
He was diagnosed with the disease in late 1965 and underwent unsuccessful surgery, radiation treatment and chemotherapy in 1966. After falling into a coma on February 15 in 1967, he passed away a few days later.
Throughout his life, the physicist was a noted chain smoker and suffered bouts of tuberculosis.
His wife, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, died aged 62 on October 27, 1972 from an intestinal infection and a pulmonary embolism. They had two children together, Peter and Katherine.
How does the film end?
Nolan’s film ends with the moment Oppenheimer is stripped of his security clearance in 1954 by the Atomic Energy Commission, over allegations that he had ties to communism. This decision was revoked in 2022 by the Biden administration, who described the decision as being part of a “flawed process that violated the Commission’s own regulations”.
The film concludes with a flashforward scene showing him being presented with the Enrico Fermi Award in 1963 by the US government.
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Adam Starkey
NME
