Top 30 Actors Who Almost Died On Set
#30: Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence Biography (UPDATE)
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” (2015) One-time America’s Sweetheart Jennifer Lawrence was on set in Atlanta filming the “Hunger Games” finale. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until disaster nearly struck. During a scene where her character, Katniss, leads people through a tunnel, a fog machine malfunctioned. It kept pumping thick fog into the tunnel, choking Lawrence and her co-stars. Everyone vanished in the mist, though the sounds of gagging and choking were audible. The assistant director barked orders to turn on large fans to blow it away. The crew carried Lawrence to safety, though she was nauseous and nearly hacking up a lung.
#29: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Top 10 Joseph Gordon-Levitt Performances
“Premium Rush” (2012) “Premium Rush” was a 2012 action crime thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a bike messenger in New York. Unfortunately, the mean streets of NYC can be wild and dangerous. One day, while filming a biking scene, a car unrelated to production swerved into Levitt's lane and cut him off. Levitt managed to barely avoid getting squashed by swerving himself. Unfortunately, he flew off his bike through the back windshield of a taxi cab. The director thought he’d killed the actor until he made it to the scene of the accident. Levitt walked away with 31 stitches in his arm. Ironically, Levitt would get into another on-set bicycle accident a few years later, this time on the set of 2020’s “Project Power.”
#28: Halle Berry
“The Call” (2013) You wouldn’t necessarily think that a film about a 9-1-1 call center operator would be dangerous. You would be wrong: just ask Halle Berry. The Oscar winner, no stranger to on-set injuries, had to be rushed to the hospital after a slip and fall. Berry was filming a fight sequence during a late-night shoot. Around 10:00 P.M., she slipped and cracked her head on the concrete floor. She was sent directly to Cedars Sinai Medical Center. While head injuries are no laughing matter, Berry thankfully was released soon after, with only minor injuries.
#27: Chevy Chase
“Modern Problems” (1981) You don’t often run the risk of losing your life while shooting a comedy, but that’s exactly what happened to former “SNL” star Chevy Chase on the set of “Modern Problems.” At one point, his character enters a dream sequence where he imagines himself as an airplane. He wore a special suit, equipped with landing lights. Unfortunately, the suit was incredibly warm and the future “Community” star began to sweat profusely. The moisture short-circuited the lights and Chase was badly electrocuted. His entire nervous system was overloaded, and he lost consciousness. While he survived the accident, Chase suffered from PTSD and drug use afterward. Both - along with his notorious temperament - significantly harmed his career.
#26: Matthew Fox
Top 10 Matthew McConaughey Performances (REDUX)
“Lost” (2004-2010) On-set accidents happen, but they can be especially traumatic when a co-star is responsible. While Terry O’Quinn may be a nice guy in real life, his character in “Lost” could be a scary dude. In the show’s finale, O’Quinn’s character fatally stabs hero Jack Shephard, played by Matthew Fox. Unfortunately, the stunt almost proved fatal for the actor as well. O’Quinn had two knives - one real, one rubber - for the sequence. When it came time to shoot the moment of the stabbing, he accidentally grabbed the real knife. He actually stabbed his co-star, who thankfully managed to survive the incident with good humor.
#25: Charlize Theron
Will Tully Win Charlize Theron Another Oscar - Review! Mojo @ The Movies
“Æon Flux” (2005) The 2005 adaptation of “Æon Flux” was an absolute disaster in almost every respect. Not only did it cost the studio millions when it flopped at the box office, but it almost cost Charlize Theron her life. Theron was filming a highly gymnastic wi-fu sequence when the wires holding her aloft snapped. She fell on her head, severely injuring her neck. She was paralyzed for almost a week until the swelling went down. Theron has since admitted that she was a mere centimeter away from being paralyzed for life. She spent the next three months committed to a grueling physical therapy program. During that time, the agony of the injury and therapy almost caused the Oscar-winning actress to give up acting forever.
#24: Daniel Day-Lewis
Top 10 Daniel Day-Lewis Performances
“Gangs of New York” (2002) Daniel Day-Lewis paid a heavy price for his extreme brand of method acting on more than one occasion. But on the set of the Scorsese epic “Gangs of New York,” this devotion to craft almost cost Day-Lewis his life. As his character lived in the 1860s, Lewis insisted upon wearing period-specific clothing 24-7, despite the cold weather. When he developed pneumonia, he refused to treat the illness with modern medicine. Instead, he would spend his off-time in character on the streets of Rome, New York, trying to instigate fistfights with locals. After the production ended, Day-Lewis confessed that his ‘approach’ to the character almost ended with his own demise.
#23: Margaret Hamilton
“The Wizard of Oz” (1939) “The Wizard of Oz” may be one of the most classic films in American history, but the set was a death trap. The original actor cast to play the Tin Man, Buddy Ebsen, had to drop out when the silver body paint gave him a near-fatal allergic reaction. He had to recover in an iron lung. Margaret Hamilton, a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the West, met with a nastier, near disastrous fate. There was a running gag that the witch would often disappear in a puff of smoke. During one of those scenes, the trap door she had to fall through malfunctioned, and the pyrotechnics caused severe burns. She spent six weeks recovering and refused to do the stunt again.
#22: Brendan Fraser
The Incredible Comeback of Brendan Fraser
“The Mummy” (1999) Long before his renaissance and Oscar win, Brendan Fraser was a 1990s heartthrob. He reached the pinnacle of stardom with the 1999 blockbuster “The Mummy.” His career almost ended on that set when a crew member made an almost deadly mistake. During a scene where his character is almost hung, a crewman held the other end of the noose off camera. Fraser stood on his tiptoes while the crewman tugged the rope to keep it tight on camera. He pulled a little too hard, though, and yanked Fraser completely off the ground. The actor almost choked to death before anyone recognized the error. He lost consciousness and woke up dazed on the ground with gravel in his teeth.
#21: Kurt Russell
Top 10 Kurt Russell Performances
“The Thing” (1982) On the set of the 1982 John Carpenter classic “The Thing,” star Kurt Russell learned a valuable lesson: dynamite is incredibly dangerous. In one of the film’s most famous scenes, his character MacReady blows up the alien shapeshifter with a stick of dynamite. He didn’t realize just how powerful the explosion would be. In the scene, he tosses the stick at the creature and is blown back by the force of the explosion. That was 100% real. Russell nearly died, but was thankfully thrown to safety. The take was left in the film.
#20: Dylan O'Brien
“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” (2018) A post-apocalyptic world doesn't make for a safe work environment apparently. In March of 2016, it was reported that actor Dylan O’Brien had been struck by a car on set while working on The Death Cure, resulting in multiple injuries. The exact nature of the injuries were not initially revealed to the public but he was rushed to the hospital. The production was initially put on hold for a little under two months, before being extended “indefinitely.” It was close to a full calendar year before shooting resumed. It turns out that Dylan had suffered a facial fracture, concussion, and brain trauma, as well as other injuries.
#19: Jackie Chan
Top 10 Jackie Chan Movies
“Armour of God” (1986) Jackie Chan is well known for performing his own stunts. In this particular one, the stunt resulted in him falling over 16 feet from a tree. For “Armour of God,” while attempting to jump from a wall toward a branch, Chan landed hard, and in the process, his skull collided with a rock. This pushed bone into his brain, which required surgery to remove. Everyone’s favorite martial artist still has a hole in his head – though it’s been filled with a plastic plug. Luckily, Chan seemingly escaped the incident without lasting brain damage. More on his stunt work later.
#18: Isla Fisher
“Now You See Me” (2013) Remember when escapologist and magician Henley Reeves pretends to be stuck in a tank of water as piranhas pour in? Well, it turns out pretending to be stuck and being stuck look very similar. During the filming of this “Now You See Me” scene, actress Isla Fisher banged on the glass to tell the cast and crew she was stuck, but since that’s what her character was supposed to do, no one thought much of it. Thankfully, she managed to free herself in time. Practical effects shouldn’t need to be this real. What happened to movie magic?
#17:Viggo Mortensen
“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002) Depending on who you ask… Mortensen came close to dying in Middle-Earth twice. Viggo almost drowned doing one of his own stunts – which is well-established. Aragorn was supposed to be doing a dead man’s float down the river, but the speed of the current, coupled with the weight of his costume made for real danger. Mortensen was pulled underwater... and nearly stayed there. But it's also been reported that a scene where Aragorn deflects the Uruk-hai’s throwing knife was actually a mistake, and the deflection was actually self-preservation. Planned or accidental, Viggo’s clearly got some survival skills.
#16: Kate Winslet
Top 10 Kate Winslet Performances
“Titanic” (1997) Few things are scarier than a near-drowning incident. Can you imagine having to run from a giant wave? During the “Titanic” scene in question, Kate Winslet caught her coat on a gate and got pulled underwater. James Cameron continues to dismiss the idea that she was in any real danger, claiming they only let her think she was going to drown. He also claims to know what he’s talking about because he’s almost drowned on many occasions. Let’s put this incident aside for a second and ask ourselves: “Why does James Cameron keep nearly drowning?”
#15: Ed Harris
Another Top 10 Actors Who Nearly Died On Set
“The Abyss” (1989) James Cameron consistently pushes the boundaries of visual effects, but when it comes to water scenes, he prefers the old-fashioned way. Titanic wasn’t the first time Cameron reportedly almost led a cast member to a watery grave – just ask Ed Harris. For one particularly elaborate scene in “The Abyss,” Harris was dragged, without oxygen, many feet underwater. When he ran out of air Harris called to cut, but due to complications he wasn’t given oxygen until he was on the edge of passing out. According to the actor, the traumatic episode caused him to weep that night. Rumor has it, he also punched Cameron in the face.
#14: Jaimie Alexander
“Thor: The Dark World” (2013) & “Blindspot” (2015-20) This Sif actress got defeated by the most humble of foes in the second “Thor” flick; a flight of stairs. After tripping over in heels, Jaimie Alexander chipped 11 vertebrae, knocked out her left shoulder, slipped a spinal disc, and tore a rhomboid. Don’t worry though - she was largely healed and back to filming within a month. However, we couldn’t finish this entry without mentioning the injuries she’s sustained on the American crime drama “Blindspot”. During a “Today” appearance, the actress needed to consult her smartphone to remember the multitude of injuries she sustained on set. The only conclusion you can make is she’s a real-life Asgardian warrior.
#13: Sylvester Stallone
Top 10 Sylvester Stallone Performances
“Rocky IV” (1985) By the time Stallone was filming the first Expendables movie he was already in his sixties, but he was still doing many of his own stunts and fight scenes. This resulted in an inadvertent neck fracture for the Italian Stallion courtesy of Stone Cold Steve Austin. It wasn't his first on-set injury, of course. While filming Rocky IV, Stallone once asked his mountain of a co-star to punch him as hard as he could. His co-star - Dolph Lundgren - obliged, and sent Stallone to the hospital with a swollen heart. Without medical attention, it's very likely Stallone would have died from the punch.
#12: Michael J. Fox
Michael Myers Vs Leatherface
“Back to the Future Part III” (1990) The “Back to the Future” series isn’t known for its realism. The time-traveling car and flying skateboards made sure of that. Yet, one scene of the trilogy was all too real for lead Michael J. Fox. In the series’ final installment, Marty McFly is captured by bandits and hung with a noose until the Doc rescues him. If McFly’s squirming looks genuine, it’s because the actor really was being hung. He even passed out for half a minute before he was saved! Luckily, director Robert Zemeckis caught on in time that, in the words of Michael J. Fox, he “wasn’t that good of an actor”.
#11: Kevin Costner
Top 10 Kevin Spacey Performances
“Waterworld” (1995) “Waterworld” is widely considered to be one of the greatest cinematic failures in the history of the industry. From production through to the box office, everything that could go wrong, did. For one scene, Kevin Costner was strapped to the mast of his character’s boat - forty feet in the air. When a storm picked up, conditions proved too difficult to get Costner down safely and he was left there to be assaulted by the storm for 30 minutes. The Hawaiian set was regularly hammered by brutal weather, but unable to shield himself from this particular storm, Costner claims it nearly cost him his life.
#10: Halle Berry
Various Films As mentioned before, this Academy Award-winning actress has had more than her fair share of on-set accidents. While filming “Die Another Day,” a stunt involving a helicopter resulted in Berry getting shrapnel in her eye - which had to be medically removed. On the set of “Gothika,” Robert Downey Jr. accidentally broke her arm while shooting a confrontational scene. Then while shooting “Catwoman,” lighting equipment hit her over the head. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious, but Berry just might have nine lives.
#9: Johnny Depp
Top 20 Johnny Depp Performances
“The Lone Ranger” (2013) “The Lone Ranger” already had to suffer being panned by audiences and critics. But imagine how much hate it would have received if it had been the cause of Johnny Depp’s demise! During one horseback riding scene, Depp’s saddle slipped. Johnny held onto the horse’s mane before letting go and falling in front of the horse. Luckily, the horse’s hooves just missed his head, meaning he received only minor wounds from the fall. Obviously, Depp survived, and the only thing the film did any permanent damage to was his career.
#8: Eli Wallach
Top 10 Actors Who Died During Production of a Film
“The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966) Wallach has had his share of accidents, but they all happened during a single film. While shooting Sergio Leone's masterpiece, Eli nearly bit the dust a whopping three times. In one instance, he had to be rushed to hospital after someone left a bottle of acid next to his prop bottle of soda, which he drank. Another time, a bound Wallach was put at risk when the horse he was mounted to was spooked and ran off for a mile. And then there was the incident where he was nearly decapitated by the heavy iron steps of a speeding train. Remarkably he survived, dying at age 98 in 2014.
#7: Jason Statham
Top 20 Badass Jason Statham Moments
“The Expendables 3” (2014) You’d feel pretty safe hanging out with The Terminator, Rambo, and Terry Crews, wouldn’t you? In fact, when these guys are together, the biggest fear might be that the continent they’re on could run out of protein. Yet Jason Statham did nearly die doing a stunt for “The Expendables 3.” While driving a truck, the brakes gave out and the actor drove off a cliff into the Black Sea. The Transporter’s driving may have let him down, but fortunately, his expert-level diving skills helped him escape the wreckage and swim to shore.
#6: Aaron Paul
“Breaking Bad” (2008-13) Did you know Jesse Pinkman was supposed to be killed off in the first season of “Breaking Bad”? The idea was ditched early on because, you know, Jesse’s awesome. But the writers may never have had the chance to save Jesse if Aaron Paul wasn’t a perfectionist. In episode 6 of the first season, Paul asked to change the position where he was standing. This was very lucky because a boulder fell down off the roof of an RV and landed exactly where Aaron had been during the filming of the scene.
#5: Martin Sheen
Top 10 Martin Scorsese Movie Scenes
“Apocalypse Now” (1979) An infamously troubled shoot, the cast and crew of the critically acclaimed film have said that, much like Marlon Brando’s Col. Kurtz, many involved in the production kind of lost their minds. Those involved partied very, very hard, getting lost in the jungle atmosphere and losing themselves in their roles. Martin Sheen, who was already hitting the bottle, began to lean even more heavily into alcohol throughout the high-stress shoot. Ultimately his body responded in the form of a heart attack and nervous breakdown. He survived, but the entire experience would continue to haunt him for years.
#4: Tom Hanks
Top 10 Actors Who Almost Died on Set
“Cast Away” (2000) Tragedy nearly struck when actor and generally nice bloke Tom Hanks cut himself on the set of this adventure drama. While only a minor cut, it quickly became infected. When he finally went to the hospital, a doctor told him the cut could poison his blood so Hanks was kept in the hospital. This incident set filming back three weeks, but Hanks fully recovered, and we’re certainly glad he didn’t die. Who’d break the bad news to Wilson?
#3: Jim Caviezel
Top 10 Actors Who Died Too Soon
“The Passion of the Christ” (2004) Shooting in the countryside outside of Rome, the cast and crew of “The Passion of the Christ” continued to work through some less-than-favorable weather conditions. While recreating the Sermon on the Mount, Jim Caviezel was literally struck by lightning. He walked away unscathed, but he clearly got off lucky - roughly 24,000 people die from lightning each year... although, very few of them are actors. Assistant director Jan Michelini, who was standing beside Caviezel, also got struck, although for him, it was the second time in the production. Think somebody was trying to tell them something?
#2: Tom Cruise
Top 10 Actors Who Did Advanced Weapons Training #JohnWick
“The Last Samurai” (2003) “The Last Samurai” is heavy on the swordplay. Combine this with the fact that Tom Cruise likes to do his own stunts and it seems like he was bound to get hurt on its set. In one scene, Cruise and his Japanese co-star were seated on mechanical horses. These two horses were hurtled towards each other and his fellow actor’s sword missed Cruise’s neck by an inch – thanks to his martial arts skills. Still, that was relatively tame. Another fight scene featuring 4 attackers apparently had 70 instances in which Cruise could have been wounded.
#1: Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan Vs Jet Li
“Police Story” (1985) This action legend has put life and limb on the line enough times to earn his stunt work top ten lists of its own. Of course, with that sort of commitment comes serious risk. One of Chan's scariest on-set moments came while filming the Police Story - which he wrote and directed himself. The 1985 film included a scene where he had to slide down a seventy-foot pole surrounded by string lights. For his trouble, he received second-degree burns, a dislocated pelvis, and two damaged vertebrae in his spine. Chan not only survived, but also went on to film countless other awe-inspiring feats.
