Actors Who Nearly Died on Set (and What Happened)

Making movies and TV shows can be surprisingly dangerous, with risks that most viewers don’t realize. Stunts gone wrong or equipment failures can quickly turn a pretend scene into a real emergency for the actors. Several well-known stars have had close calls on set that could have ended their careers – or worse. Here’s a look at some actors who survived scary incidents while making popular films and shows.

Jackie Chan

As a lifelong fan, I remember being shocked when I heard about Jackie Chan’s injury on the set of ‘Armour of God’. It happened in Yugoslavia when he tried to jump from a castle wall to a tree, but he miscalculated and fell. It was a really serious fall – he actually fractured his skull, and a piece of the bone ended up pressing on his brain, causing bleeding. He needed emergency brain surgery right away, and he still has a plastic plate in his head because of it. It was a scary time for all of us who admired him, and thankfully he recovered!

Michael J. Fox

During filming of ‘Back to the Future Part III’, the actor almost died in a stunt gone wrong. He volunteered to do the scene without safety support to make it look more believable. Unfortunately, the rope was positioned incorrectly and actually blocked his airway for a few seconds. He passed out before the director realized it wasn’t part of the act and quickly cut him down.

Isla Fisher

While filming a scene for ‘Now You See Me’, the actress experienced a frightening accident during a magic trick involving a water tank. Her character was meant to escape from chained restraints inside the tank, but the release system malfunctioned. She frantically signaled for help by hitting the glass, but the crew initially thought it was part of her performance. Luckily, the stunt coordinator soon realized she was genuinely trapped and triggered the emergency release.

Jason Statham

During filming of ‘The Expendables 3’, action star Jason Statham narrowly avoided disaster when the truck he was driving lost its brakes. The vehicle went off a pier and fell sixty feet into the Black Sea with Statham still inside. Fortunately, his background as a professional diver helped him remain calm and swim to safety. The truck sank, but Statham escaped with only minor injuries.

Tom Cruise

While filming a horse-riding sword fight for ‘The Last Samurai’, Tom Cruise had a near-fatal accident. A mechanical horse malfunctioned, causing his co-star to accidentally swing a real sword at him. Thankfully, the stunt team reacted quickly and automated safety features stopped the blade just inches from Cruise’s neck. Cruise himself said he could feel the wind from the blade as it passed by.

Sylvester Stallone

During the filming of ‘Rocky IV’, the actor requested that the punches be genuine to make the fight scenes more realistic. Dolph Lundgren hit him with such force that it bruised his heart and caused swelling. Stallone needed to be hospitalized in intensive care for over a week. Doctors said the injury was comparable to the damage someone would sustain in a serious car crash.

Jennifer Lawrence

During the filming of ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1’, a malfunctioning fog machine filled a tunnel with too much smoke, causing a dangerous situation. The actress began choking and struggling to breathe as the crew lost sight of her. Thankfully, rescue teams quickly found her, and she recovered after getting fresh air, though she experienced nausea and dizziness.

Johnny Depp

I was so worried when I heard about what happened on the set of ‘The Lone Ranger’! Apparently, the actor’s saddle came loose while he was riding at full gallop, and he was thrown right under the horse. It was terrifying – the horse almost stepped on him! Thankfully, he managed to avoid serious injury and only ended up with some bruising. It could have been so much worse, honestly!

Brendan Fraser

During filming of ‘The Mummy’, a dangerous stunt involving a hanging scene almost cost the actor his life. The rope tightened unexpectedly, cutting off his air supply and leaving him suspended by his neck for several seconds. He lost consciousness and required immediate medical attention from the on-set emergency medical technicians, who revived him after his heart rate dropped dangerously low. Once he came to, he described the experience as both terrifying and deeply disorienting.

Halle Berry

While filming a love scene with Pierce Brosnan in ‘Die Another Day’, a piece of fruit got stuck in her throat, completely blocking her airway and preventing her from breathing or speaking. Fortunately, Brosnan quickly performed the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging the fig and saving her life. She later said his fast actions prevented a serious accident on the set of the James Bond film.

George Clooney

While filming a difficult scene for the movie ‘Syriana’, the actor suffered a serious spinal injury. During a stunt, he hit his head, which damaged tissue around his spine and caused spinal fluid to leak. The pain was excruciating, and he even considered ending his life while recovering in the hospital and unable to move. Although surgery fixed the initial problem, he continued to live with chronic pain for many years.

Dylan O’Brien

During filming of ‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’, the actor suffered a concussion and broken bones in his face. A safety malfunction during a stunt caused him to be hit by a car after being moved between vehicles. Filming was paused for several months while he had surgery to repair his face and recover from a brain injury. After a lengthy recovery, he was able to finish the movie.

Uma Thurman

As a huge cinema fan, I was really disturbed to learn about what happened on the set of ‘Kill Bill’. Apparently, the director pushed me to drive a car I didn’t feel safe in, down this really tricky, sandy road. I lost control and ended up crashing into a palm tree, which left me with lasting injuries to my neck and knee. What’s even more upsetting is seeing the footage – I was completely motionless behind the wheel for several minutes after the impact. It took years for me to finally share that footage and work through things with the director, acknowledging that what happened was due to their carelessness.

Viggo Mortensen

While filming a river scene for ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’, he almost drowned. His heavy costume and armor pulled him under the water, and the strong current held him there. He fought to stand on the river bottom, swallowing a lot of water in the process. Luckily, just as the crew was about to jump in and save him, he was able to kick his way back to the surface.

Ed Harris

Shooting the movie ‘The Abyss’ had some incredibly risky underwater scenes that really tested the actor’s endurance. In one particularly dangerous moment, he ran out of air and signaled for help, but the safety diver mistakenly gave him a regulator that was oriented incorrectly. He accidentally breathed in water and started to panic, nearly drowning. Luckily, another member of the camera crew noticed what was happening and quickly provided a working regulator, saving him just in time.

Kate Winslet

During the filming of ‘Titanic’, Kate Winslet became dangerously cold and almost drowned. Her coat got caught on a gate while she was underwater in the tank, preventing her from swimming to the surface for air. She had to struggle to free herself from the heavy coat while holding her breath. She also chose not to wear a wetsuit under her costume, which made her more susceptible to the cold and contributed to her illness.

Martin Sheen

While filming ‘Apocalypse Now’ in the Philippines, the actor experienced a severe heart attack. He was by himself in his quarters and had to struggle to reach the road to get assistance. The stressful and remote filming conditions had masked his declining health. A priest administered last rites, but he ultimately recovered and completed the movie.

Margaret Hamilton

During the filming of ‘The Wizard of Oz’, the actress who played the Wicked Witch suffered serious burns during a scene where she was meant to disappear in flames. A faulty trap door didn’t open quickly enough, causing the fire used to conceal her exit to ignite her green makeup, which was made with copper. This resulted in second-degree burns to her face and hands, and she needed six weeks to recover before she could resume filming.

Buddy Ebsen

The actor who first played the Tin Man in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ almost died because of an allergic reaction to his costume. The aluminum dust used to create his metallic look coated his lungs, causing them to fail. He was put in a hospital oxygen tent and had to be replaced by Jack Haley. The studio didn’t take his illness seriously until doctors confirmed how severe his breathing problems were.

Jim Caviezel

During the filming of ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus, was actually struck by lightning while filming the Sermon on the Mount. People nearby reported seeing fire around his head and smoke coming from his ears. Although he survived the lightning strike, the difficult filming conditions led to hypothermia and pneumonia. Eventually, the extreme physical strain of the role required him to undergo open-heart surgery.

Aaron Paul

As a film buff, I heard this crazy story about the ‘Breaking Bad’ set. Apparently, they used a huge boulder on top of an RV for a scene, but it wasn’t properly secured. A strong gust of wind came along and sent the rock tumbling down – right onto the spot where the actor had been standing! Luckily, he’d just walked away to talk to the director, just seconds before. Everyone realized how easily that boulder could have killed him if he’d stayed put. It was a seriously close call.

Charlize Theron

During filming of ‘Aeon Flux’, she severely injured her neck while doing a back handspring. She landed badly, herniating a disc dangerously close to her spinal cord. The accident stopped filming for weeks and required a lot of physical therapy. Doctors told her she was incredibly fortunate to have avoided paralysis or even death.

Diane Kruger

Let me tell you about a truly shocking moment on the set of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ Apparently, the director actually choked one of the actresses during filming. He wasn’t aiming for a stunt double or special effects; he wanted a real reaction. He talked her into letting him apply the pressure, and things went way too far. She actually lost consciousness, her face turned blue, and it was all captured on film. What’s unsettling is that the final scene uses that genuine footage of her struggling for air and passing out. It’s incredibly powerful, but also deeply disturbing knowing what actually happened.

Tom Hanks

While filming ‘Cast Away’ in Fiji, Tom Hanks got a staph infection after cutting his leg. The infection spread quickly, and he needed emergency surgery. Doctors said he was dangerously close to a life-threatening condition where the infection could have reached his heart. Filming had to be paused for three weeks while he recovered.

Gerard Butler

While filming the surfing movie ‘Chasing Mavericks’, the actor was caught underwater by two large waves in a row. He was thrown over a coral reef and held under the surface for almost a minute, unable to breathe. Luckily, a safety crew member on a jet ski rescued him. He was taken to the hospital and treated for shock and potential lung problems caused by inhaling water.

Meryl Streep

While filming a whitewater rafting scene for ‘The River Wild’, Meryl Streep almost drowned. The director asked her to do the stunt herself, and the boat flipped in the choppy water, throwing her into the icy river. Luckily, her life jacket kept her afloat until a safety diver rescued her. She was extremely tired and suffering from hypothermia when they pulled her from the water.

Harrison Ford

An actor suffered a serious leg injury on the set of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ when a hydraulic door on the Millennium Falcon malfunctioned. The heavy door pinned him to the floor, breaking his leg in several places. Fortunately, the impact didn’t hit a vital area, but he needed to be flown to a hospital for surgery and a long period of recovery.

Donald Sutherland

While filming ‘Kelly’s Heroes’ in Yugoslavia, he became seriously ill with spinal meningitis. This caused him to fall into a coma, and doctors briefly lost his pulse. He later described a near-death experience, recalling seeing a bright light and feeling as though he was floating. The movie production continued, working around his recovery from the life-threatening infection.

Chevy Chase

While filming the show ‘Modern Problems,’ the comedian received a serious electric shock. Lights connected to his body malfunctioned, causing a strong current to pass through him. He lost consciousness, suffered burns through his clothing, and had a near-death experience before the electricity was turned off. In the months following the on-set accident, he struggled with both physical pain and depression.

Matthew Fox

During the final scene of ‘Lost’, an actor was accidentally stabbed with a real knife instead of the fake one intended for the fight. A crew member had mistakenly switched the props. Luckily, he was wearing a protective pad that prevented a life-threatening injury, though the impact still caused significant bruising and knocked him to the ground.

Bob Denver

During filming of ‘Gilligan’s Island’, a dangerous situation occurred when the actor who played Gilligan found himself face-to-face with a lion. While filming a scene, the bed he was sitting on suddenly broke, causing the lion to attack. Fortunately, the animal trainer quickly intervened, tackling the lion just before it reached the actor. Bob Denver, who played Gilligan, later said he could feel the lion’s breath on his face before it was brought under control.

Tippi Hedren

While filming ‘The Birds,’ Tippi Hedren was injured when a bird scratched her face, coming dangerously close to her eye. Later, on the set of ‘Roar,’ a lion bit her on the back of the head, scraping her skull and requiring thirty-eight stitches. She also broke her leg in a separate incident involving an elephant during filming of ‘Roar’.

Melanie Griffith

While filming the movie ‘Roar’ alongside her mother, Tippi Hedren, Melanie Griffith was attacked by a lion. The lion severely injured her face and almost cost her an eye during the unexpected attack. She needed extensive facial surgery and fifty stitches to repair the damage. ‘Roar’ is well-known for its dangerous production, with over seventy crew members injured by the untrained wild animals used in the film.

Eli Roth

During the filming of the theater scene in ‘Inglourious Basterds’, the actor and director were almost caught in a fire. The flames spread quickly, and the heat became extremely dangerous. As the steel supporting the platform began to melt, the floor started to collapse beneath them and their co-star. Firefighters quickly used foam to extinguish the flames just before the platform completely fell apart.

Malcolm McDowell

During the filming of ‘A Clockwork Orange’, the actor endured significant physical discomfort. In one scene, he was forced to keep his eyes open with clamps, which scratched his eyes and temporarily blinded him, causing intense pain. He also suffered cracked ribs after being stepped on during a performance scene. Additionally, a faulty breathing device during a water scene almost led to him drowning.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

While filming an underwater scene for ‘The 6th Day’, he almost drowned. He swam to where the air tank should have been, but it was empty. Realizing he was trapped with no air, he struggled to reach the surface. Luckily, a stunt diver quickly grabbed and pulled him up just before he lost consciousness.

Jaimie Alexander

While filming ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ she had a serious fall on a wet metal staircase. She suffered a slipped disc in her upper back, along with chipped vertebrae and a dislocated shoulder. She also tore a muscle on her right side. The injury was so severe it almost caused paralysis, and she needed a month of intense physical therapy to recover.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

While filming the movie ‘Premium Rush’, the actor accidentally crashed into the back of a taxi. He broke through the rear windshield, cutting his arm badly on the broken glass. The cut was deep enough to sever a vein, and it took thirty-one stitches to repair. Despite losing a lot of blood and being shaken up, he continued filming.

Kevin Costner

While filming ‘Waterworld’, a sudden storm almost caused a fatal accident. The actor was secured to the mast of the large trimaran set and became trapped when the wind increased. The boat swung dangerously, nearly hitting him with its ropes and supports. A stunt coordinator had to quickly climb the mast and free him before the storm got worse.

Carrie Fisher

While filming a scene inside the Blues Mobile for ‘The Blues Brothers’, she began choking on a Brussels sprout. Luckily, her co-star Dan Aykroyd quickly realized she was in trouble and used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the vegetable, allowing her to breathe again. She later playfully said Aykroyd had saved her life.

Buster Keaton

While filming a scene for ‘Sherlock Jr.’, the famous silent film star suffered a broken neck. A powerful blast of water from a water tower pushed him onto the railroad tracks, where his neck struck a steel rail. Surprisingly, he didn’t discover the fracture for many years – it wasn’t detected until a standard x-ray. Despite years of debilitating migraines, he continued to perform his own daring stunts.

Daniel Day-Lewis

While filming ‘Gangs of New York,’ the actor insisted on staying true to his character, even refusing to wear a warmer coat. This led to pneumonia and a dangerously high fever during the cold winter shoot. He initially resisted taking antibiotics, believing they wouldn’t have been available during that time period. However, doctors ultimately convinced him to take the medication, warning him his life was at risk.

Hilary Swank

While getting in shape for ‘Million Dollar Baby’, the actress developed mercury poisoning. She ate a large amount of fish to build muscle for the boxing role, which led to dangerously high mercury levels and a slowed heart rate. She didn’t tell the director about her illness, fearing she’d be replaced.

Michelle Yeoh

While filming ‘Supercop’, the actress tried a risky jump from a van onto a moving convertible. Unfortunately, she slipped on the landing and fell off the car, tumbling into traffic. A nearby stunt driver quickly steered around her to avoid a collision. She was luckily only slightly injured, and the close call was kept as a blooper in the movie’s outtakes.

Amitabh Bachchan

During filming of ‘Coolie’, the famous Bollywood actor suffered a life-threatening injury when he hit a table during a fight scene, causing a rupture to his spleen and intestines. He fell into a coma and was briefly declared dead by doctors. The entire country rallied in support of his recovery, and the movie’s ending was rewritten to ensure his character survived.

Kristin Chenoweth

While filming ‘The Good Wife,’ a lighting fixture fell from above and hit the actress, causing a fractured skull, broken nose, and cracked ribs. The impact knocked her unconscious, and she also hit her head on the concrete floor. She suffered a serious brain injury that took months to heal and ultimately led to her departure from the show.

Drew Barrymore

While filming the first episode of ‘Santa Clarita Diet’, the actress suffered a serious concussion. She tried to jump onto a co-star’s back but fell, hitting her head on the concrete. She immediately began experiencing vomiting and loss of coordination, prompting paramedics to be called. She was hospitalized for two days and underwent testing to check for brain bleeding and other injuries.

Ryan Reynolds

Let me tell you, watching ‘Buried’ was intense, but hearing about the filming process? Even more so. The lead actor actually struggled with real claustrophobia while shooting the scenes inside that coffin. They filled the space with sand for the shot, and it genuinely triggered a panic attack. He actually passed out from the heat and lack of air! The crew had to pull him out and revive him before they could even think about continuing. It’s a testament to his dedication – and a little terrifying – that he pushed through it.

Anne Hathaway

While filming a beach scene in Hawaii, she was caught in a strong riptide and pulled out into the ocean. She started yelling for help as she struggled in the waves. Luckily, a surfer heard her and quickly paddled out to save her. She only suffered a minor scrape on her foot from the coral and was otherwise okay.

Idris Elba

While filming ‘Beasts of No Nation’ in Ghana, the actor had a frightening accident near a waterfall. He leaned on a tree that gave way, causing him to fall towards a steep, hundred-foot drop. Luckily, a safety barrier stopped him just before he went over the cliff edge. The film crew was deeply shaken by how close he came to a deadly fall.

Tell us which of these on-set survival stories shocked you the most in the comments.

2025-11-21 11:50