Published: November 1, 2023 | Last Updated: October 7, 2024
Making a movie is challenging and sometimes dangerous, as many pieces must fit together to make the final puzzle. While many injuries or untimely deaths involve stuntmen and crew, sometimes the lead actor or actress dies. This list discusses actors and actresses who have been the unfortunate victims of fatal accidents while on film sets.
Brandon Lee, The Crow (1994)
Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee and a talented martial artist and famous actor on his own, is well-known today for playing a humorous bad boy in most of the movies he was in.
Lee was signed to star as Eric in Alex Proyas’ 1994 film The Crow, which centers on a man who dies and returns to earth to avenge his and his loved ones’ deaths. The script of The Crow called for Brandon Lee’s character to be shot with a revolver by another character. The set had prop guns to use during production. The actors used blanks for the prop gun in the film, but no one knew that a dislodged real bullet was stuck inside the gun.
When the actor using the firearm on Lee in the scene shot the blank, the regular bullet came loose and struck Lee, who was sent to the hospital and operated on for hours, but unfortunately was pronounced dead from the bullet wound the next day.
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Vic Morrow, Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Vic Morrow was a film actor born in the Bronx, New York City, and was the son of Jewish/Russian immigrants. Morrow set out to film the 1983 film Twilight Zone: The Movie as a character sent back to the Vietnam War.
To create the setting the directors visualized, a helicopter chase scene needed to be filmed at around 2:00 a.m. and required timed explosives. Unfortunately, one of the stunt’s explosions was ill-timed and caused a significant blow to the helicopter rotors. The aircraft plummeted, and Morrow was decapitated as a result of the helicopter crash.
Two child actors (seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen) whom he carried in his arms also died instantly at the scene with him, making it one of the most tragic accidents in Hollywood to date.
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Jon-Erik Hexum, Cover up: Golden Opportunity (1984)
Jon-Erik Hexum was a young actor from New Jersey, United States. While working on 1984’s episode Golden Opportunity for the TV series Cover Up, Hexum played with a .44 revolver as a prop. Putting the gun to his head, he pulled the trigger. The gun had a blank cartridge inside as opposed to real bullets, but those can still be extremely dangerous, especially incredibly close to yourself.
Hexum was brought to the hospital and operated on due to the horrible accident that shattered the actor’s skull. Hexum was put on life support and taken off of it a week later. As an organ donor, he ended up saving up to five lives after his fatal accident.
Tyrone Power, Solomon and Sheba (1959)
Tyrone Power was an American actor born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a family of acting legacies. Working on notable films such as Nightmare Alley (1947) and Prince of Foxes (1949), Power found constant work for decades, becoming a force to be reckoned with with many major roles. His last full film was Witness for the Prosecution, released in 1957.
Tyrone was hired to star as Solomon in director King Vidor’s film Solomon and Sheba. Having filmed half of the movie, Power was working on a dueling scene with fellow actor George Sanders. During filming this scene, Powers collapsed from a massive heart attack. He was hurried to the hospital but died before making it there.
Roy Kinnear, Return of the Musketeers (1989)
Roy Kinnear was a famous actor from London. Born in 1934, he became attuned to his acting skills after finishing his regular studies at the University of Dramatic Arts in the UK.
Kinnear played Planchet in The Return of the Musketeers (1989), which unfortunately caused his tragedy. Kinnear showed concern about having to film one of his stunts—a fast horseback riding scene since it would be swift—as he did not have riding skills he was confident enough with. Alas, the scene was filmed anyway, and Kinnear was thrown from his horse, experiencing injuries from the fall and suffering a heart attack from this tragic accident afterward.
The production occurred in Toledo, Spain, a hot spot for movie and TV series production—from Spaghetti Westerns to Star Wars to Game of Thrones.
Eric Fleming, High Jungle (1966)
Eric Fleming was an American performer who lived in California during his youth. He is well-known as a star of Rawhide, which premiered in 1959. He worked on the series for seven seasons, totaling 203 episodes.
Fleming was hired to film High Jungle, a movie being worked on in Peru that focuses on a United States soldier who goes into the jungle to rescue someone who is being kidnapped and held there. Some filming took place in the Huallaga River, where things went wrong. Nico Minardos, an actor on the project, described the waters as incredibly dangerous.
While Fleming and Minardos were filming in a small boat on the rapids, the current became too strong. Minardos stayed on the boat, but Fleming, thinking it was the safer option, jumped out into the river, where he drowned. His body was recovered a few days later. The time of his death is not certain.
Honorable Mention: Steve Irwin, Ocean’s Deadliest (2006)
Steve Irwin was a beloved animal expert born and raised “Down Under” in Australia by his two animal-loving parents, who left Irwin a legacy of caring for and educating others about animals. As an adult, he became the head of the Australia Zoo and the host of 1997’s hit TV series The Crocodile Hunter (which he co-hosted with his wife, Terri Irwin).
In 2007, Irwin set out to host a TV documentary called Ocean’s Deadliest, which educated the audience on some of the most dangerous creatures of the sea. While working on the show, Irwin was attacked by a stingray, sadly passing away as a result of the sting emitted.
While mostly working on nonfiction entertainment pieces, Irwin had a few acting roles in movies such as Happy Feet and Dr. Dolittle 2.
In Closing
Actors, crew members, producers, and directors put excessive work into making a successful film and never expect to spend their final days on the set. It is a tragedy when the execution of ideas results in the death of the people who are working so hard.
Even though a number of these actors were in fatal accidents decades ago, tragedies like this still occur today, proving that there’s still room for more safety on set.
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