10 Actors Tragically Killed on Set

The movie industry can be deadly. In fact, quite a few celebrities have met their demise while on set. It just goes to show you, even with all of the safety precautions in place, accidents still happen. Here are 10 actors that were killed during filming.

John Jordan, Catch 22

John Jordan, one of the 10 actors, born on April 12, 1925, was the second unit director of the movie Catch 22. Unluckily, he died on the set after deciding not to wear a harness. He always refused to wear a safety harness, which caused his death on the set of Catch 22 on May 16, 1969. He was sucked out of an open door of the plane and fell to death around 2,000 feet into the Gulf of Mexico.

Vic Morrow, The Twilight Zone the Movie

Vic Morrow unfortunately died, along with two other child actors, while filming The Twilight Zone the Movie. They were hit by a tail blade of a helicopter, which accidentally came off, after flying too low to avoid the explosions on the set. The accident could have been prevented if the helicopter didn’t fly too close to the explosions.

Art Scholl, Top Gun

The man known for his airplane stunts, Art Scholl , one of the 10 actors, died while completing a flat spin on the film, Top Gun. For some reasons, the camera equipment caused faulty issues. Scholl wasn’t able to complete the flat spin and he continued to spin out of control. As a result, he crashed right into the Pacific Ocean and his body was never recovered.

Brandon Lee, The Crow

Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee, was shot to death while he was filming The Crow. A gun with dummy cartages was exchanged with one that was used in the previous scene, having actual powder. A bullet was trapped in the barrel, which simulated a real shot. In the scene, Lee was walking with a grocery bag. Michael Massee, his co-actor playing Funboy, shot him with a .44 caliber bullet. The 28-year old actor died on the set on May 31, 1993.

Conway Wickliffe, The Dark Knight

Conway Wickliffe was the stunt technician of the movie The Dark Knight. He was holding the camera on one scene, where the Batmobile blows up. The Nissan 4×4 vehicle he was riding crashed on a tree after failing to make a turn on time. The impact killed him, although the driver was uninjured.

Kun Liu, The Expendables 2

Kun Liu, one of the 10 actors was Jet Li’s stand-in for the film The Expendables. While doing stunts for a scene involving high-powered explosives and dangerous materials, he was killed. Apparently, something went wrong with the explosives, killing him instantly.

Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter: Ocean’s Deadliest

The famous wildlife enthusiast, Steve Irwin, died on set while filming for the documentary The Crocodile Hunter: Ocean’s Deadliest. A stingray stabbed him in his heart, causing his death. There is even an actual footage of his demise on YouTube.

Jon Erik-Hexum, The Cover Up

John Erik-Hexum got killed while filming for The Cover Up. However, there was a delay in filming, which made him feel bored. So, he decided to play a game of faux Russian roulette. He shot a blank bullet cartridge at his head, which caused a severe hemorrhage. A week after, he died.

Roy Kinnear, The Return of the Three Musketeers

Roy Kinnear died on set while filming for The Return of the Three Musketeers. He broke his pelvis after falling off the back of a horse. He suffered complications from his broken pelvis and a day after, he died.

Martha Mansfield, The Warrens of Virginia

Martha Mansfield was unlucky enough to get killed while resting in between takes of the film The Warrens Virginia. She was just resting inside a car when somebody passed by and threw a match into the vehicle she was in. The match went right through her costume and she went up in flames. She died the next day due to severe burns.