Lists Press

Films we see on screen, providing us entertainment, require a lot of effort off screen. At times many accidents, disasters and tragedies take place behind the scenes and people lose their precious lives while making movies. Here are some of the accidents, disasters and tragedies that took place during the filming of famous films.

10. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (2010): Set Caught Fire

Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows

A fire broke out at the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Leavesden Studios, Hertfordshire on 19 March 2010 . The set caught fire when a second unit was filming part of a back lot battle scene that required a lot of fire and explosive special effects. Somehow the fire got out of control and burnt the entire courtyard set. Warner Brothers had a loss of around 100,000 UK pounds (about $151,000). Firefighters had to fight the fire for 40 minutes before it came under control. Fortunately no one was injured or hurt.

9. The Invasion (2007) : Nicole Kidman Had a Car Accident

Nicole Kidman

She was shooting for her film, The Invasion in Los Angeles when she had a car accident. She was behind the wheel of a Jaguar when the car got out of control and hit a lamp post at 1 am on the 25 January, 2007. Eight members of the crew, including Nicole, 5 stuntmen and 2 cameramen were involved in the crash. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. She resumed the shooting after a small visit to the hospital. Stuntmen and cameramen had minor injuries.

8. Gladiator (2000): Russell Crowe Had an Injury

Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe won the academy award for the best actor category in 2001 for his famous movie Gladiator. He had many accidents during the movie shooting. His horse startled while shooting a scene and backed him into some tree branches. He got stitches in his face. During another scene, he dislocated his shoulder and broke multiple bones, including bones in his foot and hip. He also injured his bicep.

7. The Wizard of Oz (1939): Margaret Hamilton Got Serious Burns

Margaret Hamilton

The wizard of Oz (1939) is a classic film in which Actress Margaret Hamilton was seriously burnt. She had a second degree burn on her face and a third degree burn on her hand. The trap door’s drop was delayed and she got serious burns. She was taken to the hospital immediately and took 6 weeks to recover. She refused to do any scene involving fire for the rest of the filming. Her stunt double was also injured twice during the shooting.

6. The Return of the Musketeers (1988): Roy Kinnear Died

Roy Kinnear

Roy Kinnear was a British comedian and actor. He fell from a horse on 19 September 1988, during the filming of The Return of the Musketeers in Toledo, Spain. He sustained a broken pelvis and was taken to a hospital in Madrid. Kinnear died from a heart attack the next day at the age of 54. His death had such a deep impact on the  film’s director, Richard Lester that he quit his career. In 1994, a foundation for the physical and mental health of the disabled was founded on his name.

5. Top Gun (1986): Art Scholl Died During Stunts

Art Scholl

Art Scholl was a renowned American aerobatic pilot, aerial cameraman and flight instructor. He was hired to do some stunts for the  film Top Gun. He was working on a flat spin off the coast Southern California when the plane encountered some problem. He radioed, “I have a problem… I have a real problem.” These were the last words said by him. Then the plane crashed into the Pacific and was never recovered. The cause of the accident is unknown till date.

4. The Crow (1994): Brandon Lee Killed By a Prop .44 Magnum

Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee was an American actor and martial artist. He was the son of the famous martial artist and film star Bruce Lee. On March 31, 1993 at EUE Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina he had an accidental gunshot wound. He was taken to the hospital immediately but his heart stopped working on his way to the hospital. Doctors struggled for 6 hours but couldn’t save him. The accident took place while shooting a scene in which Brandon Lee entered his apartment to find out that his girlfriend was being rapped by thugs. One of the thugs had to shoot him as per the script. Inexperienced crew members, pressured by time constraints, purchased live ammunition instead of using the dummy ones and removed the bullets, emptied the gunpowder, and then replaced the bullets back into the empty cartridges with the live primers still in place. They didn’t realize that the bullet once fired would still produce enough force. This mistake took Brandon Lee’s life.

3. The Warrens of Virginia (1923): Martha Mansfield Died Due to Severe Burns

Martha Mansfield

Martha Mansfield was an American film actress in silent movies who died after sustaining severe burns on the set of the film The Warrens of Virginia (1923). She died on November 30, 1923 while shooting for the movie in San Fransisco. A cast member tossed a smoker’s match which accidentally ignited her Civil War costume of hoopskirts and ruffles. Soon the fire got out of control. Her neck and face were saved by leading actor Wilfred Lytell, who threw his heavy overcoat over her. The chauffeur’s hands were burned badly while trying to remove her burning clothing from her body. She was rushed to a hospital and died in less than twenty-four hours. She was 24 years old at the time of her death.

2. Twilight Zone – The Movie (1983): Vic Morrow and Two Children Were Crushed By a Helicopter

Twilight Zone

During the filming of the movie, The Twilight Zone, a horrible and painful tragedy took place ending the life of actor Vic Morrow and two children, Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6). John Landis the director along with others faced legal inquiries for unsafe practices undertaken during the filming. A helicopter flew too low, at an altitude of only 25 feet (8 meters) and was damaged by pyrotechnics used on set. The helicopter got out of control and crashed down on Morrow and the two children crushing them to death. The pilot and the passengers of the helicopter survived with minor injuries.

1. The Conqueror (1957): Radioactivity Caused Cancer to John Wayne and 90 Others

John Wayne

Source

The Conqueror (1957) is a film produced by Howard Hughes. The shooting of this film caused cancer to 91 people among the 220 available on the set. The film was shot in Southwestern Utah where the U.S. Government had performed Nuclear test. The radioactive fallout from these tests contaminated the film location. This caused cancer to actors Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, director Dick Powell and the famous actor John Wayne among others. John Wayne had played the role of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan.