For the most part, acting isn’t the type of job that involves a lot of physical risks. On top of that, intense safety precautions are typically put in place for projects that have lots of physical demands. However, there are plenty of situations where accidents can happen or stunts can go terribly wrong. Unfortunately, that has happened more times than many people realize. In addition to serious injuries, some of these incidents have even resulted in death. While some of these tragic situations have been highly publicized, there have been several instances where the stories never see the light of day. Continue reading to learn about 10 movies where someone died on set.
1. The Crow
The 1994 movie The Crow was set to be a major milestone in Brandon Lee’s acting career. As the son of the legendary Bruce Lee, Brandon was excited to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Unfortunately, however, he wouldn’t even live to see the movie’s release. With about a week left of filming, Brandon was killed while filming a scene in which his character shot. The gun used in the scene was filled with homemade dummy cartridges which proved to be lethal.
According to an article from History, “The police investigation into Lee’s death concluded that a tip of one of the cartridge’s bullets broke off from the cartridge and lodged in the gun, then fired at Lee along with the blank.” No charges were filed against Crowvision, the company responsible for making the movie.
Filming for the movie continued after Brandon’s death. His remaining scenes were completed using stunt doubles and digital technology. In many ways, the movie is more famous for Brandon Lee’s death than the actual film itself.
2. The Bodyguard
Released in 1992, The Bodyguard was Whitney Houston’s acting debut. On top of that, the film would go on to become the highest-grossing movie of the year. In the movie, Whitney played a successful actress and singer named Rachel who hires a bodyguard after receiving numerous death threats. Her bodyguard, Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), eventually becomes her love interest.
Although the movie was a huge success and has left a positive legacy, something happened on set that many people aren’t aware of. While filming, a crew member named Bill Vitagliano was killed when he was accidentally crushed between two lifts. An article in The Los Angeles Times reported that the incident was under investigation, but we weren’t able to find any information on the outcome of the situation.
Unfortunately, Vitagliano’s death wasn’t the only tragedy that occurred during production. Years later, it was revealed that Whitney Houston suffered a miscarriage while on set.
3. Top Gun
Top Gun is probably one of the first movies that come to mind when people think of the 80s. It was the highest-grossing film of 1986 and was instrumental in Tom Cruise becoming one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. However, despite all of the positive moments and memories that surround the movie, there is also a dark incident associated with the film.
While filming, flight instructor and aerobatic pilot Art Scholl was killed in a plane crash. According to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board “After completing an upright spin over the pacific ocean during the filming of a movie viewed from the spinning acft, the plt climbed his acft back to the entry alt and entered a flat inverted spin. The acft was observed to spin through its recovery alt at which the time plt radioed ‘ I have a problem, I have a real problem.’ neither he plt nor the acft were recovered. ” The cause of the crash has never been determined.
Scholl was just 53 at the time of his death. The movie was dedicated in his honor.
4. Vampire In Brooklyn
The 1995 horror-comedy movie Vampire in Brooklyn starred Eddie Murphy and Angela Bassett. Despite having a very talented cast, the movie was a flop and barely turned a profit at the box office. However, a poor performance wasn’t the worst thing to happen to the movie.
During filming, Sonja Davis, a 27-year-old stunt double for Angela Bassett, fell to her death while performing a stunt that involved a backward fall. During an interview with Hopes and Fears, one of the movie’s writers, Michael Lucker, said:
“…Sonja had to drop into the alley from the top of the building. The space between the buildings was twelve feet across and the airbag was twelve feet. This airbag was as big as a house, it filled the alley entirely. That’s why there was no ambulance on set. There was an ambulance the first night but not the second, because this airbag was so big.
There was no way she could miss it unless she did the stunt wrong. Sonja had done all the moves, she was aware of the scene. Leading up to the fall she was hanging on the side of the building, or it was supposed to look like that. We had something underneath her.
Before she fell, the stunt coordinator said, “Don’t push off, just relax and fall back naturally.” Well, she didn’t relax. She pushed so hard her head hit the opposing brick wall and when she fell only the tips of her toes touched the airbag. The rest of her body hit the pavement. She landed at my feet.”
The situation was made even more tragic by the fact that Sonja’s siblings and their mother were present during the scene. Sonja’s family subsequently filed a $10 million wrongful lawsuit against several parties involved in the production of the movie.
5. Catch – 22
In most people’s minds, someone dying on the set of a movie would be pretty big news. Interestingly enough, however, these incidents often get swept under the rug and the movies are completed and released without the public learning about the tragedy. That was certainly the case for the 1970 movie, Catch – 22. According to the movie’s IMDB page, “Second unit director John Jordan refused to wear a harness during a bomber scene. While giving a hand signal to another airplane from the tail gunner position in the camera plane, he lost his grip and fell 4,000 feet to his death.”
6. Twilight Zone: The Movie
All of the deaths mentioned on this list were incredibly tragic, but what took place while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie is especially gut-wrenching because it involves the death of children. While filming a scene involving a helicopter, actor Vic Morrow, seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le, and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen were killed when the helicopter crashed on top of them. Both Morrow and Le were decapitated by the helicopter blades.
Five people involved with the production of the film were tried and acquitted of involuntary manslaughter. However, the families also filed lawsuits that were settled for undisclosed amounts. It was also revealed that the children had been hired illegally.
7. Jumper
The 2008 movie Jumper attracted large crowds when it debuted in theaters, but most of the people who saw the movie probably had no idea that someone died while making it. A 56 year old set dresser named David Ritchie was instantly killed on set when “when frozen sand, earth and ice from an exterior set rained down on workers below”.
A statement issued after Ritchie’s death said, “On behalf of the entire production, it is with profound sadness that we confirm this tragic accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to David Ritchie’s family at this time”.
8. Gone In 60 Seconds II
When most people think of the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, they probably think of the 2000 film starring Nicolas Cage. However, the original Gone in 60 Seconds was released in 1974. In 1989 filming for a sequel began. However, the movie was never completed because the movie’s writer, director, and stunt double, H.B. Halicki, was killed during filming.
An article from Drive Tribe reported that Halicki was trying to complete “an extremely dangerous stunt that involved a 161 foot tall water tower falling over after being rammed into by a semi-truck. One of the legs for the tower had been removed and replaced with bull-dozers holding the tower in place with steel cables. One of the cables snapped prematurely, slicing through a telephone pole which fell on Halicki. ”
9. Deadpool 2
When Joi Harris was hired as a stuntwoman for Deadpool 2, she was very excited about the opportunity. The movie marked her first role as a stunt woman after a successful career as a motorcycle racer. Sadly, Joi would be dead before the final scene wrapped. She died on the set of the movie while filming a scene in which she was asked to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. It was later determined that her death was the result of inadequate safety measures in the workplace. The film was dedicated to Harris.
10. The Expendables 2
The 2012 film The Expendables 2 was another movie in which a stunt double died on set. 26-year-old Kun Liu was killed in an explosion on set while shooting a scene for the movie. His parents filed a lawsuit against the stunt coordinator as well as Millennium Films. In their lawsuit, they claimed that those in charge failed to provide a safe workplace for their son. We were not able to track down any information regarding the outcome of the lawsuit.Angela Bassett
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