Tragic Deaths on Movie Sets

Shark! - 1969

Shooting a scene with an animal can present certain risks, especially when it’s a man-eating shark. Stuntman Jose Marco was killed during filming by a shark that was supposed to be sedated. Director Samuel Fuller attempted to have his name removed from the film after the production company used Marco’s death to promote it.

Steel - 1979

26-year-old A.J. Bakunas successfully performed a nine-story fall from a construction site during the filming of the 1979 movie "Steel." However, after learning that fellow stuntman and rival Dar Robinson broke his record for a high fall, Bakunas desired to reclaim the record. He went to the top of the 323-foot construction site and jumped. Bakunas hit the airbag below perfectly, but the bag ruptured, and he was killed as a result.

For Your Eyes Only - 1981

During the filming of the 1981 James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only," stuntman Paolo Rigoni was killed during a chase scene on a bobsled track. In the scene, Bond skis behind a bobsled while being pursued by a motorcycle. The bobsled that Rigoni was riding in overturned, trapping him underneath and dragging him down the track, killing him.

The Right Stuff - 1983

Stuntman Joseph Leonard Svec was attempting to recreate legendary Air Force pilot Chuck Yeager’s escape from a stalling jet. After Yeager ejected from the plane, his flight helmet caught fire. Svec had a smoke canister to simulate this while freefalling. However, after Svec activated the canister, the smoke left him unconscious. He was unable to open his parachute as a result and fell to his death.

Twilight Zone: The Movie - 1983

This is perhaps the most gruesome of all the movie-set deaths. Actor Vic Morrow (age 53) and child actors Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yin (age 6) died during the filming of a scene in which they were being attacked by a helicopter. Flying too close to a series of simulated explosions, the helicopter lost control and crashed into the three actors on the ground. Morrow and Dinh Le were both decapitated by the rotor blades, while Shin-Yin was crushed to death by one of the skids.

Top Gun - 1985

"Top Gun," the iconic 1980s film that helped make Tom Cruise a superstar, also suffered a tragedy during filming. Art Scholl, to whom the film is dedicated, was a highly skilled and experienced acrobatic pilot who was flying a camera plane used to film a scene from the point of view of inside an aircraft while it was in a spin. Once in the spin, Scholl reported a problem with the airplane and was unable to regain control. The aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California. Neither the plane wreckage nor Scholl’s body were ever recovered.

Rambo: First Blood Part II - 1985

Stuntmen aren’t the only ones who put themselves in harm's way during the filming of movies. Special-effects technicians can also have very dangerous jobs. While working on the film "Rambo: First Blood Part II," special effects technician Cliff Wegner Jr. was killed by a staged explosion.

The Squeeze - 1987

Stuntman Victory Magnotta drove a car off a Hoboken, N.J., pier performing a stunt for the film "The Squeeze." Magnotta and the car plunged into the Hudson River according to plan, but he was unable to escape the submerged vehicle and drowned.

Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection - 1990

During the shooting of "Delta Force 2," five men were killed when their helicopter crashed. The footage taken of the crash was reportedly used in the movie.

The Crow - 1993

The promising career of Brandon Lee was cut tragically short during the filming of the dark superhero tale "The Crow." Lee, whose father was legendary actor and martial artist Bruce Lee, was killed when a prop gun unknowingly had a bullet fragment lodged in the barrel. The gun was loaded with a blank powder charge, but the force from the blank dislodged the bullet fragment, which hit Lee. He died several hours later at a nearby hospital. "The Crow" was eventually finished by digitally placing Lee’s face on his stunt double.

The Dark Knight - 2008

While shooting a test run for "The Dark Knight," special-effects specialist Conway Wickliffe was killed when filming a stunt car he was riding alongside in a pickup truck. While Wickliffe was leaning out of the window operating a camera, the truck failed to make a turn and crashed into a tree. Wickliffe died from his injuries.