Actors Who Died on the Set

Actors spend long hours on sets, stages, and locations where stunts, props, and pressure can collide with real-world risks. While on-set fatalities are rare, a handful of well-documented cases show how quickly routine days can turn into emergencies and how each incident shaped safety practices that followed.

Below is a carefully sourced look at performers who died while working. For each person, you’ll find what they were filming, what happened, and what changed afterward—so the facts stay clear and context isn’t lost.

Brandon Lee

Brandon Lee died in Wilmington, North Carolina on March 31, 1993, after being shot with a revolver that inadvertently fired a projectile during a scene for ‘The Crow’. Investigators determined a bullet fragment lodged in the barrel from an earlier dummy-round setup was propelled by a blank, turning it into a lethal projectile.

No criminal charges were filed, but the case prompted renewed scrutiny of firearm procedures on sets and remains central to modern discussions about armory protocols and alternatives to blank-firing weapons.

Vic Morrow

Vic Morrow was killed during a night shoot for ‘Twilight Zone: The Movie’ at Indian Dunes in California on July 23, 1982, when a low-flying helicopter, destabilized by nearby pyrotechnics, crashed onto him and two child actors, Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen. Six people aboard the helicopter were injured but survived.

The ensuing criminal trial ended in acquittals for the director and crew members, but the incident led to years of civil actions and helped drive tighter oversight of pyrotechnics, aircraft work, and child-labor compliance on sets.

Jon-Erik Hexum

Jon-Erik Hexum died in Los Angeles on October 18, 1984, after a blank-firing .44 Magnum he handled during a delay on the ‘Cover Up’ set produced a muzzle blast that fractured his skull and drove bone fragments into his brain. He had been off camera between takes when the mishandling occurred.

The fatality underscored that blanks are not harmless, leading productions to revisit training, supervision, and the use of non-functional stand-ins for weapons whenever possible. Contemporary coverage and later reviews of prop-gun safety continue to cite his case.

Redd Foxx

Redd Foxx collapsed from a heart attack on October 11, 1991, while rehearsing ‘The Royal Family’ on the Paramount lot in Hollywood; he was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead a few hours later.

First responders and colleagues described an initially confusing scene because his signature ‘Sanford and Son’ gag involved feigned “heart attacks,” but officials confirmed a real cardiac event and listed heart failure as the cause.

Martha Mansfield

Silent-era actress Martha Mansfield suffered fatal burns on November 29, 1923, in San Antonio, Texas, when her Civil War costume ignited—reportedly from a tossed match—while making ‘The Warrens of Virginia’. She died the following day at a local hospital.

Reports from the time and later local histories describe cast and crew trying to extinguish the fire and transporting her for treatment; the production ultimately continued with her role reduced and reworked.

Roy Kinnear

Roy Kinnear died in Madrid on September 20, 1988, after falling from a horse during location filming for ‘The Return of the Musketeers’ near Toledo; he suffered a broken pelvis and later a heart attack attributed to his injuries.

His family brought a civil case that resulted in a damages award, and the production completed his scenes with a double and voice replacement; the film’s director spoke publicly about the circumstances years later as safety concerns persisted.

Tyrone Power

Tyrone Power collapsed from a heart attack in Madrid on November 15, 1958, after finishing a dueling scene for ‘Solomon and Sheba’. Coverage at the time noted he had just completed the action sequence before falling ill.

Producers recast the role and reshot substantial portions, though some footage remained; trade and studio reports documented the insurance and schedule impacts that followed the star’s death.

Ken Steadman

Guest actor Ken Steadman died on September 20, 1996, when a dune buggy overturned during location work for a ‘Sliders’ episode at El Mirage Dry Lake in California; a second actor was injured in the same incident.

Authorities said the vehicle flipped while being moved between setups; contemporaneous reports detail the emergency response and his pronouncement at a nearby medical center.

Jayan

Malayalam film star Jayan was killed on November 16, 1980, during a helicopter-stunt sequence for the film ‘Kolilakkam’ near Chennai. He fell from the aircraft while attempting a second take of the action shot.

The production resumed and completed after his death, and retrospectives in India continue to cite the accident in discussions about stunt safety and the use of doubles in high-risk sequences.

Godfrey Gao

Godfrey Gao collapsed from cardiac arrest in the early hours of November 27, 2019, while filming the physically demanding reality series ‘Chase Me’ in Ningbo, China; he was transported to a hospital but could not be revived.

After public scrutiny of working hours and emergency readiness on the show, the broadcaster suspended and then cancelled the series, and industry debate in China intensified over late-night endurance formats and on-site medical coverage.

Evgeniy Urbanskiy

Soviet actor Evgeniy Urbanskiy died on November 5, 1965, during a desert driving stunt for the film ‘Director’ in the Bukhara region; the vehicle overturned during a retake and he succumbed to his injuries.

Production halted and later resumed with changes; contemporary and later film histories note that the director was blamed and sidelined for a period before the project was completed.

Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper suffered a fatal heart attack on April 15, 1984, while performing on the live variety broadcast ‘Live from Her Majesty’s’ in London; the curtain dropped for an unscheduled break as medical help reached him.

The broadcast continued with the running order adjusted while he was taken to hospital and pronounced dead; the incident remains one of the most cited examples of a performer dying during a live TV transmission.

John Ritter

John Ritter became ill during a rehearsal for ‘8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter’ on September 11, 2003, at the Disney lot in Burbank; he was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors identified an acute aortic dissection and he died that evening.

Coverage at the time and later medical-awareness work by his family explain how aortic dissection can mimic a heart attack and emphasize rapid diagnosis; the production revised scripts and aired tributes after his death.

Share your thoughts or other documented cases you think belong here in the comments.