Ensuring safety on film and television sets can be a top priority, but with numerous variables to control, there are times when control is lost and actors come close to death. Whether it's actors, stunt doubles or specific set workers, there is a tragic history of people dying on film sets. However, there have been instances where world-famous stars narrowly escaped death.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron attempted a backflip for the 2005 action film "Aeon Flux" but nearly became paralyzed when she landed on her neck. Filming was halted for eight weeks due to her injuries.

Ed Harris

During the underwater filming of the 1989 film "The Abyss," Ed Harris almost drowned several times because it took too long for the safety diver to give him a breathing regulator.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, known for doing his stunts, experienced many set accidents. In the 1986 action comedy "Armour of God," he fell 25 meters (82 feet) and hit his head on a rock, fracturing his skull. He was immediately operated on, and to this day, he has a hole in his skull covered by a plastic plug.

Michael J. Fox

In 1990, on the set of "Back to the Future Part III," Michael J. Fox came close to death. During a scene where his character Marty McFly is hanged by the neck, Fox miscalculated and choked himself until he passed out. He was saved when someone noticed he was in danger and cut the rope.

Aaron Paul

"Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul narrowly escaped death during the filming of the first season in 2008. A rock fell from a nearby trailer's roof, landing where he had stood moments before. His last-minute request to shoot in a different location saved him.

Halle Berry

In 2013, while filming a fight scene for the thriller "The Call," Halle Berry hit her head on a concrete floor and lost consciousness.

Tom Hanks

During the filming of the 2000 movie "Cast Away," Tom Hanks contracted a potentially deadly staph infection from a small cut on his leg, resulting in a three-day hospital stay. The infection could have been fatal if left untreated.

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler narrowly escaped death while filming the 2012 movie "Chasing Mavericks." He was knocked off his surfboard by a strong wave in Northern California's dangerous waters and was underwater until someone rescued him.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise's co-star Emily Blunt recounted a near-death experience while filming a car chase scene for "Edge of Tomorrow" in 2014. Blunt recalled, "As we approached a right turn, I heard Tom say, 'Brake, brake, brake,' but it was too late, and I crashed into a tree. I almost killed Tom Cruise."

Jason Statham

In the 2014 action film "The Expendables 3," Jason Statham narrowly avoided death when the truck he was driving lost its brakes. He jumped out of the moving three-ton vehicle just before it plunged into the sea.

Kate Winslet

During one of the most intense scenes in the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic," Kate Winslet's dress gets caught in a grate while she and Leonardo DiCaprio's characters are escaping a large wave. Winslet remained underwater until she freed herself.

Kristin Chenoweth

In 2013, Kristin Chenoweth was injured on the set of the legal drama "The Good Wife" when a lighting rig fell and struck her face on her first day of filming. She was hospitalized with a fractured skull, broken nose, cracked teeth, and injuries to her spine and ribs. Following the accident, Chenoweth decided not to return to the show.

Jennifer Lawrence

Oscar-winning star Jennifer Lawrence was scared on the set of "The Hunger Games" when a tunnel filled with smoke due to a malfunctioning fog machine, almost suffocating her.

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp narrowly avoided serious injury on the set of "The Lone Ranger" when he was dragged for a long distance after the saddle on his horse came loose. He escaped the incident with only bruises.

Matthew Fox

While filming the final episode of "Lost," Matthew Fox, who played Jack Shephard, almost died when a retractable knife was replaced with a real one. He was saved by the protective padding he wore at the last minute.

Brendan Fraser

Brendan Fraser nearly died on the set of "The Mummy" during a hanging scene that went wrong. Co-star Rachel Weisz recounted that Fraser stopped breathing and required resuscitation.

Jim Caviezel

Jim Caviezel endured multiple hardships on the set of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." He suffered pneumonia, hypothermia and a lung infection due to the intense filming conditions and was also struck by lightning during the Sermon on the Mount scene.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

During filming the thriller "Premium Rush," Joseph Gordon-Levitt collided with a taxi and had over 30 stitches.

Dominic Purcell

"Prison Break" actor Dominic Purcell sustained serious injuries in 2016 when an iron bar fell on his head during filming. He required 150 stitches for his broken nose and head injuries.

Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone had several close calls throughout his career, but the most dangerous was during the filming of "Rocky IV." He asked co-star Dolph Lundgren to "knock him out," and the punch was so hard it caused Stallone's chest to cave in, leading to a nine-day stay in intensive care.

George Clooney

While filming a scene in the 2005 movie "Syriana," George Clooney suffered a brain injury when he was struck by a blow that knocked over the chair he was tied to. His chronic headaches required surgery.

Gunnar Hansen

Icelandic-American actor Gunnar Hansen almost died on the set of The "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." While chasing co-stars with a real chainsaw, he slipped in the mud, and the chainsaw flew into the air, landing just centimeters from his head.

Jaime Alexander

While filming "Thor: The Dark World," Jaime Alexander slipped on a metal staircase and narrowly avoided paralysis. Her injuries included a slipped disc in her thoracic spine, 11 broken vertebrae, a dislocated shoulder, and a torn rhomboid muscle. She returned to set a month later.