10 Actors Who Didn't Realise They Were Seconds Away From Disaster

As they say in the world of show business, never work with children or animals.

Now, your writer can't attest to hearing about many tykes lunging at fully grown humans at the drop of a hat on a TV or movie set, but the next example this list has to offer does lend some credence to the latter unpredictable co-stars.

Whilst shooting on Season Two of the hit series Gilligan's Island back in 1966, Bob Denver was tasked with getting up close and personal with one rather intimidating big cat. This lion, while trained, was still, you know, a lion. So, despite rehearsals going swimmingly, you likely won't be too surprised to hear that this big cat had other ideas once the camera starting rolling on a scene involving the lion lying on a bed near Denver.

Letting out a huge roar, the lion leaped at Denver who had his back turned to the animal. Luckily, the bed moving back as the beast jumped bought the animal's trainer some time to restrain the lion in mid-air. As Denver turn around, he quickly realised just how close he'd come to becoming human cat-nip.