3. Ben Hur
The Myth: A stuntmans death is seen during the chariot race. No scene of Ben Hur is more iconic than the chariot race. Still to this day one of the most exhilarating action set pieces in cinema, it has been referenced in all manner of ways, from soapbox racers in The Simpsons to podracers in Star Wars. But the scene suddenly becomes a lot less exciting when you learn that during one of the real, extreme stunts someone died. And it remains in the final cut. The myth stipulates that director William Wyler left the shot in against protests from his widow because it just looked so good.
The Shocking Truth: No one died making (that) Ben Hur. With such serious subject matter, I think its best starting off by clarifying that no one died shooting the chariot race or any other scene of the Charlton Heston Ben Hur. You can imagine it grew from the then blistering action being so extreme that it seemed plausible someone could die doing it, but looking at it from todays perspective theres no stunt that looks particularly deadly to orchestrate. The myths origins, however, aren't as light. In a silent version of Ben Hur from 1926, a stuntman died after a particularly nasty crash (although not a trace of it was in the film). People have just appropriated the death to the wrong Ben Hur.