9 Famous Movie Facts (That Were Never Actually True)

3. A Stuntman Was Killed While Filming Ben-Hur's Chariot Race

A commonly cited piece of trivia surrounding the production of 1959 cinematic epic Ben-Hur is that one of the stuntmen was killed during filming of the famous chariot race sequence. Naturally, an accompanying rumour is that the take in which he died was included in the final cut. Despite this 'fact' being featured in a number of publications about the film, it has been repeatedly confirmed to be false.

The only reported injury was by Heston's double Joe Canutt, who received a gash on his chin after being flipped out of a chariot. It's thought that the rumour came about due to an actually fatal accident that occurred during the making of the 1926 Ben-Hur, when a stuntman was thrown in the air and died of internal injuries after landing.