13 Actors Who Almost Died Filming Major TV Shows

1. Dexter - Jeff Chase

Apparently nobody got the memo about not using real knives that came in the wake of Matthew Fox almost dying in Lost, as the exact same thing almost happened in Dexter, almost leading to the death of stuntman Jeff Chase. In preparing for a scene in which he stabbed a kill-room victim, following the guidance of Dexter, Jimmy Smits didn't realise that he had picked up a real knife and not the fake one he was supposed to use.

Chase was unable to remonstrate with Smits, as he was bound and gagged, and by the time Michael C Hall was shouting to stop, it was too late and Smit had brought the knife down. Incredibly, Chase was saved by a small piece of plastic that covered his heart: he wasn't wearing the usual metal plate that protected victims in those scenes, and were it not for the plastic protection, which Smit had missed 8 out of 10 times in practice, he would have been stabbed:

"I heard fellow actor Michael C. Hall yelling at Jimmy to stop--but it was too late. I felt the thud in my chest. I didn't have on a metal breastplate like a lot of actors do in a scene like that." "I really thought I'd been stabbed in the heart, but I didn't have a scratch. Jimmy was devastated and couldn't stop apologizing. I told him, I felt more sorry for him than me."

Which other actors have almost met their maker on the sets of TV shows? Share your own finds below in the comments thread.