Movies and television shows are very much an attempt at creating an illusion, from making viewers believe characters are on distant planets to putting them in harm’s way. Sometimes, that illusion extends to performers obscuring certain physical traits that may not be shared by their characters. Famously, professional wrestler Kerry Von Erich wrestled with a prosthetic footin the 1980s following a motorcycle accident, a fact that was largely unknown to spectators.
Von Erich isn’t the only television personality who has lived with limb difference. These five actors appeared on weekly television without viewers noticing they’re each missing all, or part of, a finger.
Television’s best-known art instructor hosted The Joy of Painting on PBS from 1983 to 1994. His painter’s palette obscured a lesser-known fact: He was down one digit. After dropping out of high school, one of Ross’s first jobs was working as a woodworker alongside his father; part of his left index finger was later severed in a carpentry accident. Ross left that vocation soon after, enlisting in the Air Force before his painting career took off.
Best known as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott onStar Trek(1966-1969) and its numerous big-screen outings, Doohan went to some lengths to obscure a missing finger from being picked up by film cameras. The actor had suffered the injury while serving in the military and storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944. Doohan—a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery Regiment—shot two German snipers in the fracas but later absorbed machine gun fire delivered by a trigger-happy Canadian sentry. Incredibly, one bullet in his chest was deflected by a cigarette case. Others wound up in his leg; the other went though his right middle finger, which was later amputated.
Camera angles kept the missing finger out of view most of the time on Star Trek. Hand doubleswere also used at times, though there are a few scenes—including in “The Trouble With Tribbles”—where it’s noticeable.
Savalas was a ‘70s icon thanks to the cop show Kojak and the character’s omnipresent lollipop. The actor was actually missing a portion of his left index finger, which some fans might not have known or easily spotted if they watched the series or saw Savalas in films. The origin of the injury is difficult to pin down; Lost magazine reported that Savalas may have lost it in a grenade mishap while serving in the military or possibly that it was partially gnawed off by a rat when he was a child.
4. Matthew Perry
Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom Friends for 10 seasons, is missing part of his right middle finger. According to Esquire, the actor lost it after his finger was inadvertently slammed in a car door when he was a child.
Jones portrayed Zack, one of the originalMighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. The actor is missing the middle finger of his left hand, though it’s not particularly noticeable when he’s morphed. The series repurposed action footage from the Japanese series Super Sentai, where Zach’s Ranger was played by a different performer. “Because we had all of the Japanese footage, the only time we wore our suits was in the Command Center, with our helmet off,” Ranger Jason David Frank told Complex in 2013.
Silent-film comedian Buster Keaton lost a finger in a clothes wringer at the age of 2. Actor and comedian Danny Thomas blew off an index finger in a gun accident. Frodo Baggins, left, had a finger torn off in Mordor by Gollum in the course of saving all of Middle Earth.
Silent-film comedian Buster Keaton lost a finger in a clothes wringer at the age of 2. Actor and comedian Danny Thomas blew off an index finger in a gun accident. Frodo Baggins, left, had a finger torn off in Mordor by Gollum in the course of saving all of Middle Earth.
According to postings on his family's website, nobody knows exactly how Savalas lost his finger; some say it from was a grenade during World War II, but an older family story is that the finger was chewed by a rat when Telly was a baby.
It was during the run of "J.B." that Hingle took an accidental plunge down the elevator shaft of his New York apartment building, sustaining near-fatal injuries in the 54-foot fall. He was near death for two weeks (and lost the little finger of his left hand); his recovery took more than a year.
Bella Ratcliffe, was "making a den" when she stepped on a garden table that was dumped behind her home in Clifton, Salford. But the table wobbled, and as she tried to grab onto a fence to stop herself from falling off, she lost six of her fingers.
Ronald Mandel Lott (born May 8, 1959) is an American former professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons from 1981 to 1994. Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Aniston has two half-brothers, John Melick, her maternal older half-brother, and Alex Aniston, her younger paternal half-brother. Aniston's godfather was actor Telly Savalas, one of her father's best friends. As a child, Aniston lived in Greece for a year with her family.
His most famous character Kojak always seemed to have a lollipop in his mouth. Turns out, Savalas was a heavy smoker and often smoked cigarettes and cigars in the first few seasons.
Approximately 40,000 Americans have lost part of their arms above the wrist. However, there are around 500,000 who have lost one or more fingers, 110,000 of whom are women by best estimates.
Denzel Washington, meanwhile, gained a crooked pinky finger following an incident that occurred in his childhood. Back in 2014, Washington opened up about his finger injury on The Graham Norton Show.
Harold John Avery Russell (January 14, 1914 – January 29, 2002) was an American World War II veteran. After losing his hands during his military service, Russell was cast in the epic drama film The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), which earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
TIL Bob Ross was missing a finger due to a woodworking accident in his youth. In The Joy of Painting, he hid it by holding his palette in the hand with the missing finger.
Gemma Christina Arterton was born on 2 February 1986 at North Kent Hospital in Gravesend with polydactyly, a condition resulting in extra fingers which were removed shortly after her birth.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
