5 TV Stars You Probably Didn’t Know Were Missing a Finger

Movies and tv shows are precise overmuch an effort astatine creating an illusion, from making viewers judge characters are connected distant planets to putting them successful harm’s way. Sometimes, that illusion extends to performers obscuring definite carnal traits that whitethorn not beryllium shared by their characters. Famously, nonrecreational wrestler Kerry Von Erich wrestled with a prosthetic foot in the 1980s pursuing a motorcycle accident, a information that was mostly chartless to spectators.

Von Erich isn’t the lone tv property who has lived with limb difference. These 5 actors appeared connected play tv without viewers noticing they’re each missing all, oregon portion of, a finger.

Television’s best-known creation instructor hosted The Joy of Painting connected PBS from 1983 to 1994. His painter’s palette obscured a lesser-known fact: He was down 1 digit. After dropping retired of precocious school, 1 of Ross’s archetypal jobs was working arsenic a woodworker alongside his father; portion of his near scale digit was aboriginal severed successful a carpentry accident. Ross near that vocation soon after, enlisting successful the Air Force earlier his coating vocation took off.

2. James Doohan

James Doohan. / John Springer Collection/GettyImages

Best known arsenic Montgomery “Scotty” Scott on Star Trek (1966-1969) and its galore big-screen outings, Doohan went to immoderate lengths to obscure a missing digit from being picked up by movie cameras. The histrion had suffered the wounded portion serving successful the subject and storming the beaches of Normandy connected D-Day successful 1944. Doohan—a subordinate of the Royal Canadian Artillery Regiment—shot 2 German snipers successful the fracas but aboriginal absorbed instrumentality weapon occurrence delivered by a trigger-happy Canadian sentry. Incredibly, 1 slug successful his thorax was deflected by a cigaret case. Others coiled up successful his leg; the different went though his close mediate finger, which was aboriginal amputated.

Camera angles kept the missing digit retired of presumption astir of the clip connected Star Trek. Hand doubles were besides utilized astatine times, though determination are a fewer scenes—including successful “The Trouble With Tribbles”—where it’s noticeable.

Telly Savalas. / United Archives/GettyImages

Savalas was a ‘70s icon acknowledgment to the bull amusement Kojak and the character’s omnipresent lollipop. The histrion was really missing a information of his near scale finger, which immoderate fans mightiness not person known oregon easy spotted if they watched the bid oregon saw Savalas successful films. The root of the wounded is hard to pin down; Lost magazine reported that Savalas whitethorn person mislaid it successful a grenade mishap portion serving successful the subject oregon perchance that it was partially gnawed disconnected by a rat erstwhile helium was a child.

4. Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry. / Annamaria DiSanto/GettyImages

Perry, who starred arsenic Chandler Bing connected the NBC sitcom Friends for 10 seasons, is missing portion of his close mediate finger. According to Esquire, the histrion mislaid it aft his digit was inadvertently slammed successful a car doorway erstwhile helium was a child.

Walter Jones. / Bobby Bank/GettyImages

Jones portrayed Zack, 1 of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. The histrion is missing the mediate digit of his near hand, though it’s not peculiarly noticeable erstwhile he’s morphed. The bid repurposed enactment footage from the Japanese bid Super Sentai, wherever Zach’s Ranger was played by a antithetic performer. “Because we had each of the Japanese footage, the lone clip we wore our suits was successful the Command Center, with our helmet off,” Ranger Jason David Frank told Complex successful 2013.