Eyebrow Loss
Oliver Reed popped into Swintons when Ken Russell insisted on shaving Ollie’s eyebrows off for the 'colourful' religious satire The Devils. Anthony Quinn sought similar cover when he agreed to go bald for The Magus.
Becoming A Paraplegic
Called upon to play wheelchair-bound 'Nam vet Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone's Born On The Fourth Of July, Tom Cruise, keen to understand the plight of a paraplegic, agreed to undergo medical treatment that would leave him unable to walk for 48 hours. Sadly, spoilsport underwriters scuppered the Cruiser's method madness.
Facial Scarring
LA underwriter Arthur W Stebbins created the original 'scarred face' insurance policy. Early takers included Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Mary Pickford and Paul Muni.
Toe And Leg Injury
Charlie Chaplin had his famous pigeon toes insured for £150,000; small beer indeed when compared with Betty Grable (alias 'The Girl With The Million Dollar Legs') and her $1,125,000 cover, and the $5 million for which Cyd Charise had her pins underwritten.
Canine Wounding
Rinty IV, the grand-pup of celebrated movie dog Rin Tin Tin, was insured for the grand sum of $250,000.
Weight Loss
Asked to gain two stone to play Al Capone in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables, Robert De Niro asked for insurance cover, just in case he had trouble taking the excess weight off again. Since Bob had managed to shed four stone in a year following Raging Bull, the studio declined.
Premature Ageing
The original big-screen Frankenstein, Boris Karloff took out cover in case the make-up used in James Whale's masterpiece left him looking old before his time.
Fish Starvation
Overworked animal lover Henry Fonda had his producers insure his prize fish in case he forgot to feed them while shooting Young Mr Lincoln.
Stunt Mishaps
"I don't believe in insurance," says Burt Reynolds in Deliverance, but the bewigged one's colossal cover demands threatened to derail stunt man movie Hooper. How the world's film lovers breathed a collective sigh of relief when Burt and the underwriters came to an arrangement.
Nasal Disfigurement
The ;egendary entertainer Jimmy Durante stuck his nose out and insured his schnozze for $100,000.