The Near-Death Experience Orlando Bloom Survived As A Teen

Hollywood heartthrob Orlando Bloom has charmed audiences for decades with his memorable performances in franchises like "The Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," but there was once a strong possibility fans would have never seen him bring those iconic characters to life.

Back in the late '90s, Bloom was a 19-year-old teenager who injured himself so severely that it's a miracle he survived both the catastrophic event itself and the repercussions that followed. The tattoo enthusiast, who has been an international goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2009, shared his jaw-dropping story and how he's grown from the experience in a joint video with the nonprofit company.

He fell from a three-story window, breaking his back. Bloom called himself "fortunate" to have survived his near-death experience, noting how his spinal cord was still intact, but just barely. Doctors told him during the first four days he was in the hospital that he "may never walk again." That's a terrifying thing to be told, much less as a teenager whose young adult life is only just beginning. Yet, somehow, Bloom proved his resilience. After going through surgery and physical therapy, the future actor, wearing a back brace, was able to walk himself out of the hospital on crutches in less than two weeks. However, his recuperation was far from over. In some ways, it was just getting started.

Orlando Bloom admitted he had been very active up until the accident, so being forced to take a step back while his broken body healed wasn't an easy feat. On top of the immense pain that comes with an injury to that degree, Bloom's mental recovery was also painful. "I would say the months after the fall were quite a dark time," he shared in the Instagram video, adding how he learned to take the suffering he was experiencing, both physically and mentally, and turn it into "great, good fortune" in his life.

This isn't the first time Bloom has spoken about his experience. In May 2024, "Late Night" host Seth Meyers asked Bloom about the incident. Bloom admitted his injury "was pretty dumb" because he had tried jumping to a roof terrace below his friends' apartment, grabbed "a piece of metal," then fell. In 2021, he shared a photo of himself on Instagram riding a bike wearing a back brace three months after the fall. "Grateful everyday [sic] for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live life on my edge," he captioned. 

Before that, he told GQ about the incident in 2005, admitting how, before the accident, he "didn't have a healthy appreciation for life and death — that [humans aren't] invincible." Now, he doesn't play fast and loose with his safety. Of course, he still lives life to the fullest though, which includes paddle boarding while naked with wife Katy Perry.