Yes, but probably not who you're thinking of.

Assuming you're talking about the 1959 "Ben-Hur" (the third of five adaptations of the original novel -- a sixth is due out this summer), there was a persistent rumor that supporting star Stephen Boyd's stuntman died during the filming of the chariot race. Some even said that footage of this death was left in the final cut of the movie. However, it's not true. It was done with dummies and editing (this was, of course, prior to the days of computer graphics).

However, someone did die during production: the film's producer, Sam Zimbalist. He died of a heart attack, reportedly shortly after leaving the set one day, just weeks before the film was finished.

Adding to the tragedy (or subtracting from it, depending on how you look at it), "Ben-Hur" won the Oscar for Best Picture that year. Zimbalist's widow, Mary, collected the award on his behalf.

Much of the film's legendary status is thanks to that chariot race, which was revolutionary at the time. "There has seldom been anything in movies to compare with this picture's chariot race," said the New York Times review of the film in 1959. "It is a stunning complex of mighty setting, thrilling action by horses and men."
 

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