William H. Macy recalls near-death experience

William H. Macy got the giggles after a near death experience.

The American actor has been nominated for an Oscar and won countless other awards and accolades during his career. Before turning his attention to acting, William studied veterinary medicine and even worked as a carpenter.

However his affinity for fixing furniture nearly led to a fatal accident.

"I was in New York City. We had a deck on our apartment, which was on the fourteenth floor, and the planks had warped so when you walked across they were uneven. So, being the carpenter that I am, I lifted them all up to lay them back out flat, but they were so heavy I had to lean them against the railing," William explained to the British edition of GQ magazine.

"Anyway I was on my hands and knees, placing the blocks underneath, when one of the planks slammed down. It missed me by about four inches and it would have broken and crushed my skull, and Felicity [Huffman, then girlfriend now wife] would have come home to find my cold, dead body. Then I had the exact reaction I’ve heard of other people: I got the giggles and I couldn’t stop them."

As well as an impressive back catalogue of film and TV roles, William is also a regular on the stage. He's been involved in theatre since his college years, but given the choice, the star wouldn't turn back the hands of time.

"I’m going through [the best age] right now because I’m 64 years old, and I noticed a couple of years ago that I was making a lot of jokes at my own expense about my age, and it made me feel bad. And it literally made me feel bad – all the aches and pains that come along with age seemed to hurt more.

"Anyway, I decided a lot of people are going to make fun of how old I am, and I’m not going to be one of them. So I gave it up. So my answer to your question is: older is better than younger," he smiled.