Chad Michael Murray has acted in a ton of iconic roles over the years … but, he nearly couldn’t — ’cause he almost died as a teen.

The actor’s on a press tour in support of the new movie “Freakier Friday” … and, he got real about his near-death experience when he was just 15 years old.

Murray got real on the “Great Company” podcast … telling host and reality star Jamie Laing — explaining his intestines got all twisted up and he was bleeding internally.

CMM says he lost half of the blood in his body … adding he was “on [his] deathbed.”

Murray says he remembers seeing his father talking to a priest about last rites … before his nurse, Sandy, gave him a blood transfusion to save his life. His time in the hospital dropped his weight from 180 to 118 pounds.

Just a few years later, Murray landed roles on shows like “Dawson’s Creek,” “Gilmore Girls,” and — of course — “One Tree Hill” and “Freaky Friday.”

Chad admits he’s all about clean living these days — no alcohol, eating healthy — ’cause he says he doesn’t want to end up in the hospital like that again.