Billy Curtis
Billy Curtis (June 27, 1909 - November 9, 1988) was an American film and television actor. He was a dwarf who had a 50-year career in a variety of roles. He was born on 27 June 1909 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and died November 9, 1988 in Dayton, Nevada, of a heart attack. According to the IMDb site, his birth name was Luigi Curto, and his height was 4 feet 2 inches (1.27 m). The bulk of his work was in the western and science fiction genres. One of his early jobs was as one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz. He also appeared in Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. Most notably, Curtis worked in westerns, including the Clint Eastwood feature, High Plains Drifter in which he featured as Mordecai, a friendly dwarf sympathetic to Eastwood, he also appeared in the 1938 Musical/Western The Terror of Tiny Town. This film is, as far as is known, the world's only Western with an all-dwarf cast. Many of the actors in Tinytown were part of a performing troupe called Singer's Midgets, who also played Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939. He also had a starring role in American International Pictures' 1973 release, Little Cigars, about a gang of "midgets" on a crime spree.
Known For
Credits
- 1986 · Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican Inquirer: The Pope's Tour as Monsignor Duffy
- 1985 · The Twilight Zone as
- 1985 · Head Office as Reverend Lynch
- 1984 · Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as Barnaby
- 1982 · Faerie Tale Theatre as Barnaby
- 1982 · Eating Raoul as Little Person
- 1979 · Knots Landing as Billy Curtis
- 1979 · Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as General Yoomak
- 1978 · Loose Shoes as Menchkin
- 1976 · Monster Squad as The Ringmaster
- 1976 · Laverne & Shirley as
- 1975 · The Wild McCullochs as Charlie P.
- 1975 · White House Madness as Secret Service Man
- 1973 · Little Cigars as Slick Bender
- 1973 · High Plains Drifter as Mordecai
- 1972 · Evil Roy Slade as Toy Cowboy (uncredited)
- 1971 · Aphrodisiac: The Love Secret as Man on the Street Interviewee
- 1970 · Norwood as Edmund B. Ratner
- 1969 · Hello, Dolly! as Little Person (uncredited)
- 1968 · Here's Lucy as Herman
- 1968 · Planet of the Apes as Child Ape (uncredited)
- 1966 · The Monkees as
- 1966 · Star Trek as Small, copper skinned ambassador (uncredited)
- 1966 · Out of Sight as The Man From F.L.U.S.H.
- 1966 · Batman as Midget
- 1965 · Bob Hope Christmas Show as
- 1964 · Bewitched as
- 1964 · Robin and the 7 Hoods as Newsboy
- 1963 · The Greatest Show on Earth as
- 1962 · The Beverly Hillbillies as
- 1961 · Back Stage Party as Self
- 1961 · 87th Precinct as
- 1959 · Adventures in Paradise as Captain Borcher
- 1959 · Tightrope as
- 1958 · 77 Sunset Strip as
- 1958 · The Adventures of Super Pup as Super Pup / Bark Bent
- 1957 · Man of a Thousand Faces as Harry Earles (uncredited)
- 1957 · The Incredible Shrinking Man as Midget
- 1956 · Friendly Persuasion as Midget at County Fair (uncredited)
- 1955 · Gunsmoke as Arizona
- 1955 · Jungle Moon Men as Damu
- 1954 · Princess of the Nile as Tut (uncredited)
- 1952 · Limelight as Midget in Agent's Office (uncredited)
- 1952 · This Is Your Life as Self
- 1952 · Adventures of Superman as
- 1951 · Superman and the Mole-Men as Mole-Man (uncredited)
- 1950 · Pygmy Island as Makuba
- 1948 · Homicide for Three as Circus Performer
- 1948 · April Showers as Capt. Rudolph L. Nemo
- 1947 · Buck Privates Come Home as
- 1943 · The Hard Way as Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited)
- 1942 · Lucky Legs as Newsboy
- 1942 · Saboteur as Midget - Circus Troupe
- 1942 · Don't Lie as Melinda, the chimp
- 1942 · Tramp, Tramp, Tramp! as Midget
- 1941 · Hellzapoppin' as Bodyguard (uncredited)
- 1941 · Ice-Capades as George
- 1941 · Emergency Landing as Judge
- 1941 · Maisie Was a Lady as Midget (Uncredited)
- 1939 · The Wizard of Oz as Munchkin (uncredited)
- 1939 · Three Texas Steers as Hercules - the Midget
- 1938 · The Terror of Tiny Town as The Hero (Buck Lawson)