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.
Filmography
Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican Inquirer: The Pope's Tour
as Monsignor Duffy
Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican Inquirer: The Pope's Tour
as Monsignor Duffy
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
as Elf #2
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
as Elf #2
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
as Barnaby
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
as Barnaby
Loose Shoes
as Menchkin
Loose Shoes
as Menchkin
The Wild McCullochs
as Charlie P.
The Wild McCullochs
as Charlie P.
White House Madness
as Secret Service Man
White House Madness
as Secret Service Man
Little Cigars
as Slick Bender
Little Cigars
as Slick Bender
High Plains Drifter
as Mordecai
High Plains Drifter
as Mordecai
Evil Roy Slade
as Toy Cowboy (uncredited)
Evil Roy Slade
as Toy Cowboy (uncredited)
Norwood
as Edmund B. Ratner
Norwood
as Edmund B. Ratner
Hello, Dolly!
as Little Person (uncredited)
Hello, Dolly!
as Little Person (uncredited)
The Comic
as Lifeguard in Film (uncredited)
The Comic
as Lifeguard in Film (uncredited)
Planet of the Apes
as Child Ape (uncredited)
Planet of the Apes
as Child Ape (uncredited)
Out of Sight
as The Man From F.L.U.S.H.
Out of Sight
as The Man From F.L.U.S.H.
Bob Hope Christmas Show
as Self
Bob Hope Christmas Show
as Self
Two on a Guillotine
as Big Mike (uncredited)
Two on a Guillotine
as Big Mike (uncredited)
Robin and the 7 Hoods
as Newsboy (uncredited)
Robin and the 7 Hoods
as Newsboy (uncredited)
The Incredible Shrinking Man
as Midget
The Incredible Shrinking Man
as Midget
Friendly Persuasion
as Midget at County Fair (uncredited)
Friendly Persuasion
as Midget at County Fair (uncredited)
Jungle Moon Men
as Damu
Jungle Moon Men
as Damu
Limelight
as Midget in Agent's Office (uncredited)
Limelight
as Midget in Agent's Office (uncredited)
Superman and the Mole Men
as Mole-Man (uncredited)
Superman and the Mole Men
as Mole-Man (uncredited)
Pygmy Island
as Makuba
Pygmy Island
as Makuba
Buck Privates Come Home
Buck Privates Come Home
The Hard Way
as Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited)
The Hard Way
as Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited)
Lucky Legs
as Newsboy
Lucky Legs
as Newsboy
Saboteur
as Midget - Circus Troupe
Saboteur
as Midget - Circus Troupe
Hellzapoppin'
as Bodyguard (uncredited)
Hellzapoppin'
as Bodyguard (uncredited)
Ice-Capades
as George
Ice-Capades
as George
The Wizard of Oz
as Munchkin (uncredited)
The Wizard of Oz
as Munchkin (uncredited)
Three Texas Steers
as Hercules - the Midget
Three Texas Steers
as Hercules - the Midget
The Terror of Tiny Town
as The Hero (Buck Lawson)
The Terror of Tiny Town
as The Hero (Buck Lawson)