CINEFILER

Billy Curtis

Born
June 27, 1909
Died
November 9, 1988
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
Planet of the Apes
(1968)
Child Ape (uncredited)
The Wizard of Oz
(1939)
Munchkin (uncredited)
High Plains Drifter
(1973)
Mordecai
Hello, Dolly!
(1969)
Little Person (uncredited)
The Incredible Shrinking Man
(1957)
Midget
Saboteur
(1942)
Midget - Circus Troupe
Hellzapoppin'
(1941)
Bodyguard (uncredited)
Eating Raoul
(1982)
Little Person
Robin and the 7 Hoods
(1964)
Newsboy
Head Office
(1985)
Reverend Lynch
Man of a Thousand Faces
(1957)
Harry Earles (uncredited)
Little Cigars
(1973)
Slick Bender
Loose Shoes
(1978)
Menchkin
Superman and the Mole-Men
(1951)
Mole-Man (uncredited)
Norwood
(1970)
Edmund B. Ratner
Evil Roy Slade
(1972)
Toy Cowboy (uncredited)
Full Filmography
Acting
The Terror of Tiny Town
(1938)
The Hero (Buck Lawson)
Three Texas Steers
(1939)
Hercules - the Midget
The Wizard of Oz
(1939)
Munchkin (uncredited)
Emergency Landing
(1941)
Judge
Ice-Capades
(1941)
George
Hellzapoppin'
(1941)
Bodyguard (uncredited)
Maisie Was a Lady
(1941)
Midget (Uncredited)
Don't Lie
(1942)
Melinda, the chimp
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!
(1942)
Midget
Lucky Legs
(1942)
Newsboy
Saboteur
(1942)
Midget - Circus Troupe
The Hard Way
(1943)
Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited)
Homicide for Three
(1948)
Circus Performer
April Showers
(1948)
Capt. Rudolph L. Nemo
Pygmy Island
(1950)
Makuba
Superman and the Mole-Men
(1951)
Mole-Man (uncredited)
Princess of the Nile
(1954)
Tut (uncredited)
Jungle Moon Men
(1955)
Damu
The Incredible Shrinking Man
(1957)
Midget
Man of a Thousand Faces
(1957)
Harry Earles (uncredited)
The Adventures of Super Pup
(1958)
Super Pup / Bark Bent
Back Stage Party
(1961)
Self
Back Stage Party
(1961)
Self
Robin and the 7 Hoods
(1964)
Newsboy
Out of Sight
(1966)
The Man From F.L.U.S.H.
Planet of the Apes
(1968)
Child Ape (uncredited)
Hello, Dolly!
(1969)
Little Person (uncredited)
Norwood
(1970)
Edmund B. Ratner
Aphrodisiac!: The Sexual Secret of Marijuana
(1971)
Man on the Street Interviewee
Evil Roy Slade
(1972)
Toy Cowboy (uncredited)
High Plains Drifter
(1973)
Mordecai
Little Cigars
(1973)
Slick Bender
The Wild McCullochs
(1975)
Charlie P.
White House Madness
(1975)
Secret Service Man
Loose Shoes
(1978)
Menchkin
Eating Raoul
(1982)
Little Person
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
(1984)
Barnaby
Head Office
(1985)
Reverend Lynch
Crew
Data provided by TMDB