79
Age
45
Movies
26
TV Shows
7.3
Rating
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.
79
Died at
45
Movies
26
TV Shows
7.3
Avg Rating
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.
1966
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.
Gender
Male
Birthday
June 27, 1909
Died
November 9, 1988
Birthplace
Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Also Known As
The Wizard of Oz
1939
Planet of the Apes
1968
Hello, Dolly!
1969
High Plains Drifter
1973
Limelight
1952
Eating Raoul
1982
The Incredible Shrinking Man
1957
Head Office
1985
Backstage Party
1961
Robin and the 7 Hoods
1964
Pygmy Island
1950
Superman and the Mole Men
1951
Friendly Persuasion
1956
Saboteur
1942
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
1984
Man of a Thousand Faces
1957
Loose Shoes
1978
Two on a Guillotine
1965
Hellzapoppin'
1941
The Legend of Lylah Clare
1968
+ 25 more movies
Knots Landing
1979
Star Trek
1966
Batman
1966
Bewitched
1964
Get Smart
1965
Get Smart
1965
The Beverly Hillbillies
1962
The Twilight Zone
1985
Laverne & Shirley
1976
Here's Lucy
1968
Gunsmoke
1955
The Monkees
1966
77 Sunset Strip
1958
87th Precinct
1961
Tightrope
1959
This Is Your Life
1952
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
1979
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
Adventures of Superman
1952
Adventures of Superman
1952
+ 6 more TV shows