Billy Curtis
Billy Curtis
Biography
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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
68
Gender
Male
Birthday
1909-06-27 (115 years old)
Place of Birth
Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Acting

1985

The Twilight Zone as (segment "Personal Demons")

1985

Head Office as Reverend Lynch

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

Laverne & Shirley as Not available

1976

Monster Squad as The Ringmaster

1975

White House Madness as Secret Service Man

1975

The Wild McCullochs as Charlie P.

1973

High Plains Drifter as Mordecai

1973

Little Cigars as Slick Bender

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

The Comic as Lifeguard in Film (uncredited)

1969

Hello, Dolly! as Little Person (uncredited)

1968

Here's Lucy as Herman

1968

Planet of the Apes as Child Ape (uncredited)

1968

The Legend of Lylah Clare as Clown (uncredited)

1966

Star Trek as Small, copper skinned ambassador (uncredited)

1966

Batman as Midget

1966

The Monkees as Midget

1966

Out of Sight as The Man From F.L.U.S.H.

1965

Two on a Guillotine as Big Mike (uncredited)

1964

Bewitched as Not available

1964

Robin and the 7 Hoods as Newsboy

1963

The Greatest Show on Earth as Not available

1962

The Beverly Hillbillies as Not available

1961

87th Precinct as Not available

1961

Backstage Party as Self

1959

Adventures in Paradise as Captain Borcher

1959

Tightrope as Not available

1958

77 Sunset Strip as Not available

1958

Shirley Temple's Storybook as Boomalakka Wee

1958

The Adventures of Super Pup as Super Pup / Bark Bent

1957

Man of a Thousand Faces as Harry Earles (uncredited)

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

Adventures of Superman as Not available

1952

This Is Your Life as Self

1952

Limelight as Midget in Agent's Office (uncredited)

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 Not available

1943

The Hard Way as Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited)

1942

Saboteur as Midget - Circus Troupe

1942

Lucky Legs as Newsboy

1942

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp! as Midget

1942

Don't Lie as Melinda, the chimp

1941

Hellzapoppin' as Bodyguard (uncredited)

1941

Maisie Was a Lady as Midget (Uncredited)

1941

Ice-Capades as George

1941

Emergency Landing as Judge

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)
Crew

1971

Dirty Harry Stunts