There Are No Small Roles, Only Small Actors
The munchkins weren't the first dwarves in cinema, but they were the first to make a big splash. The waves of that diminutive cannonball have raced through Hollywood history ever since. We're here to celebrate the best of the bunch.
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May 28, 2010
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Warwick Davis
At two (or seven if you count all six Leprechaun movies), Warwick Davis has played more title characters than any other small person ever. Most recognizable as Willow, Davis got his start in the biz as an 11-year-old after his granny heard a radio advertisement looking for little people to try out for a film called Return of the Jedi. He was tapped to play an extra Ewok, but after Kenny Baker (the man inside R2-D2) bowed out for the part, George Lucas gave Davis the role of Wicket, the only Ewok anyone remembers nowadays. Davis' success with Wicket is what convinced Lucas to make Willow five years later, and with that film a dwarf star was born. Davis has gone on to appear in Labyrinth, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, every single Harry Potter film, and Extras. In 1995 he tried something new, founding Willow Management, a talent agency that specializes in representing actors under five feet tall and over seven feet.
Height: 3' 6"
Greatest Role: Willow in Willow
