# Dwarves in serious roles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418 "2007-09-16T20:51:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/41 "2007-09-17T05:10:32Z")
Miller writes: \> I’ve got a pipe dream about someone making a TV series from Lois Bujold’s \> Miles Vorkosigan sf novels, with Dinklage in the title role. Lurkmeister writes: \> Miller, I’ve had the same thought about Peter Dinklage as Miles Vorkosigan. Peter Dinklage is 4’5". The character of Miles Vorkosigan is supposed to be 4’11", so that’s not likely. Hey, maybe I should play Miles! It would be interesting just for once to see a character played by somebody who’s actually significantly shorter than the character is supposed to be. It’s pretty common to have characters played by actors much taller than the character is supposed to be. The 4’10" J. M. Barrie was played by the 5’9" Johnny Depp. The 5’3" Truman Capote was played by the 5’9.5" Philip Seymour Hoffman. The 4’8" Edith Piaf was played by the 5’6.5" Marion Cotillard. The 5’5.5" T. E. Lawrence was played by the 6’3" Peter O’Toole. I can’t think of a single case of a character being played by an actor who’s significantly shorter than the character is supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/42 "2007-09-17T05:11:44Z")
The Red Dwarf, directed by Yvan Le Moine, is a French film released 1998, with a dwarf as a protagonist, acting typically french, ie seducing women, running off to join a circus, etc. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/43 "2007-09-17T09:50:24Z")
_Things you can tell just by looking at her_ is a bit of a stretch, but worth a nod, I think ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/44 "2007-09-17T10:05:38Z")
[QUOTE=DigitalC] HBOs upcoming _Song of Ice and Fire_ adaptation should hopefully have a dwarf as a prominent member of the cast. [/QUOTE] I’d like to see Dinklage do that one, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/45 "2007-09-17T10:16:54Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] There’s [_Foul Play,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foul_Play) 1978 comedy with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. Chased by criminals and warned to “beware of the Dwarf” (a hired killer’s nickname) Goldie mistakes an actual dwarf for the killer and puts him in the hospital. Turns out the dwarf she attacked was just selling insurance or pre-arranged funerals, forget which. [/QUOTE] Bibles, actually. His own translation, if memory serves. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/46 "2007-09-17T11:33:26Z")
While Michael J. Anderson was damn good in CARNIVALE, he was indeed THE archetypical Dream-Dwarf. “Let’s rock!” ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/47 "2007-09-17T11:52:36Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] It would be interesting just for once to see a character played by somebody who’s actually significantly shorter than the character is supposed to be. It’s pretty common to have characters played by actors much taller than the character is supposed to be. The 4’10" J. M. Barrie was played by the 5’9" Johnny Depp. The 5’3" Truman Capote was played by the 5’9.5" Philip Seymour Hoffman. The 4’8" Edith Piaf was played by the 5’6.5" Marion Cotillard. The 5’5.5" T. E. Lawrence was played by the 6’3" Peter O’Toole. I can’t think of a single case of a character being played by an actor who’s significantly shorter than the character is supposed to be. [/QUOTE] Ron LeFlore the baseball player who was 6’0" and 200lbs. was played by the gargantuan Levar Burton (5’7") and in the worst casting decision of all-time 5’10" William Bendix played 6’2" Babe Ruth (I am guessing their respective weights were closer.) Both Raymond Massey and Henry Fonda were 6’1" (not exactly midgets but 3 inches shorter than 6’4" Abraham Lincoln. There are so many really short actors that there are probably a lot more examples. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/48 "2007-09-17T12:00:30Z")
Ooh, here’s one: Zelda Rubinstein in _Poltergeist_. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/49 "2007-09-17T14:08:23Z")
[QUOTE=Jophiel] I can’t answer your question (at least, I can’t think of a non-comedy/fantasy which had a dwarf in a ‘normal’ role) but this thread immediately brough up the Nick/Tito exchange from Living With Oblivion where director Nick is trying to coach Tito (a dwarf) through some sterotypical “dream sequence” stuff. [/QUOTE] That scene was hysterical. Thank you for reminding me of the title of the film; just yesterday, I was trying to remember it. [QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] How short do you have to be to qualify as a dwarf, anyway? I believe Danny DeVito is 5’ 0", BTW. [/QUOTE] I think Danny DeVito is 5’0" in the same way that Tom Cruise is 5’10". [QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] It would be interesting just for once to see a character played by somebody who’s actually significantly shorter than the character is supposed to be. It’s pretty common to have characters played by actors much taller than the character is supposed to be. The 4’10" J. M. Barrie was played by the 5’9" Johnny Depp. The 5’3" Truman Capote was played by the 5’9.5" Philip Seymour Hoffman. The 4’8" Edith Piaf was played by the 5’6.5" Marion Cotillard. The 5’5.5" T. E. Lawrence was played by the 6’3" Peter O’Toole. [/QUOTE] And 5’9" Abbie Hoffman played by 6’4" Vincent D’Onofriio ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/50 "2007-09-17T14:12:37Z")
O.K., denquixote, let’s compare your examples to mine. Actor shorter than character played: 4’10" J. M. Barrie was played by 5’9" Johnny Depp, so actor is 11" taller than character. 5’3" Truman Capote was played by 5’9.5" Philip Seymour Hoffman, so actor is 6.5" taller than character. 4’8" Edith Piaf was played by 5’6.5" Marion Cotillard, so actress is 10.5" taller than character. 5’5.5" T. E. Lawrence was played by 6’3" Peter O’Toole, so actor is 9.5" taller than character. (He was also played by 6’1’ Ralph Fiennes, so actor is 7.5" taller than character. Actor taller than character played: 6’0" Ron LeFlore was played by 5’7" Levar Burton, so actor is 5" shorter than character. 6’3" Abraham Lincoln was played by 6’1" Henry Fonda and 6’1" Raymond Massey, so actors are 2" taller than character. So my five examples are actors 6.5" to 11" off the real height, while your two examples are actors 2" to 5" off the real height. As I said, I don’t know of any examples of characters being played by actors who are _significantly_ shorter than the character. Also, you write: \> There are so many really short actors that there are probably a lot more \> examples. Cite? I’ve heard this offhand claim before, but I don’t believe it. Indeed, I believe that actors tend to be a little taller than average. I believe the reason that people make this claim is that they get the impression that certain actors are average to tall, mostly because they are carefully filmed to look taller. When they meet them in person, they discover that they are average height or a little less. Does anyone have any statistics (not anecdotes) about the average height of actors? Indeed, the interesting thing is how few male actors (particularly lead actors) there are between, say, 4’10" and 5’3", short enough to be significantly short without being a midget or a dwarf. There are a fair amount of men of that height, and yet there are very few actors (particularly lead actors) of that height. There may be more male actors less than 4’10" than there are male actors between 4’10" and 5’3", and yet there are comparatively few men less than 4’10". ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/51 "2007-09-17T14:19:19Z")
threeorange writes: \> I think Danny DeVito is 5’0" in the same way that Tom Cruise is 5’10". Nowhere except in Cruise’s studio publicity is it claimed that he is 5’10". IMDb says he is 5’7", and that’s what every mention of him on entertainment program says so also. Comparison of him standing next to his various wives seems to indicate that that’s about right. IMDb says that DeVito is 5’0". That looks about right, I think, looking at him standing next to other actors. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/52 "2007-09-17T14:22:23Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] I can’t think of a single case of a character being played by an actor who’s significantly shorter than the character is supposed to be. [/QUOTE] Michael Keaton as Batman. Jack Nicholson as R. P. McMurphy. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/53 "2007-09-17T14:30:26Z")
[QUOTE=LurkMeister] [Meredith Eaton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0247860/) played Bethany Horowitz, lover and occasional opposing attorney to William Shatner’s Denny Crane. According to her IMDB bio, the part was written specifically her by David E. Kelley after seeing her other acting work. [/QUOTE] She also played a major role in an episode of _House_ last year (or the year before?) which had her not only as a dwarf mother to a growing (or not growing - House decides!) daughter of average height, but also as a terrific foil for House. He was so impressed with her smarmy attitude that there was a twinkle of romance in his eye. _House_ fans hope to see her back! ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/54 "2007-09-17T14:31:56Z")
Peter Dinklage is going to play Trumpkin in the new Narnia movie, _Prince Caspian_. He’s a little short for Miles Vorkosigan; I’ll have to think about that one. I have his _Station Agent_ role in my head, and I can’t picture him being hyperactive enough. I do think he’d make a great Tyrion Lannister. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/55 "2007-09-17T14:45:51Z")
Countrapuntal writes: \> Michael Keaton as Batman. Jack Nicholson as R. P. McMurphy. Michael Keaton is 5’10" and Jack Nicholson is 5’9.75" according to the IMDb. Going by my rule that “significantly shorter” means more than 5", I don’t see how these count. Show me that Batman or R. P. McMurphy is supposed to be more than 6’3". ---
**Author:** ![Beltane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Beltane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beltane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/56 "2007-09-17T14:46:53Z")
In terms of actors who are smaller than their characters, how about the Thing in the Fantastic four movie? Chickliss is only 5’8 1/2 according to imdb. They didn’t digitally increase his height, either. The invisible woman is 5’6 so when she had heels she was about the same height as the Thing. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/57 "2007-09-17T14:53:33Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Going by my rule that “significantly shorter” means more than 5", I don’t see how these count. [/QUOTE] 6’2" Johnny Cash had a half foot on 5’8" Joaquin Pheonix. 6’3" Rodgrigo Santoro gave up quite a bit to the 8 footish fictional Xerxes in _The 300_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/58 "2007-09-17T15:01:03Z")
Back to the OP, Danny Woodburn (aka Mickey Abbott from Seinfield) was pretty much playing an prick who just happened to be a dwarf in _Employee of the Month_. I seem to vaguely recall him doing that other places as well. ---
**Author:** ![Lynne\_kilii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lynne\_kilii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynne_kilii)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/59 "2007-09-17T16:12:27Z")
Abby’s love interest on NCIS last season was a dwarf, and I remember it being a serious role. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418/60 "2007-09-17T16:20:24Z")
How about the **Lord of the Rings** films? Sure they were stand-ins, but they were stand-ins for serious roles. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dwarves-in-serious-roles/419418.md?page=4)