# Who was the female oompa loompa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2019, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625 "2019-06-17T00:49:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/1 "2019-06-17T00:49:43Z")
Apparently, there was an oompa loompa in _Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory_ that was portrayed by a woman. Which one was it, and who was the actress? ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/2 "2019-06-17T01:51:25Z")
[Pepi (or Pepe) Poupee.](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0693802/) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/3 "2019-06-17T01:52:50Z")
Thanks. I misread the credit as ‘Pepe’, and assumed a male. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/4 "2019-06-17T01:59:12Z")
IMDb also indicates she went by the name Kathy Gearen, and it looks like she passed away in 2006: [obit](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/journaltimes/obituary.aspx?n=kathleen-m-gearen-kathy&pid=16992359) ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/5 "2019-06-17T02:01:10Z")
Screen cap of her as an oompa loompa: > **[Pepe Poupee](https://mubi.com/cast/pepe-poupee)** > > Pepe Poupee's films include Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/6 "2019-06-17T02:03:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Thanks. I misread the credit as ‘Pepe’, and assumed a male. [You’re not the only one.](https://elvisomar.tumblr.com/post/99960393541/romanadv0ratrelundar-pepi-poupee-angelo) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/7 "2019-06-17T03:43:20Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > IMDb also indicates she went by the name Kathy Gearen, and it looks like she passed away in 2006: [obit](https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/journaltimes/obituary.aspx?n=kathleen-m-gearen-kathy&pid=16992359) There’s this on IMDB- Trivia: (2000’s) now legally blind, she lives in a nursing home in England The woman in the obit would have been 24 in 1971. The actress sure looks older, and the obit has no mention of any acting. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/8 "2019-06-17T04:49:02Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > the obit has no mention of any acting. Except for this: > [@](#): > > Kathy… played the role of an Oompa in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/9 "2019-06-17T04:53:11Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > There’s this on IMDB- > Trivia: (2000’s) now legally blind, she lives in a nursing home in England > > The woman in the obit would have been 24 in 1971. The actress sure looks older, and the obit has no mention of any acting. The obit does say: > [@](#): > > later joining the entertainment industry. Kathy sang in Sammy’s Bowery Follies and played the role of an Oompa in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. but I agree, it doesn’t seem to fit. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/10 "2019-06-17T13:48:21Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > [Pepi (or Pepe) Poupee.](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0693802/) Was her father Papa Poupee? ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-female-oompa-loompa/835625/11 "2019-06-17T16:45:19Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > The obit does say: > > but I agree, it doesn’t seem to fit. My bad.