Known For
Acting
Known Credits
71
Gender
Male
Birthday
June 27, 1909 (117 years old)
Place of Birth
Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
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.
| 1986 | Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican Inquirer: The Pope's Touras Monsignor Duffy | |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zoneas Creature (segment "Personal Demons") | |
| 1985 | Head Officeas Reverend Lynch | |
| 1984 | It Came Upon the Midnight Clearas Elf #2 | |
| 1984 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsas Barnaby | |
| 1982 | Faerie Tale Theatreas Barnaby | |
| 1982 | Eating Raoulas Little Person | |
| 1979 | Knots Landingas Billy Curtis | |
| 1979 | Buck Rogers in the 25th Centuryas General Yoomak | |
| 1978 | Loose Shoesas Menchkin | |
| 1976 | Monster Squadas The Ringmaster | |
| 1976 | Laverne & Shirleyas | |
| 1975 | The Wild McCullochsas Charlie P. | |
| 1975 | White House Madnessas Secret Service Man | |
| 1973 | Little Cigarsas Slick Bender | |
| 1973 | High Plains Drifteras Mordecai | |
| 1972 | Evil Roy Sladeas Toy Cowboy (uncredited) | |
| 1971 | Aphrodisiac: The Love Secretas Man on the Street Interviewee | |
| 1970 | Norwoodas Edmund B. Ratner | |
| 1969 | Hello, Dolly!as Little Person (uncredited) | |
| 1969 | The Comicas Lifeguard in Film (uncredited) | |
| 1968 | Here's Lucyas Herman | |
| 1968 | The Legend of Lylah Clareas Clown (uncredited) | |
| 1968 | Planet of the Apesas Child Ape (uncredited) | |
| 1966 | The Monkeesas Midget | |
| 1966 | Star Trekas Small, copper skinned ambassador (uncredited) | |
| 1966 | Out of Sightas The Man From F.L.U.S.H. | |
| 1966 | Batmanas Midget | |
| 1965 | Bob Hope Christmas Showas Self | |
| 1965 | Get Smartas El Lobo-Ito | |
| 1965 | Get Smartas Tiny Allen (uncredited) | |
| 1965 | Two on a Guillotineas Big Mike (uncredited) | |
| 1964 | Bewitchedas Jack O'Lantern | |
| 1964 | Robin and the 7 Hoodsas Newsboy | |
| 1963 | The Greatest Show on Earthas | |
| 1962 | The Beverly Hillbilliesas | |
| 1961 | Backstage Partyas Self | |
| 1961 | 87th Precinctas | |
| 1959 | Adventures in Paradiseas Captain Borcher | |
| 1959 | Tightropeas | |
| 1958 | 77 Sunset Stripas | |
| 1958 | Shirley Temple's Storybookas Boomalakka Wee | |
| 1958 | Shirley Temple's Storybookas Dwarf | |
| 1957 | Man of a Thousand Facesas Harry Earles (uncredited) | |
| 1957 | The Incredible Shrinking Manas Midget | |
| 1956 | Friendly Persuasionas Midget at County Fair (uncredited) | |
| 1955 | Gunsmokeas Arizona | |
| 1955 | Jungle Moon Menas Damu | |
| 1954 | Princess of the Nileas Tut (uncredited) | |
| 1952 | Limelightas Midget in Agent's Office (uncredited) | |
| 1952 | This Is Your Lifeas Self | |
| 1952 | Adventures of Supermanas | |
| 1952 | Adventures of Supermanas Mole-Man #1 (uncredited) | |
| 1951 | Superman and the Mole Menas Mole-Man (uncredited) | |
| 1950 | Pygmy Islandas Makuba | |
| 1950 | The Cisco Kidas The Laughing Badman | |
| 1948 | Homicide for Threeas Circus Performer | |
| 1948 | April Showersas Capt. Rudolph L. Nemo | |
| 1947 | Buck Privates Come Homeas | |
| 1943 | The Hard Wayas Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited) | |
| 1942 | Lucky Legsas Newsboy | |
| 1942 | Saboteuras Midget - Circus Troupe | |
| 1942 | Don't Lieas Melinda, the chimp | |
| 1942 | Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!as Midget | |
| 1941 | Hellzapoppin'as Bodyguard (uncredited) | |
| 1941 | Ice-Capadesas George | |
| 1941 | Emergency Landingas Judge | |
| 1941 | Maisie Was a Ladyas Midget (Uncredited) | |
| 1939 | The Wizard of Ozas Munchkin (uncredited) | |
| 1939 | Three Texas Steersas Hercules - the Midget | |
| 1938 | The Terror of Tiny Townas The Hero (Buck Lawson) |
| 1971 | Dirty Harry...Stunts |