Films involving Dwarfism & Dwarf Actors
Major films are those films which generally focus on dwarfism or dwarf actors.
Minor Films are those in which dwarfism or dwarf actors play only a minor role or are used for comedy, thriller, horror purposes.
Dwarfism/Dwarf actors is a special category. Nearly all the films here include dwarf actors
but are not about being a dwarf, an exception would be the excellent "Frankie Starlight" (1995).
Dwarf actors were often included in films for the novelty factor just as they were a common
feature of circuses. But on the positive side nearly all dwarf characters are played by dwarf
actors, an exception is "Moulin Rouge" 1952 in which Toulouse Lautrec is played by Jose
Ferrer. Anyone interested in the subject of dwarf actors should read the background to the
filming of "The Wizard of Oz" 1939 which used around 60 dwarf actors. At that time, and
still in certain quarters, they were called 'midgets' which is now considered offensive. Today
some people prefer the term "little people" though as I understand it "dwarf" is acceptable.
Links:
http://www.lpaonline.org The Little People of America was founded by the dwarf actor Billy Barty who has had one of the longest careers in film. Billy Barty died in 2000.
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