Billy Barty, American actor (born 1924)

Billy Barty was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) tall because of cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism and so was often cast in films opposite taller performers for comic effect. He specialized in outspoken or wisecracking characters. During the 1950s, he became a television actor, appearing regularly in the Spike Jones ensemble. In the early 1970s, he appeared often in a variety of roles in children's TV programs produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. As an activist for people with dwarfism, he founded the Little People of America organization in 1957.