Verne Troyer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Verne Troyer
Troyer at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo Sydney, Australia in 2012
Born	January 1, 1969 Sturgis, Michigan, U.S.
Died	(2018-04-21)April 21, 2018 aged 49 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor comedian stunt performer
Years active	1994–2018
Height	2 ft 8 in (81 cm)
Spouse(s)	Genevieve Gallen ​ ​ (m. 2004; annulled 2004)​
Partner(s)	Brittney Powell (2007–2018)
Signature

Verne Troyer (January 1, 1969 – April 21, 2018) was an American actor, stunt performer, and comedian. He was notable for his height of 2 ft 8 in (81 cm), the result of a rare genetic disorder, which made him one of the shortest men in the world. He was best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and for his brief appearance as Griphook the goblin in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Troyer died on April 21, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Troyer was born in Sturgis, Michigan, the son of Susan, a factory worker, and Reuben Troyer, a repair technician. He had two siblings, Davon and Deborah. During his childhood, Troyer spent much time visiting Amish relatives in Centreville, Michigan, and graduated from Centreville High School in 1987. Troyer was initially raised Amish, but his parents left the faith when he was a child. He stated that his parents "never treated me any different than my other average-sized siblings. I used to have to carry wood, feed the cows and pigs and farm animals".

Career

Troyer's film career began when a former president of Little People of America contacted him, looking for someone of a "certain size" to serve as a stunt double for the infant character "Baby Bink" in John Hughes' 1994 film Baby's Day Out. He gained further work as a stunt double with some minor comedic roles in several films of the 1990s, including Dunston Checks In, Jingle All the Way, Men in Black, and My Giant.

Troyer first met with Jay Roach to discuss portraying Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series, directed by Roach and starring co-creator Mike Myers, before filming for the series' second film began. Myers was impressed with Troyer's performance, rewriting the script to give Mini-Me more screen time.

After reaching a wide audience as Mini-Me, Troyer provided the body portrayal of the goblin Griphook in 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and had a prominent role as Percy in Terry Gilliam's 2009 fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. He also made several appearances as himself in reality television series, including the 2005 series of The Surreal Life, the 2007 show Welcome to Sweden, and the 2009 series of the British Celebrity Big Brother.

Filmography

Television

Images for kids

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  Actor and stuntman Verne Troyer in 2007

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  Verne Troyer at the Supernova Pop Culture Expo in Sydney, Australia in 2012

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  Troyer in 2008

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  Verne Troyer in 2009

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  Actor Verne Troyer at Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus premiere - September 18, 2009

See also

In Spanish: Verne Troyer para niños