Michael Dunn (actor) Family, Real Name, Spouse, Profession, Eye Color, body stats, Feet Size, Wiki

Michael Dunn (actor) Family, Real Name, Spouse, Profession, Eye Color, body stats, Feet Size, Wiki

Michael Dunn (born Gary Neil Miller, October 20, 1934 â€" August 30,

1973) was an American actor and singer. He inspired a number of actors

significantly smaller and shorter (those with dwarfism) than most

people, including Zelda Rubinstein, Eric the Actor, Mark Povinelli,

and Ricardo Gil.Dunn had medical dwarfism, a result of

spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED, subtype unknown), a genetic defect

of cartilage production caused by a mutation in the COL2A1 (type II

collagen) gene. This disorder, classified as a skeletal dysplasia,

causes distorted development of the limbs, spine, and ribcage and

leads to early, widespread osteoarthritis and constricted lung growth.

As an adult, Dunn stood 3' 10" and weighed about 78 pounds (117 cm, 35

kg). During Dunn's lifetime, his condition was described by the

nonspecific term "progressive chondrodystrophy," or alternatively as

"achondroplasia", a term that now refers specifically to a skeletal

dysplasia caused by a defect in the gene for fibroblast growth factor

receptor 3.Dunn was born to Jewell (née Hilly; died 1990) and Fred

Miller (died 1981) during the time of the Dust Bowl drought. He chose

his stage name in order to differentiate himself from another Gary

Miller in the Screen Actors Guild. ("Dunn" was his maternal

grandmother's maiden name, but his reason for choosing "Michael" is

unknown and not derived from his monastic experience in 1958.) An only

child, when he was four years old, his family moved to Dearborn,

Michigan.Dunn started reading at age three, was champion of the 1947

Detroit News Spelling Beeâ€"representing Wallaceville School in Wayne

Countyâ€"and showed early skill at the piano. He enjoyed singing from

childhood, loved to draw an impromptu audience (even while waiting for

a bus), and developed a pleasing lyric baritone and superb

sight-reading skills. His parents defied pressure from school

authorities to sequester him in a school for disabled children and

staunchly supported his talents, independence, and integration into

mainstream society. "I always got thrown out of classes for being too

lippy", he commented about his experience with elementary school

teachers. "I'd read more than they." His orthopedic condition greatly

limited his mobility, but he swam and ice-skated in childhood and

remained a skilled swimmer throughout his life.
Michael Dunn (actor) Family, Real Name, Spouse, Profession, Eye Color, body stats, Feet Size, Wiki


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