Patrick Walshe (July 26, 1900 â€" December 11, 1991) was an American
dwarf character actor and circus performer who specialized in
impersonating and portraying animals. He is best known for playing
Nikko, the head of the Winged Monkeys in the MGM film The Wizard of Oz
(1939). He appeared in only a few films, as most of his work was in
theater, vaudeville and circus.Walshe was born as Patrick Walshe, on
July 26, 1900, in New York City. Living his early years in Brooklyn,
Walshe suffered from a form of restricted growth, and as a result
never grew to be taller than 3'10".Walshe began performing in
vaudeville shows and circuses at a young age. He made his first
Broadway appearance in 1908 in Lew Fields's production of The Girl
Behind the Counter, where he played "Thompkins", a waiter, a role he
continued till the show ended in December 1910. Shortly after, he
appeared in the Ringling Brothers Circus, run by the famed five
Ringling Brothers. In following years, Walshe appeared in the Broadway
show Hell; and was reunited with Fields for Bunty, Bulls and Strings,
where he played "Mr MacGregor", a Scottish farmer. In 1913, Walshe
heard that the American Play Company was producing Within the Law,
with an entire cast of dwarf actors, and he wrote to them hoping for a
part. The same year, he appeared in the Broadway production A Good
Little Devil, starring Mary Pickford, where he played the roles of a
gnome called "Huggermunk", and of a squirrel. In 1914, Walshe spent
time with the Frank A. Robbins Circus.Many of Walshe's performances
included playing animals, particularly monkeys and apes. Eventually he
began to specialize in monkeys. This gained him popularity on the
vaudeville circuit, where he appeared in shows such as Lew Fields's
and Joe Weber's Reunion show. Appearing in many variety shows, Walshe
earned prominence for his performances and received the nickname 'the
Monkey Man'. His performances were known for their meticulous
attention to detail. He made many visits to zoos to study primate
behavior, and could faithfully mimick their physicality and sounds. A
zookeeper he befriended allowed Walshe to enter the apes's cages to
spend time closer to them. His performance was so realistic that, when
wearing his costume, he was allegedly able to convince a particular
chimp that he was an ape, scaring it.
dwarf character actor and circus performer who specialized in
impersonating and portraying animals. He is best known for playing
Nikko, the head of the Winged Monkeys in the MGM film The Wizard of Oz
(1939). He appeared in only a few films, as most of his work was in
theater, vaudeville and circus.Walshe was born as Patrick Walshe, on
July 26, 1900, in New York City. Living his early years in Brooklyn,
Walshe suffered from a form of restricted growth, and as a result
never grew to be taller than 3'10".Walshe began performing in
vaudeville shows and circuses at a young age. He made his first
Broadway appearance in 1908 in Lew Fields's production of The Girl
Behind the Counter, where he played "Thompkins", a waiter, a role he
continued till the show ended in December 1910. Shortly after, he
appeared in the Ringling Brothers Circus, run by the famed five
Ringling Brothers. In following years, Walshe appeared in the Broadway
show Hell; and was reunited with Fields for Bunty, Bulls and Strings,
where he played "Mr MacGregor", a Scottish farmer. In 1913, Walshe
heard that the American Play Company was producing Within the Law,
with an entire cast of dwarf actors, and he wrote to them hoping for a
part. The same year, he appeared in the Broadway production A Good
Little Devil, starring Mary Pickford, where he played the roles of a
gnome called "Huggermunk", and of a squirrel. In 1914, Walshe spent
time with the Frank A. Robbins Circus.Many of Walshe's performances
included playing animals, particularly monkeys and apes. Eventually he
began to specialize in monkeys. This gained him popularity on the
vaudeville circuit, where he appeared in shows such as Lew Fields's
and Joe Weber's Reunion show. Appearing in many variety shows, Walshe
earned prominence for his performances and received the nickname 'the
Monkey Man'. His performances were known for their meticulous
attention to detail. He made many visits to zoos to study primate
behavior, and could faithfully mimick their physicality and sounds. A
zookeeper he befriended allowed Walshe to enter the apes's cages to
spend time closer to them. His performance was so realistic that, when
wearing his costume, he was allegedly able to convince a particular
chimp that he was an ape, scaring it.
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