Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti, October 25, 1924 â€"
December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life,
he stood 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) tall, due to cartilageâ€"hair hypoplasia
dwarfism, and because of his short stature, he was often cast in
movies 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 was a staple in a variety of roles in children's TV
programs produced by Sid and Marty Krofft.Barty was born October 25,
1924 in Millsboro, Pennsylvania, the son of Albert Steven and Ellen
Cecial Bertanzetti. His paternal grandfather was Italian. The family
moved to California in 1927. He had two sisters, Delores and
Evelyn.Barty co-starred with Mickey Rooney in the Mickey McGuire
shorts, a comedy series of the 1920s and 1930s based on the
Toonerville Folks comics. Small for his age even then, Barty would
impersonate very young children alongside brawny authority figures or
wild animals, making these threats seem even larger by comparison.In
the 1933 film Gold Diggers of 1933, a nine-year-old Barty appeared as
a baby who escapes from his stroller. He also appeared as The Child in
the 1933 film Footlight Parade. He is briefly seen in the 1935 film
Bride of Frankenstein, in an uncredited role as a baby in one of Dr.
Pretorius' experiments, although his close-ups were cut out of the
picture.
December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life,
he stood 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) tall, due to cartilageâ€"hair hypoplasia
dwarfism, and because of his short stature, he was often cast in
movies 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 was a staple in a variety of roles in children's TV
programs produced by Sid and Marty Krofft.Barty was born October 25,
1924 in Millsboro, Pennsylvania, the son of Albert Steven and Ellen
Cecial Bertanzetti. His paternal grandfather was Italian. The family
moved to California in 1927. He had two sisters, Delores and
Evelyn.Barty co-starred with Mickey Rooney in the Mickey McGuire
shorts, a comedy series of the 1920s and 1930s based on the
Toonerville Folks comics. Small for his age even then, Barty would
impersonate very young children alongside brawny authority figures or
wild animals, making these threats seem even larger by comparison.In
the 1933 film Gold Diggers of 1933, a nine-year-old Barty appeared as
a baby who escapes from his stroller. He also appeared as The Child in
the 1933 film Footlight Parade. He is briefly seen in the 1935 film
Bride of Frankenstein, in an uncredited role as a baby in one of Dr.
Pretorius' experiments, although his close-ups were cut out of the
picture.
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