Kiran Shah (born 28 September 1956) is a

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and a

stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

. Shah was born in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. He lived in Kenya until he was twelve years old, when he moved to

with his family. While living in India, he became interested in films, and when his family moved to

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party ...

, he became involved in

show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

. His first film was ''

Candleshoe ''Candleshoe'' is a 1977 American-British family adventure–comedy film, directed by Norman Tokar in a screenplay by David Swift and Rosemary Anne Sisson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by Buena Vista. Based on the Mich ...

'' (1977), as a stand-in. When

stunt coordinator A stunt coordinator, usually an experienced stunt performer, is hired by a TV, film or theatre director or production company for stunt casting. Their job is to arrange the casting (stunt players and stunt doubles) and performance of stunts for a ...

Bob Anderson asked him to do stunts as well, his career was started. Shah played the part of Bolum in '' The People That Time Forgot'' (1977). Shah is often confused with

Deep Roy Gurdeep Roy (born Mohinder Purba; 1 December 1957), known professionally as Deep Roy, is a Kenyan-British actor, puppeteer, and stuntman. At tall, he has often been cast as diminutive characters, such as Teeny Weeny in ''The NeverEnding Story' ...

; they are both

dwarf Dwarf or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore * Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...

Nairobi-born Kenyan actors of Indian descent who got their starts in film and television in the late 1970s. He is the world's shortest stuntman according to the ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

''. He has appeared as an actor in 31 films; and 37 as stuntman or body double.

Stand-in, stunt, and background work

He has been in several

blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

films since, such as '' Superman'' (1978), ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film se ...

'' (1980), '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981), ''

The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The ...

'' (1982), ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

'' (1983), ''

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

'' (1985), '' Aliens'' (1986), ''

The Sign of Four ''The Sign of the Four'' (1890), also called ''The Sign of Four'', is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes by British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring the fictional detective. Pl ...

'' (1987), '' Bullseye!'' (1990), '' Braveheart'' (1995), and ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

'' (1997) where he stunt doubled all the children in the film. He has appeared as a stunt double or stand-in in ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

'' and ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

'' film series. He was the scale double for

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012). Woo ...

as Frodo, though he doubled for all the other main hobbits, being the only scale-double capable of stunts. He doubled Bilbo Baggins as played by both

Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won an Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most not ...

(in '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'', '' The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'', and '' The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies'') and

Ian Holm Sir Ian Holm Cuthbert (12 September 1931 – 19 June 2020) was an English actor who was knighted in 1998 for his contributions to theatre and film. Beginning his career on the British stage as a standout member of the Royal Shakespeare Company ...

('' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring''). He is one of only three actors to play the titular character in the ''Hobbit'' films.

Character work

His most featured role was as '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', where he played Ginarrbrik. He also portrayed an Andaman islander in the Sherlock Holmes film ''The Sign of Four'', and the monster who came out of a painting and attacked

Natasha Richardson Natasha Jane Richardson (11 May 1963 – 18 March 2009) was an English actress of stage and screen. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaug ...

in the 1986 film '' Gothic''. In addition to doubling for Martin Freeman as Bilbo in ''The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'', he also appeared as the Goblin Scribe. Shah appeared as the mysterious figure in the

Steven Moffat Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...

scripted "

Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a TCP connection state on the server side indi ...

", the fourth episode of the eighth series of '' Doctor Who'', also episode 2 of series 10 as Emojibot 1 in "

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses ...

". Shah appeared in the 2015 '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', as Teedo, a small, brutish scavenger that roams the planet Jakku's vast wasteland on his semi-mechanical Luggabeast.

Poetry

In addition to being an actor and a stuntman, Kiran is also a

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

. His

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

has been published in Great Britain and the United States, and is based on his personal thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Filmography

*'' The People That Time Forgot'' (1977) as Bolum *'' Raiders of the Lost Ark'' (1981) as Abu *''

'' (1982) as Additional Performer *'' Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi'' (1983) as Ewok / EG-6 *'' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'' (1984) as Primate Sequences *''

'' (1985) as Blunder *'' Gothic'' (1986) as Fuseli Monster *'' Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four'' (1987) as Tonga *''

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen ''The Adventures of Baron Munchausen'' is a 1988 adventure fantasy film co-written and directed by Terry Gilliam, and starring John Neville, Sarah Polley, Eric Idle, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Robin Williams and Uma Thurman. An interna ...

'' (1988) as Executioner's Assistant *'' Bullseye!'' (1990) as Little Boss at Auction *''

Black Beauty ''Black Beauty: His Grooms and Companions, the Autobiography of a Horse'' is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she was bedridden and seriously ill.Merriam-Webster (1995). ...

'' (1994) as Man with Tambourine (uncredited) *''

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, a youn ...

'' (2001) as Goblin (uncredited) *'' Lord of the Rings trilogy'' (2001–2003) as scale double for

as Frodo. *''The Biggest Step'' (2002) as Luk *'' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005) as Ginarrbrik *''The Dork of the Rings'' (2006) as Himself *''Harvey Putter and the Ridiculous Premise'' (2010) as Dumpy the Houseschmuck *''

Your Highness ''Your Highness'' is a 2011 American stoner comic fantasy film directed by David Gordon Green. It stars Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel and Justin Theroux. Written by McBride and Ben Best, the film was release ...

'' (2011) as Tiniest One *''Kong Curling'' (2011) as Pepsimannen *'' A Fantastic Fear of Everything'' (2012) as Small Man in Duvet *'' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012) as Goblin Scribe *'' Doctor Who''

(2014) as Figure,

(2017) as Emojibot *'' Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens'' (2015) as Teedo *''The Throbbit'' (2015) as Himself *''

Rogue One ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by L ...

'' (2016) as Oolin Musters (uncredited) *'' Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi'' (2017) as Neepers Panpick *'' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' (2018) as Karjj *'' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019) as Nambi Ghima * ''Prop Culture'' (2020) as himself, Episode: "The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe" * ''Andor'' (TV series) (2022)

References

External links