Felix Silla

Felix Anthony Silla (January 11, 1937 – April 16, 2021), also credited as Felix Cilla, was an Italian character actor, circus performer, voice artist and movie stuntman, best known for his career in Hollywood in TV and film.

Silla started his career in the circus, but is best known from television's ''The Addams Family'' as Cousin Itt, a costumed character. Itt was only in one of Charles Addams original comics and his demeanor was created for the show. The character's voice was provided by series director Nat Perrin and Anthony Magro.

Silla featured in the ''Star Wars'' film ''Return of the Jedi'' as one of the hang glider Ewoks.

He was also a voice artist on ''The Sims 2'' video game.

Biography

Early life and circus career

Felix Silla was born January 11, 1937, in the small village of Roccacasale, Abruzzo, Italy. He trained as a circus performer and came to the United States aged 18, in 1955, touring with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. His multiple talents as a bareback horse rider, trapeze artist, and tumbler brought him to Hollywood, where he became a stuntman, appearing in the film, '' A Ticklish Affair''.

Film and television

His best-known roles include Litvak, the maniacal, miniature Hitler who menaces George Segal in film ''The Black Bird'' (his favorite role). He was also responsible for the physical performance of the robot Twiki in the TV series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', a role for which the voice was supplied by Mel Blanc or Bob Elyea.

In part due to his short stature of 1.19 m (3 ft 11 in), he often doubled for children in such movies as ''The Towering Inferno'', '' The Hindenburg'', and ''Battlestar Galactica'' as well as Meatballs 2 as the alien. Between movies, he frequently appeared in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, night clubs with his own musical combo, ''The Original Harmonica Band''.

Voice-art work

Silla provided his voice for the character Mortimer Goth in the 2004 video game ''The Sims 2''.

Famous characters

The Addams Family: Cousin Itt

Silla became famous however as the recurring costumed character of Cousin Itt on television's ''The Addams Family''. The character was only in one of Charles Addams original comics, but his demeanor was created for the original black and white television series by producer David Levy, debuting in the 1965 first-season episode "Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family", and appearing in a total of 19 episodes, 17 of which featured Silla and Roger Arroyo, over the course of the show's two seasons. The character's voice was usually provided by studio sound engineer Anthony Magro (1923–2004). The character became so popular it was carried over to subsequent licensed media including film, stage and video games.

Star Wars: Ewoks

He played one of the hang glider Ewoks in the film Star Wars ''Return of the Jedi'' in 1983.

He also appears to have done quite a bit of work with Glen A. Larson as he was the body actor for the robot Twiki in ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' as well as Lucifer in "Battlestar Galactica."

Death

Felix Silla died on April 16, 2021, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 84, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Filmography (as actor)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Silla, Felix
1937 births
2021 deaths
Actors with dwarfism
Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Nevada
Italian emigrants to the United States
Italian male film actors
Italian male television actors
Male actors from Rome
People of Lazian descent