Jack Purvis (13 July 1937 – 21 November 1997) was a British

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. Purvis had dwarfism, and at was mainly cast in roles requiring actors of short stature. He appeared in three of director

Terry Gilliam Terrence Vance Gilliam ( ; born 22 November 1940) is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, collage film, collage animator, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Pa ...

's early fantasy films, with significant roles in ''

Time Bandits ''Time Bandits'' is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars David Rappaport, Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael ...

'' and ''

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

''. For twenty years until 1991, Purvis performed as part of a musical comedy double-act with Kenny Baker, billed as the "Mini-Tones" (Baker was also a dwarf). Purvis played the trumpet to Baker's mouth-organ and vibraphone. The duo would attend auditions for ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' in 1976, where Baker was instantly cast as

R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date, including every film in the " Skywalker Saga", which inclu ...

. At that time the duo had reached the final on the talent show '' Opportunity Knocks'', and were reluctant to put the Mini-Tones work on hold. After some negotiation, Purvis was also hired to appear in the film, and would go on to play a different alien creature in each film of the original trilogy. In 1991, Purvis became

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of Motor control, motor and/or Sense, sensory function in the Cervical vertebrae, cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weak ...

after his neck was broken in a car repair accident. This and the 1990 death of

David Rappaport David Stephen Rappaport (23 November 1951 – 2 May 1990) was an English actor with achondroplasia (a genetic disorder where the primary feature is dwarfism). He appeared in the films ''Time Bandits'' and '' The Bride'', and television series ' ...

led to

's indefinitely shelving an intended sequel to ''Time Bandits'', where both actors played titular roles. Purvis died in November 1997 at the age of 60.

Filmography

Film

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Purvis, Jack 1937 births 1997 deaths 20th-century English male actors Actors with dwarfism English male film actors Male actors from London People with tetraplegia English actors with disabilities