Quaden Bayles (born 13 December 2010) is an Australian actor. He appeared in the films ''

Three Thousand Years of Longing ''Three Thousand Years of Longing'' is a 2022 romantic fantasy drama film directed and produced by George Miller. Written by Miller and Augusta Gore, it is based on the 1994 short story " The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" by A. S. Byatt and ...

'' and '' Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga''. A video of Bayles in emotional distress after being bullied at school due to his

dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...

went viral in February 2020.

Life and career

Quaden Bayles was born on 13 December 2010 to father Quaden Georgetown and mother Yarraka Bayles. He has two older sisters and an older brother. He is a Murri boy. Yarraka's father is broadcaster and activist

Tiga Bayles Harold James Phillip "Tiga" Bayles (6 October 1953 – 17 April 2016) was an Indigenous Australian radio presenter and activist. He was a descendent of the Birri Gubba and Gungalu nations of Queensland. He was raised in Theodore, Queensland, the ...

. Bayles' cousin is basketball player Biwali Bayles, and his uncle is rugby league footballer James Roberts. Quaden's parents separated when he was two and a half years old. Bayles has

achondroplasia Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance whose primary feature is dwarfism. It is the most common cause of dwarfism and affects about 1 in 27,500 people. In those with the condition, the Rhizomeli ...

, the most common form of

. As a result of his condition, Bayles has had major operations, and his health complications include early onset

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

and requiring a machine to provide oxygen while he sleeps. For almost the entire first year of his life, his mother Yarraka was in denial about Bayles' dwarfism, and she later suffered from

postnatal depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called perinatal depression, is a mood disorder which may be experienced by pregnant or postpartum women. Symptoms include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and extreme cha ...

. After coming to terms with Quaden's dwarfism, she began documenting his life to raise awareness about dwarfism. She started the Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism campaign, and Bayles was the subject of an episode of '' Living Black'' in 2015. Following the death of his grandfather in 2016, Bayles started exhibiting suicidal tendencies. He first tried to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

when he was six years old and made five more attempts in the following two years. Bayles started being bullied at school when he was seven years old. In February 2020, when he was nine years old, Bayles made headlines after his mother posted a video of him online, showing him extremely upset and saying that he wanted to die, due to bullying at Carina State School related to his dwarfism. The video went

viral The word ''Viral'' means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). It may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spre ...

, and although initially it brought a lot of sympathy, it also attracted scepticism and hate on social media. A video message by Bayles was played at the disability royal commission in October 2020, and his mother called for a new law to combat bullying in schools. As of 2023, the boy had got the "most expensive royal independent investigation" into the harsh reality of people with a disability in order to change the public perception of them. It led to "32 public hearings, 1,785 private sessions, almost 8,000 submissions, 28 research reports and about $600 million dollars" from the Disability Royal Commission. Bayles' viral video came to the attention of director George Miller, who cast him in the 2022 film ''

'' and the 2024 film '' Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga''. Two episodes of ''

Australian Story ''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television (Australian TV network), ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs, AB ...

'' about Bayles aired in October 2020 and June 2024.

Filmography

* 2022: ''

'' – Quick Change Boy * 2024: '' Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'' – War Pup

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayles, Quaden 2010 births Indigenous Australian male actors Living people Male actors from Queensland Australian male film actors 21st-century Australian male actors Actors with dwarfism Australian child actors Victims of cyberbullying Age controversies