Sam Humphrey (born 1994) is a

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

-born actor from

Frankston, Victoria Frankston ( ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Located south-east of the Melbourne central business district via the Monash Freeway and EastLink, it is in the Local government areas of Victoria, local government area of the City ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. He is best known for playing Charles Stratton in the 2017 film ''

The Greatest Showman ''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American musical period drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, based on an original story by Bicks. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, ...

''.

Early life

Humphrey was born with a rare genetic disorder called acrodysplasia. As a child, he was also diagnosed with

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...

, and spent much of his life in hospitals. In an interview, he said that he had attempted suicide several times, but with support from his family, his faith and his resilience, he was able to overcome his challenges and pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Humphrey has two siblings; his older brother is entrepreneur Josiah Humphrey, who co-founded the tech company Appster in 2011. Humphrey attended Tawa intermediate, Wellington, New Zealand in 2006. Humphrey is of half Asian descent.

Career

Prior to his professional debut, Humphrey appeared in numerous school productions. Humphrey began his acting career in television, his first role on ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

'', where he appeared on four episodes. He made his film debut in the

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

'', he played Charles Stratton, a dwarf performer who is also known by his stage name of

General Tom Thumb Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 – July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name "General Tom Thumb", was an American with dwarfism who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P. T. Barnum. Childhood and early ...

. As he was taller than the real Tom Thumb, he had to walk on his knees and his voice was digitally altered to sound deeper. In 2017, Humphrey starred in the television film ''Jeremy the Dud''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Humphrey, Sam Living people Australian male film actors Australian male television actors Actors with dwarfism 1994 births New Zealand emigrants to Australia Male actors from Melbourne People from Frankston, Victoria 21st-century Australian male actors