In 70 years of acting Billy Barty had roles in 200 Plus films. Additionally he played on Vaudeville, tv shows and tv commercials,played in night clubs and various other entertainment specials. Until “The Little Couple” he was probably the most recognized of all dwarfs on the planet. At just 3 foot 9′ he brought more awareness than anyone ever to cartilage-hair hypoplasia or dwarfism. According to Billy,
“Most difficult to overcome are the attitudinal barriers which Little People have to face – the notion that we are only found in show business or at the circus. Among the ranks of Little People can be found doctors, lawyers, teachers, psychologists and judges, and the only way to approach the problem is to influence minds while they are young so prejudice won’t appear later.”
… and that can even be seen with “The Little Couple” show where they are a doctor and business owner as well as having an immensely popular reality show.
He appeared in his first Hollywood film at the age of 3 in 1927. A friend of his, Shirley Bolingbroke who was a member of the Latter Day Saints, introduced him to missionaries for the LDS. Eventually Billy and Shirley became a couple and married on Feb 24, 1962. Most people do not know that Billy Barty and his family were members of the Church of The Latter Day Saints but he was officially baptized in 1968.