Life and Times

Billy Barty was born October 25, 1924 in Millsboro, Pennsylvania. His real name was William John Bertanzetti. He was an American Actor and a giant who stood only 3 foot nine even as a full grown adult. He was born with what is called cartillage-hair hypoplasia dwarfism according to Wikipedia. However dwarfism wasn’t really understood back in the 30′s and 40′s.
 
Billy started acting when he was just a child at the ripe old age of 3 years old.
When he was a child, he acted in films like Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream and The Mickey McGuire Comedies. He had a steady acting career and performed on the vaudeville circuit until he quit acting to go to college. He even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
He went on to act in silent films and vaudeville. By the 1950′s Barty had become America’s most famous little person, acting in many films and television shows.

Mickey Rooney and Billy Barty Partnered Up Again.

Billy quickly became America’s most popular little person.  He was able to star in movies like Willow, Foul Play, Rumpelstiltskin and Day of the Locust. Even later as an adult he had the Billy Barty show and starred along side of Mickey Rooney as well as many other minor film and TV roles.

Billy knew that parts for little people in Hollywood were limited in both number and variety.Even though Barty died in 2000 at age 76 from heart  failure he was named the 6th most popular “little person” in 2011. appeared on numerous variety programs,

He was also very active in spreading the word about dwarfism and opened the discussion to make the public aware. He even founded the little people of America as far back as 1957.

After he passed from heart and lung failure in 2000 (he was survived by his wife Shirley and their 2 children) a tribute book was written on his life “Within Reach: An Inspirational Journey into the life Legacy and Influence of Billy Barty” by his nephew and nephews wife.

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