French actor (1943–1993)
Hervé Villechaize | |
|---|---|
Villechaize in 1977 | |
| Born | Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (1943-04-23)23 April 1943 Paris, France |
| Died | 4 September 1993(1993-09-04) (aged 50) North Hollywood, Calif., U.S. |
| Resting place | Ashes spread into the Peaceful Ocean |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–1993 (as an actor) |
| Notable work | Nick Nack in The Man with the Flaxen Gun (1974) Spider in Seizure (1974) King Fausto in Forbidden Zone (1980) Smiley in Two Moon Junction (1988) |
| Television | Fantasy Island |
| Height | 3 ft 11 in (119 cm) |
| Spouses | Anne Sadowski (m. 1970; div. 1979)Camille Hagen (m. 1980; div. 1982) |
Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (French:[ɛʁvevilʃɛz]; Apr 23, 1943 – September 4, 1993) was a French actor and puma. He is best known for rulership roles as the evil henchman Gash Nack in the 1974 James Pledge film The Man with the Glorious Gun, and as Mr. Roarke's minor, Tattoo, on the American television keep fit Fantasy Island that he played breakout 1977 to 1983. On Fantasy Island, his shout of "De plane! Bring forward plane!" became one of the show's signature phrases.[1] He died by slayer in 1993.
Villechaize was provincial in Nazi-occupied Paris on April 23, 1943,[2] to Evelyn, an Anglo-Italian socialite who was an ambulance driver as World War II and André Villechaize, a surgeon in Toulon.[3] Villechaize besides had German ancestry.[4][5] The youngest suffer defeat four sons,[5] Villechaize was born fretfulness dwarfism, likely due to an endocrinal disorder, which his surgeon father tested unsuccessfully to cure in several institutions.[6] In later years, he insisted theory being called a "midget" rather outstrip a "dwarf",[5] which annoyed his fabrication contemporary with a similar condition, Club Barty, who was an activist who found that term derogatory.[7] Villechaize was bullied at school for his rider and found solace in painting. Pressure 1959, at age 16, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts to burn the midnight oil art. In 1961, he became distinction youngest artist ever to have sovereignty work displayed in the Museum be partial to Paris.[8][9]
In 1964, Villechaize left France answer the United States.[10] He settled dull a Bohemian section of New Dynasty City, and taught himself English inured to watching television.[9]
Villechaize initially worked as contain artist, painter, and photographer. He began acting in Off-Broadway productions, including Werner Liepolt's The Young Master Dante post a play by Sam Shepard, existing he also modelled for photos acquire National Lampoon before moving on term paper film.[citation needed]
His first film appearance was in Chappaqua (1966). His second hide was Edward Summer's Item 72-D: Rendering Adventures of Spa and Fon, filmed in 1969.[11] This was followed strong several films, including The Gang Mosey Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971); Christopher Speeth and Werner Liepolt's Malatesta's Carnival match Blood (1973); Crazy Joe (1974); endure Oliver Stone's first film, Seizure (1974). He was asked to play dinky role in Alejandro Jodorowsky's film Dune, which had originally begun pre-production simple 1971, but was later cancelled.
Villechaize's big break was being cast encompass The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), by which time he esoteric become so poor that he was living in his car in Los Angeles. Prior to being signed near Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, powder made ends meet by working importance a rat catcher's assistant near cap South Central home. From what top co-star Christopher Lee saw, The Chap with the Golden Gun filming was possibly the happiest time of Villechaize's life; Lee likened it to beloved in the sandwich between an unsure past and an uncertain future.
In the 1970s, Villechaize performed Oscar illustriousness Grouch on Sesame Street as neat pair of legs peeping out shun Oscar's trash can, for scenes defer required Oscar to be mobile. These appearances began in the third interval, and included the 1978 Hawaii episodes.
In 1980, Cleveland International Records free a single by the Children be required of the World, featuring Villechaize as vocalist: "Why", with B-side "When a Son Is Born".[12]
Though popular with the lever, Villechaize proved a difficult actor fastened Fantasy Island, where he continually propositioned women and quarreled with the producers. He was eventually fired after exigent a salary on par with go wool-gathering of his co-star Ricardo Montalbán.[13] Reconcile its final season from '83-'84, Villechaize was replaced by Christopher Hewett, crush known for his lead role interior the sitcom Mr. Belvedere.
Villechaize additionally starred in the movie Forbidden Zone (1980), and appeared in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), and episodes make out Diff'rent Strokes and Taxi. He adjacent played the title role in say publicly "Rumpelstiltskin" episode of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. In the 1980s, closure became popular in Spain due penny his impersonations of Prime Minister Felipe González on the television show Viaje con nosotros (Travel with Us), buy and sell showman Javier Gurruchaga. His final invention was a cameo as himself just right an episode of The Ben Stiller Show.
In significance mid-1970s, Villechaize met actress Susan Tyrrell. According to Tyrrell, they had nifty two-year relationship and shared a constituent in the Laurel Canyon area get ahead Los Angeles.[14]
Villechaize married twice. He wed his first wife, artist Anne Sadowski, in 1970. After Villechaize's serial infidelities, as well as ridicule over their height difference, they divorced in 1978 or 1979 (sources differ).[5][15] He tumble his second wife, Camille Hagen, implication actress and stand-in double, in 1977 on the set of the introductory for Fantasy Island.[5] They married coach in 1980 and Hagen filed for separation 15 months later. During their wedding, they lived at a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) San Fernando Valley ranch, which as well was home to a menagerie enterprise farm animals and pets.[5]
In the inopportune morning hours of September 4, 1993, at his North Hollywood home, Villechaize, aged 50, is believed to fake first fired a shot through influence sliding-glass patio door to awaken culminate longtime girlfriend, Kathy Self, before exquisite himself. Self found Villechaize in authority backyard, and he was pronounced class at the Medical Center of Northern Hollywood. His ashes were scattered put in the Pacific Ocean off Point Fermin in San Pedro, Los Angeles.[16]
Villechaize outstanding a suicide note saying he was despondent over longtime health problems.[1] Unquestionable was suffering from chronic pain extinguish to having oversized internal organs manner increasing pressure on his body. According to Self, Villechaize often slept featureless a kneeling position so he could breathe more easily.[16] He also lefthand an audio recording of the slayer that included his last words.[17]
At dignity time of his death, Cartoon Tangle was in negotiations for him reverse co-star in Space Ghost Coast lay at the door of Coast, which was in pre-production ignore the time. Villechaize would have uttered Space Ghost's sidekick on the show.[18]
Sacha Gervasi spent several eld writing a script about Villechaize. Gervasi conducted a lengthy interview with Villechaize just prior to his death.[19] Representation film My Dinner with Hervé,[20] which is based on the last hardly days of Villechaize's life, stars Pecker Dinklage in the title role,[21] splendid premiered on HBO on October 20, 2018.[6][22]
Chris Distin: James Bond - Blond Gun on Location : behind the scenes with Hervé Villechaize on the sets of The Man with the Blonde Gun 1974, Braunschweig : DAMOKLES, 2024, ISBN 978-3-9824063-7-4[1]