---
name: "Billy Curtis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/billy-curtis"
fi1m_id: "billy-curtis"
imdb_id: "nm0193260"
tmdb_id: 102426
wikidata_id: "Q863063"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "27 June 1909"
died: "9 November 1988"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-25T08:05:37.027640+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Billy Curtis

## Identity

Billy Curtis

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/billy-curtis
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** billy-curtis
- **IMDb ID:** nm0193260
- **TMDB ID:** 102426
- **Wikidata ID:** Q863063
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Curtis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q863063, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193260/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/102426

Actor. Born 27 June 1909 in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Died 9 November 1988.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 27 June 1909, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
- **Died:** 9 November 1988
- **Active:** 1957–1982
- **Also known as:** Luigi Curto
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 6: 2 acting, 4 other
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 91 (1), 1950s 79 (2), 1960s 70 (2), 1980s 75 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Curtis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q863063, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0193260/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/102426

## Biography

Billy Curtis, also credited as Luigi Curto, was an American actor with dwarfism. Born on 27 June 1909 in Springfield, Massachusetts, he had a career spanning five decades in film and television, appearing in more than 50 productions, many uncredited.

He began in vaudeville and performed a dance act with his sister while studying at Northwestern University. His early film roles included the hero in the all-dwarf western *The Terror of Tiny Town* (1938) and an uncredited Munchkin in *The Wizard of Oz* (1939). He appeared as a member of the circus troupe in Alfred Hitchcock's *Saboteur* (1942) and as the Midget in *The Incredible Shrinking Man* (1957).

Curtis is known for his role as Mordecai in Clint Eastwood's *High Plains Drifter* (1973). He also appeared in *Planet of the Apes* (1968), episodes of *Star Trek* (1966) and *Bewitched* (1964), and *Little Cigars* (1973). He died on 9 November 1988 in Dayton, Nevada.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, themoviedb.org.*

## On Fi1m (6)

### Performed in (2) — the average rests on these

- *Eating Raoul* (1982), Fi1m 75, as Little Person — [page](https://film.one/film/eating-raoul.md)
- *The Incredible Shrinking Man* (1957), Fi1m 86, as Midget — [page](https://film.one/film/the-incredible-shrinking-man.md)

### Also credited (4) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Hello, Dolly!* (1969), Fi1m 56, as Little Person (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/hello-dolly.md)
- *Planet of the Apes* (1968), Fi1m 84, as Child Ape (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/planet-of-the-apes.md)
- *Friendly Persuasion* (1956), Fi1m 72, as Midget at County Fair (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/friendly-persuasion.md)
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), Fi1m 91, as Munchkin (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)

## Complete filmography (66)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican Inquirer: The Pope's Tour* (1986), as Monsignor Duffy
- *The Twilight Zone* (1985), series, as Creature (segment "Personal Demons")
- *Head Office* (1985), as Reverend Lynch
- *It Came Upon the Midnight Clear* (1984), as Elf #2
- *Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs* (1984), as Barnaby
- *Faerie Tale Theatre* (1982), series, as Barnaby
- *Eating Raoul* (1982), as Little Person — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/eating-raoul.md)
- *Knots Landing* (1979), series, as Billy Curtis
- *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century* (1979), series, as General Yoomak
- *Loose Shoes* (1978), as Menchkin
- *Monster Squad* (1976), series, as The Ringmaster
- *Laverne & Shirley* (1976), series, Actor
- *The Wild McCullochs* (1975), as Charlie P.
- *White House Madness* (1975), as Secret Service Man
- *Little Cigars* (1973), as Slick Bender
- *High Plains Drifter* (1973), as Mordecai
- *Evil Roy Slade* (1972), as Toy Cowboy (uncredited)
- *Dirty Harry* (1971), Stunts
- *Aphrodisiac: The Love Secret* (1971), as Man on the Street Interviewee
- *Norwood* (1970), as Edmund B. Ratner
- *Hello, Dolly!* (1969), as Little Person (uncredited) — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/hello-dolly.md)
- *The Comic* (1969), as Lifeguard in Film (uncredited)
- *Here's Lucy* (1968), series, as Herman
- *The Legend of Lylah Clare* (1968), as Clown (uncredited)
- *Planet of the Apes* (1968), as Child Ape (uncredited) — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/planet-of-the-apes.md)
- *The Monkees* (1966), series, as Midget
- *Star Trek* (1966), series, as Small, copper skinned ambassador (uncredited) — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/star-trek-1966.md)
- *Out of Sight* (1966), as The Man From F.L.U.S.H.
- *Batman* (1966), series, as Midget
- *Get Smart* (1965), series, as El Lobo-Ito, Tiny Allen (uncredited)
- *Two on a Guillotine* (1965), as Big Mike (uncredited)
- *Bewitched* (1964), series, as Jack O'Lantern
- *Robin and the 7 Hoods* (1964), as Newsboy (uncredited)
- *The Greatest Show on Earth* (1963), series, Actor
- *The Beverly Hillbillies* (1962), series, Actor
- *87th Precinct* (1961), series, Actor
- *Adventures in Paradise* (1959), series, as Captain Borcher
- *Tightrope* (1959), series, Actor
- *77 Sunset Strip* (1958), series, Actor
- *Shirley Temple's Storybook* (1958), series, as Boomalakka Wee, Dwarf
- *Man of a Thousand Faces* (1957), as Harry Earles (uncredited)
- *The Incredible Shrinking Man* (1957), as Midget — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/the-incredible-shrinking-man.md)
- *Friendly Persuasion* (1956), as Midget at County Fair (uncredited) — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/friendly-persuasion.md)
- *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Arizona
- *Jungle Moon Men* (1955), as Damu
- *Princess of the Nile* (1954), as Tut (uncredited)
- *Limelight* (1952), as Midget in Agent's Office (uncredited)
- *Adventures of Superman* (1952), series, as Mole-Man #1 (uncredited)
- *Superman and the Mole Men* (1951), as Mole-Man (uncredited)
- *Pygmy Island* (1950), as Makuba
- *The Cisco Kid* (1950), series, as The Laughing Badman
- *Homicide for Three* (1948), as Circus Performer
- *April Showers* (1948), as Capt. Rudolph L. Nemo
- *Buck Privates Come Home* (1947), Actor
- *The Hard Way* (1943), as Vaudeville Midget (Uncredited)
- *Lucky Legs* (1942), as Newsboy
- *Saboteur* (1942), as Midget - Circus Troupe
- *Don't Lie* (1942), as Melinda, the chimp
- *Tramp, Tramp, Tramp!* (1942), as Midget
- *Hellzapoppin'* (1941), as Bodyguard (uncredited)
- *Ice-Capades* (1941), as George
- *Emergency Landing* (1941), as Judge
- *Maisie Was a Lady* (1941), as Midget (Uncredited)
- *The Wizard of Oz* (1939), as Munchkin (uncredited) — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wizard-of-oz.md)
- *Three Texas Steers* (1939), as Hercules - the Midget
- *The Terror of Tiny Town* (1938), as The Hero (Buck Lawson)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/billy-curtis