Biography
Schlitzie (also spelled Schlitze or Shlitze; legally Schlitze Surtees) was an American sideshow performer and actor. Born on 10 September 1901 in the Bronx, New York City, he had microcephaly and performed for decades on the circus and sideshow circuit, appearing with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the Tom Mix Circus and others. He was often billed as a “pinhead” or “the last of the Aztecs”.
Schlitzie appeared in several films, most notably as himself in Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932). He also had an uncredited role in Island of Lost Souls (1932) and appeared in The Sideshow (1928). He died on 24 September 1971 in Los Angeles.
