Verne Jay Troyer (January 1, 1969 – April 21, 2018) was an American actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and was 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) tall.[1][2]
Verne Troyer | |
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Born | Verne Jay Troyer January 1, 1969 Sturgis, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | April 21, 2018 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 49)
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1994–2018 |
Height | 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) |
Partner | Brittney Powell (2007–2018; his death) |
Signature | |
Troyer was born in Sturgis, Michigan, on January 1, 1969,[3] the son of Susan, a factory worker, and Reuben Troyer, a repair technician.[4] He had two siblings, Davon and Deborah. He stated that his parents "never treated me any different than my other average-sized siblings. I used to have to carry wood, feed the cows and pigs and farm animals."[5] Troyer was initially raised Amish, but his parents left the faith when he was a child.[6] During his childhood, Troyer spent much time visiting Amish relatives[7] in Centreville, Michigan. He graduated in 1987 from Centreville High School, where a plaque was dedicated to him in 2003.[8]
Troyer's film career began when a former president of Little People of America contacted him, looking for someone to serve as a stunt double for the infant character "Baby Bink" in John Hughes' film Baby's Day Out (1994).[9] He gained further work as a stunt double with some minor comedic roles in several films of the 1990s, including Dunston Checks In, Jingle All the Way (both 1996), Men in Black (1997),[10] and My Giant (1998).[11]
He first met with Jay Roach to discuss portraying Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series,[12] directed by Roach and starring co-creator Mike Myers, before filming for the series' second film began. Myers was impressed with Troyer's performance, rewriting the script for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) to give Mini-Me more screen time and remove the character's death.[13] Troyer reprised the role three years later in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and collaborated again with Myers on The Love Guru (2008).[10]
After reaching a large audience as Mini-Me, Troyer portrayed Griphook in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001),[14] and played the role of Percy in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).[15] He also made several appearances as himself in reality television series, including The Surreal Life (2005), Welcome to Sweden (2007),[10] and the British Celebrity Big Brother 6 (2009), in which he placed fourth.[16]
On June 25, 2008, a private home video was leaked of Troyer and his former live-in girlfriend Ranae Shrider having sex. The video, recorded in 2008 in Beverly Hills, California, and Shrider's hometown of Fort Cobb, Oklahoma,[17] was leaked to the public by Shrider and TMZ.[18] Kevin Blatt, the man responsible for brokering the deal for Paris Hilton's sex tape in 2003, tried to sell the video. Troyer, through his long-time attorney, Ed McPherson, sued TMZ, Blatt, and online rental company SugarDVD, for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement.[19]
In May 2015, Troyer, his girlfriend Brittney Powell, and her son Tyson appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, where she switched places with Hines Ward's wife.[20]
In early April 2018, Troyer was admitted to a hospital after an incident in his home.[21][22] He had previously been admitted to rehab to undergo treatment for alcoholism.[22][23]
Verne Troyer died at a hospital in Los Angeles on April 21, 2018, aged 49. His death was later ruled a suspected suicide by alcohol intoxication. He was interred with his parents in Leonidas Cemetery, St. Joseph County, Michigan, USA.[24][25]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1994 | Baby's Day Out | Baby Bink's stunt double | Debut role | [9] |
1996 | Dunston Checks In | [10] | ||
1996 | Jingle All the Way | Little Santa Claus | [10] | |
1996 | Pinocchio's Revenge | Pinocchio's Miniature Double | [26] | |
1997 | Volcano | [27] | ||
1997 | Men in Black | Alien Son | [28] | |
1997 | Wishmaster | Creature Stage #1 | [28] | |
1997 | RocketMan | [29] | ||
1998 | My Giant | Wrestler | [11] | |
1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Wee Waiter | Billed as "Verne J. Troya" | [30] |
1998 | The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald | Sundae | Direct-to-video Voice by Dee Bradley Baker |
[31] |
1998 | Mighty Joe Young | Baby Joe | [30] | |
1999 | Here Lies Lonely | Virgil | [32] | |
1999 | Instinct | Gorilla Performer | [30] | |
1999 | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Mini-Me | [33] | |
2000 | Bit Players | Marty Rosenthal | [34] | |
2000 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Band Member | [30] | |
2001 | Bubble Boy | Dr. Phreak | [28] | |
2001 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | Griphook | Voice by Warwick Davis | [33] |
2002 | Run for the Money | Attila | [28] | |
2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Mini-Me | [33] | |
2003 | Pauly Shore Is Dead | Himself | [28] | |
2007 | Postal | Himself | [28] | |
2008 | The Love Guru | Coach Punch Cherkov | [33] | |
2008 | College | Himself | [30] | |
2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Percy | [28] | |
2012 | Keith Lemon: The Film | Archimedes | [30] | |
2013 | Convenience | Dwight | [30] | |
2015 | Trailer Park Boys: Drunk, High, and Unemployed: Live in Austin | Himself | [28] | |
2015 | Gnome Alone | The Gnome | [35] | |
2018 | The Delivery | The Boss | Short film Posthumous release |
|
2019 | Aliens, Clowns & Geeks | Emperor Beezel-Chugg | Posthumous release | [26] |
2020 | The 420 Movie: Mary & Jane | Tito the Terrible | Posthumous release Final film role |
[36] |
Year | Artist | Song | Album |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Madonna | "Beautiful Stranger" | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me |
1999 | Mel B | "Word Up" | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me |
2002 | Moby | "We Are All Made of Stars" | 18 |
2004 | D12 | "My Band" | D12 World |
2005 | Ludacris | "Number One Spot" | The Red Light District |
2009 | Forever the Sickest Kids | "What Do You Want from Me" | The Weekend: Friday and Diary of a Wimpy Kid |
2014 | Steve Aoki featuring will.i.am | "Born to Get Wild" | Neon Future I |
Year | Title | Voice role | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Let It Die | Jackal X | [44] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Story Cops with Verne Troyer | Glenn Peck | Funny or Die Exclusive[45] |
2018 | My 90-Year-Old Roommate | Verne Troyer | Episode: Verne Troyer; posthumous release |
actor Verne Troyer in 1969