Billy Barty
Barty in 1976
Born	William John Bertanzetti (1924-10-25)October 25, 1924 Millsboro, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	December 23, 2000(2000-12-23) (aged 76) Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor activist
Years active	1927–2000
Height	3 ft 9 in (114 cm)
Spouse	Shirley Bolingbroke (m. 1962)
Children	2, includingBraden Barty

Billy Barty (bornWilliam John Bertanzetti; October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist.^[1] In adult life, he stood 3 ft 9 in (1.14 m) tall, due tocartilage–hair hypoplasiadwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast in films opposite taller performers for comic effect. He specialized in outspoken or wisecracking characters. During the 1950s, he became a television actor, appearing regularly in theSpike Jones ensemble. In the early 1970s, he appeared often in a variety of roles in children's TV programs produced bySid and Marty Krofft. As an activist for people withdwarfism, he founded theLittle People of America organization in 1957.

Barty was born October 25, 1924, inMillsboro, Pennsylvania, the son of Albert Steven and Ellen Cecial Bertanzetti.^[2] His paternal grandfather wasItalian. The family moved toCalifornia in 1927.^[3] He had two sisters, Delores and Evelyn.^[3]

Barty co-starred withMickey Rooney in theMickey McGuire shorts, a comedy series of the 1920s and 1930s based on theToonerville Folks comics. Small for his age even then, Barty would impersonate young children alongside brawny authority figures or wild animals, making these threats seem larger by comparison.

In the 1933 filmGold Diggers of 1933, a nine-year-old Barty appeared as a baby who escapes from his stroller. He also appeared as The Child in the 1933 filmFootlight Parade. He is seen briefly in the 1935 filmBride of Frankenstein in an uncredited role as a baby in one of Dr. Pretorius' experiments, although his close-ups were cut from the film's final edit.

Much of Barty's film work consisted ofbit parts and gag roles. He appeared inFireman Save My Child (with Spike Jones), and also appeared in twoElvis Presley films,Roustabout (in one scene) andHarum Scarum, as a co-star without dialogue.

Some of his more substantial film roles were as the elf Screwball inLegend; High Aldwin, the village elder, inWillow alongsideWarwick Davis, creator of the cosmic key; Gwildor in the 1987 cult classic filmMasters of the Universe; and as cameraman Noodles MacIntosh in"Weird Al" Yankovic'sUHF.

Barty appeared several times onThe Dennis Day Show,^[4] including once as aleprechaun. Beginning in 1958, he playedpool hustler Babby, an occasional "information resource", in eight episodes of thePeter Gunn TV series. Barty starred in theRawhide episode "Prairie Elephant" in 1961. He appeared in over a dozen episodes ofThe Spike Jones Show, performing as a singer, comedian, dancer and impressionist.

Barty also starred in a localSouthern California children's show,Billy Barty's Bigtop, in the mid-1960s, which regularly showedThe Three Stooges shorts. In one program, StoogeMoe Howard visited the set as a surprise guest. The program gave many Los Angeles area children their first opportunity to become familiar with little people, who until then had been rarely seen on the screen except as two-dimensional curiosities. He also appeared as a guest host on KTTV'sSheriff John's Lunch Brigade whenever "Sheriff John" Rovick was on vacation. Barty made regular appearances onThe Red Skelton Hour during the mid-1960s.

Barty starred in full-body costumes in two children's television shows produced bySid and Marty Krofft: as "Sparky the Firefly" inThe Bugaloos from 1970 to 1972, and as "Sigmund" inSigmund and the Sea Monsters from 1974 to 1976. Out of costume, he played the evil sidekick on the Kroffts'Dr. Shrinker from 1976 to 1977. He portrayedToulouse Lautrec in the 1972The Brady Bunch Saturday morning cartoons preview specialThe Brady Bunch Meet ABC's Saturday Superstars.

He was a regular cast member of comedianRedd Foxx's variety showThe Redd Foxx Show. Barty appeared in an episode ofBarney Miller in 1977, and an episode ofThe Love Boat in 1978. Another show he guest-starred in wasCHiPs. In June 1978, Barty guest-starred in the final episode ofMan from Atlantis titled "Deadly Carnival". He also guest starred in two episodes ofLittle House on the Prairie playing a circus member in the episode "Annabelle". Also in a later episode ("Little Lou") as a single father trying to raise a baby daughter. Barty was regularly seen onBizarre, a weekly Canadian TVsketch comedy series, airing from 1980 to 1985. In 1981, he appeared in a documentary calledBeing Different and in late 1985, he appeared as Rose Nylund's father in a dream sequence on an episode ofThe Golden Girls titled "A Little Romance".

In 1982, Barty appeared in an episode ofHart to Hart called "A Christmas Hart" (Season 4, Episode 10).^{[citation needed]}

In 1983, Barty supplied the voice for "Figment" inEpcot'sJourney Into Imagination dark ride.^[5] He briefly reprised the role in the ride's second version.

Barty was an annual guest-star on Canada'sTelemiracletelethon, one of the most successful (per capita) telethons in the world.

Barty appeared on a 1976 episode ofCelebrity Bowling paired withDick Martin, defeatingJohn Schuck andMichael Ansara, 120–118. He also appeared as himself in the 1981 documentary filmBeing Different.^[6]

Barty was a noted activist for the promotion of rights for others withdwarfism. He was disappointed with contemporaryHervé Villechaize's insistence that they were "midgets" instead of actors with dwarfism.^[7] Barty founded the Little People of America organization to help people with dwarfism in 1957 when he called upon people of short stature to join him in a get-together in Reno, Nevada. That original meeting of 21 people grew into Little People of America, a group which as of 2023 has more than 7,500 members. It was the first North American organization for little people.

In 1981, Barty received amotion pictures star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6922Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry.^[8]

In the 1980s, Barty owned a popular roller rink in Fullerton, California, that also booked bands on weekends.^[9]

In 1990, Barty was sued insmall claims court by two of the writers of his cancelled comedy television seriesShort Ribbs, which aired for 13 weeks in the autumn of 1989 as a local program onKDOC-TV. Producer and writerWilliam Winckler and writer Warren Taylor filed separate lawsuits against Barty for money owed, and Barty lost both cases. Barty claimed the lawsuit news was the most publicity he ever got, and compared it to similar press that celebrityZsa Zsa Gabor received for slapping aBeverly Hills police officer.^[10][11]

A tribute book on Barty's life was published in December 2002.Within Reach: An Inspirational Journey into the Life, Legacy and Influence of Billy Barty was produced by Barty's nephew, Michael Copeland, and Copeland's wife, Debra.

In 1962, he married Shirley Bolingbroke ofMalad City, Idaho. They had two children, Lori Neilson and TV/film producer and directorBraden Barty.^[12]

Barty and his family were members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.^[13]

Barty died ofheart failure in 2000 at age 76.^[1][14] He is entombed inGlendale'sForest Lawn Memorial Park.

• Copeland, Michael and Debra (2002).Within Reach: An Inspirational Journey into the Life, Legacy and Influence of Billy Barty. Xulon Press.ISBN 1-59160-391-9.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBilly Barty.

• "Rumplestiltskin".Official Website. Movies and Filmography. September 28, 2014. Archived fromthe original on February 3, 2015.
• Copeland, Michael; Copeland, Debra (2002).Within Reach: An Inspirational Journey into the Life, Legacy and Influence of Billy Barty. Xulon Press.ISBN 978-1591603917. Archived fromthe original on December 19, 2013. RetrievedDecember 18, 2013.{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help)
• Billy Barty atIMDb
• Billy Barty at theInternet Broadway Database
• Montague, Terry Bohle."Small in Stature, Great in Heart: The Billy Barty Story".Meridian magazine. Archived fromthe original on June 18, 2003.
• Evanier, Mark (January 19, 2001)."Victor [Borge] & Billy [Barty]".News From Me. Point of View (POV).
• Jones, Spike."The Musical Depreciation Revue".Spike Jones and his City Slickers.
  • The Typewriter Song (Billy Barty impersonates Liberace) onYouTube
• "Billy Barty".Find a Grave. RetrievedAugust 11, 2010.

• 1924 births
• 2000 deaths
• Male actors from Pennsylvania
• Actors with dwarfism
• American actors with disabilities
• American male child actors
• Latter Day Saints from Pennsylvania
• American people of Italian descent
• American male voice actors
• California State University, Los Angeles alumni
• Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
• Los Angeles City College alumni
• 20th-century American male actors
• American vaudeville performers
• Latter Day Saints from California
• Latter Day Saints from Idaho

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• Commons category link is on Wikidata
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• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata