Michael Dunn (October 20, 1934 – August 30, 1973) was an American actor and singer. He inspired a number of actors that were smaller and shorter than most "average" people, including Zelda Rubinstein, Mark Povinelli, and Ricardo Gil.

Biography

Dunn was married on December 14, 1966 to Joy Talbot. Motion Picture magazine described her as a model, in a photo caption in the March, 1967 issue. The union was unhappy and childless, ending in divorce after a few years. He developed into a dedicated philanthropist toward children with dwarfism who would write fan letters to him confiding their loneliness and despair. According to Dorin, Dunn often traveled to visit such children at his own expense, delivering encouragement to them and stern counsel to overprotective parents.

His mobility and physical stamina were poor and deteriorated throughout his life. He suffered especially from deformed hip joints (due either to hip dysplasia or coxa vara, with secondary osteoarthritis). However, he scampishly disguised his limitations by telling tall tales that a gullible press eagerly reported as the truth. Various accounts describe him as an aviator, skydiver, judo master, football player, and concert pianist, despite clear evidence on film of a severe, waddling limp, permanently flexed limbs, and gnarled fingers. In published interviews, he did hint at his childhood limitations both in football—"I was a great passer"—and in baseball: "I wasn't a very fast runner. I had to depend on sliding." Working in New York, Dunn reportedly accrued masses of parking tickets, since disabled drivers had no special privileges. He also received human transport from friend and stuntman Dean Selmier, who often carried Dunn on his shoulders through the streets of Manhattan.

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