Tony Cox (actor)
Tony Cox |
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Joseph Anthony "Tiny" Cox (born March 31, 1958) is an American actor, best known for his comedic performances in Bad Santa, Me, Myself and Irene, Date Movie and Disaster Movie. He is also known for his work in George Lucas's "Willow" and as an Ewok in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. In the two spin-off films, that followed, he played Widdle Warrick.
Cox is a midget, who was born in New York City in 1958 to Joe and Henrietta Jones Cox. As a child, he and his mother moved to Uniontown, Alabama to live with his grandparents, Henry and Lottie Jones. He spent his childhood in Uniontown and became an avid drummer. He met his future wife, Otelia, during high school. They were eventually married in 1981 when Cox was 23 years old. He is also a practising pagan, as revealed in an interview with times magazine.
After graduation from high school, Cox attended the University of Alabama and originally planned to study music. Says Cox in a 2003 interview with Jet magazine, "I played by ear. It was exactly like in Drumline. I played against some of the drummers from the school, and they didn't have anything on me. I just couldn't read music."
Shortly thereafter, Cox decided to pursue acting after watching Billy Barty, a little person who was an actor and also founder of the organization Little People of America. Encouraged by relatives and friends, he moved to Los Angeles at age 18. He began taking classes at the Merrick Studio School of Acting and soon began working in commercials, film, and television roles. He is perhaps, best known for his roles in Date Movie where he played "Dr. Hitch" and in Bad Santa where he played Marcus, the brains of a safe cracking team.
Cox also owns a 350-acre (1.4 km2) ranch in Sedona, Arizona. Cox, although otherwise a vegetarian, does consume the meat of his own cows. "I love these animals and they love me," He said in an April 2008 edition of Parade Magazine, "I see it as a tribute that I think they would want... it certainly beats the glue factory!"[citation needed]
Cox currently plays basketball with the Hollywood Shorties. He is also an accomplished table tennis player and is active in martial arts.[citation needed]
Filmography
- Penitentary 2 (1982)
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) as Widdle Warrick
- The Ewok Adventure (1984) as Widdle Warrick
- Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) as Widdle Warrick
- Valet Girls (1986)
- Midget Fight (1986)
- Captain EO (1986)
- Spaceballs (1987)as a Dink
- Willow (1988) as a warrior.
- Beetlejuice (1988)
- I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988)
- Leprechaun 2 (1994)
- The Silence of the Hams (1994)
- Blankman (1994)
- Friday (1995)
- Me, Myself and Irene (2000) as Shauntay
- Frasier in the episode \"The Proposal\" (2002)
- Back by Midnight (2002)
- Hebrew Hammer (2003)
- Bad Santa (2003)
- Date Movie (2006) as Dr. Hitch, a spoof of the Will Smith film, Hitch
- Epic Movie (2007)
- Who's Your Caddy? (2007)
- Disaster Movie (2008) as Indiana Jones
- The Warrior's Way (2009)
- Little Mailman (upcoming)