Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 2007 | |
| Born | Warwick Ashley Davis 3 February 1970 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Height | 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) |
| Spouse |
Samantha Davis (m. 1991) |
| Children | Annabel Davis (b. 1997) Harrison Davis (b. 2003) |
| Website | http://warwickdavis.co.uk/ |
Warwick Ashley Davis (born 3 February 1970)[1] is an English actor. He played the title characters in Willow and the Leprechaun film series, the Ewok Wicket in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films. Davis has also starred as a fictionalised version of himself in the sitcom Life's Too Short, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Because of his dwarfism, Davis stands 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) tall.[2]
Early life
Warwick Davis was born in Epsom, Surrey, to an insurance broker and his wife.[3] Davis also has a younger sister. He was educated at Chinthurst School and later the City of London Freemen's School. When Davis was 11, his grandmother heard a radio advert calling for people who were 4 ft. tall or shorter to be in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.[4] To Davis, who was a fan of the Star Wars films, it was a dream come true. On the set of Return of the Jedi, Mark Hamill bought Davis every single Star Wars figure he did not have.[2]
Career
He was originally cast as an extra Ewok, but when Kenny Baker, who was originally going to be Wicket, fell ill, George Lucas picked Warwick to be the new Wicket after seeing how he carried himself as an Ewok.[3] Davis based his Ewok movements on his dog, who would tilt his head from side to side whenever he saw something strange. During production on the film, Davis was the subject of a short mockumentary film about his experience as Wicket, titled Return of the Ewok, made by Return of the Jedi's first assistant director, David Tomblin. The unreleased film was a fictional look at his decision to become an actor and act in the film and his transformation into Wicket the Ewok. Davis reprised his role as Wicket in the ABC made-for-TV films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
In 1987, Davis was called to Elstree Studios in London to meet with Ron Howard and George Lucas to discuss a new film project called Willow, which was written with Davis specifically in mind. Willow was his first opportunity to act with his face visible. He co-starred with Val Kilmer in the film, which received a Royal Premiere before the Prince and Princess of Wales. He then moved to television to be in the BBC Television adaptation of the classic The Chronicles of Narnia, specifically in Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (as Reepicheep), and The Silver Chair (as Glimfeather) and an episode of Zorro filmed in Madrid. In 1993, he played the villainous Irish goblin in Leprechaun. He then returned to the Star Wars universe, playing three roles in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Weazel, a gambler sitting next to Watto at the Podrace; Wald, who was Anakin's Rodian buddy; and Yoda in some scenes where Yoda was seen walking.[5]
Davis played the role of Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films.[6] Davis played a white-moustached Flitwick in the first two films, and then a black-haired unnamed chorus conductor (presumably Flitwick but not credited as such) for the third instalment of the series. In the fourth film, Flitwick is younger looking, with short, brown hair and a trimmed moustache. In addition to playing Flitwick, Davis played the role of the goblin Griphook in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, despite the role being played previously by fellow dwarf actor Verne Troyer.
In 2004, Davis played the character "Plates" in the indie film Skinned Deep, directed by special effects artist Gabriel Bartalos.[7] In 2006, Davis appeared, alongside fellow Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, in an episode of BBC's comedy series Extras as a satirical version of himself. Davis starred in the film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as the "body" of Marvin the Paranoid Android (the voice was provided by Alan Rickman). In December 2006, Davis starred in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the Opera House, Manchester, and again in 2007-08 at the New Wimbledon Theatre.
Davis appeared in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, in which he played Nikabrik the Dwarf, adding to his previous involvement in TV adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia series. He also appeared as a contestant on the 2007 series of Children in Need reality show Celebrity Scissorhands. Davis starred as a fictional version of himself in Life's Too Short, written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who also starred.[8] In December 2012, Davis returned to New Wimbledon Theatre to reprise his role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[9]
Other
In addition to his acting career, in 1995 Davis co-founded, with fellow dwarf actor and father-in-law Peter Burroughs, the talent agency Willow Management, that specializes in representing actors under five feet tall. Many of Davis's co-stars and fellow dwarf actors from Star Wars, Willow, Labyrinth and the Harry Potter series are represented by the agency. In 2004, the agency also began representing actors over seven feet tall who had also suffered from being confined to "niche" roles. Over 40 members of Willow Management were cast as goblins in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. In April 2010, Davis published his autobiography, Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis, with a foreword by George Lucas.[10] In January 2013 he appeared in a Comic Relief episode of The Great British Bake Off, winning that episode's title of "Comic Relief Star Baker".
Personal life
Unlike most dwarfs (70%) who have a condition called achondroplasia, Davis' dwarfism is caused by an extremely rare genetic condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED). He has said the only real drawback to being small was the associated health problems. Of his own dwarfism, Davis has said, "As you get older, you can suffer from painful hips, and our joints wear a lot quicker than for people of average height".[citation needed]
Davis is married and has two children,[11] who live in Yaxley near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. His wife, Samantha (b. 1971) has achondroplasia, whilst his children Annabelle (b. 1997) and Harrison (b. 2003) also have SED.[12] Samantha is the daughter of his business partner Peter Burroughs, and the sister of actress Hayley Burroughs.
Filmography
References
- ^ Davis, Warwick (2011). Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis. John Wiley & Sons. p. xv. ISBN 1-118-11939-8.
- ^ a b Swann, Liam (29 July 2011). "Warwick Davis talks exclusively to MCMBUZZ!". MCM Buzz. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Warwick Davis: the quintessential Ewok". The News and Courier. 24 November 1984. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ "'Star Wars' - Warwick Davis Q&A". Time Out London. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ Warwick Davis, "To play Yoda, thrilled I was: Warwick Davis reveals how being only 3ft 6in couldn't stop him making it big in Hollywood", Mail Online, 11 April 2010. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
- ^ Wigler, Josh (29 June 2010). "'Harry Potter' Star Warwick Davis Recalls Emotional Final Day On Set". MTV Movie News. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ Skinned Deep at IMDb
- ^ 'Life's Too Short' BBC Pilot, Warwickdavis.co.uk, 22 April 2010
- ^ "Snow White Wimbledon Tickets - 2012 Pantomime New Wimbledon Theatre". Retrieved 2012-11-17.
- ^ Davis, Warwick; Lucas, George (22 April 2010). Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis. Aurum Press. p. 352. ISBN 978-1-84513-531-7.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Warwick Davis takes his children and wife on day out to television studios - Daily Mail
- ^ McGrath, Nick (31 March 2012). "Warwick Davis: My family values". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (23 June 2010). "'Merlin' star Colin Morgan talks dragons and guest stars". USA Weekend. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Spoiler alert! Scenes from the last instalment of Harry Potter and a heartbreaking farewell to a faithful friend". Daily Mail. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ^ "Warwick Davis joins Karl Pilkington for Ricky Gervais' An Idiot Abroad 3: The Short Way Round - Sky1 HD". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- ^ The writer has posted comments on this article (3 July 2012). "Hollywood actor Warwick Davis shoots for 'Chingari' - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ "BBC - Blogs - Doctor Who - Confirmed for 2013: Cybermen and Stellar Cast". 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- Use dmy dates from August 2010
- 1970 births
- Living people
- Actors from Surrey
- Actors with dwarfism
- English child actors
- English film actors
- English stage actors
- English television actors
- People educated at City of London Freemen's School
- People from Epsom
- People from Yaxley, Cambridgeshire
- People educated at Chinthurst School
- 20th-century English actors
- 21st-century English actors