Michu Meszaros
Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros | |
|---|---|
Mészáros „Michu” Mihály | |
| Born | October 1, 1939 |
| Died | June 12, 2016 (aged 76)[1] |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, circus performer, entertainer, stuntman |
| Years active | 1970s–2016 |
| Height | 2 ft 9 in (0.84 m) |
Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros (Hungarian: Mészáros Mihály; October 1, 1939 – June 12, 2016) was a Hungarian actor, circus performer/entertainer, and stuntman, who as an American citizen was best remembered as a performer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and for his role in the NBC sitcom ALF. He was 2 feet 9 inches (0.84 m) tall. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Meszaros was a television and film actor, and he also appeared opposite pop singer Michael Jackson in a Pepsi commercial. His last appearance was in 2015's Death to Cupid.
For the first season of the ALF television series, Meszaros donned a costume whenever a full-body shot was needed for scenes of the alien walking, running, or standing. For the most part, however, upper-body shots of a mechanical puppet were used instead, since the full-body costume was extremely hot and uncomfortable for the actor to wear for long periods of time under bright studio lights. The ALF puppet and costume can be distinguished on first view because the head proportions are slightly different.
Biography
Meszaros also was a member of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus as the former "smallest man in the world".[2] As a youngster, he attended a state-run school of circus arts, becoming well versed in such performing skills as juggling, acrobatics and pantomime. For many years, American circus producers Irvin Feld and Kenneth Feld had heard of the existence, somewhere in Hungary, of a man almost too small to believe. The producers finally located him in 1973; astonished at his size and talents, they made immediate arrangements to bring Meszaros from the small Hungarian circus to the United States.
As a circus performer, he trained and presented white standard poodles for his act. Standing on their hind legs, the dogs appeared much taller than their diminutive but commanding trainer. Circus audiences nationwide cheered his dignified though slightly comedic role, in which he was billed as the "Smallest Man in the World". In the so-called Grand Spectacle performance of 1982 and 1983, Meszaros would portray a character known as the Marshal of Marshmallow Gulch, resplendent in a well-tailored white, silver and gold costume encrusted with rhinestones, along with matching cowboy hat and silver boots.
In the 1980s Hawthorne, California, where he resided, named the shortest street in that city "Michu Lane" in his honor.[3][4]
On June 12, 2016, his manager Dennis Varga announced that Meszaros was in a comatose state in a Los Angeles hospital, after Varga discovered him unconscious on his bathroom floor. He had suffered numerous health issues since a stroke eight years earlier.[5] He died at the Providence Little Company of Mary medical center in Torrance the following night.[6]
His memorial service was held at Dearly Departed Tours & Artifact Museum, where his remains are inured and on public display along with items from his life and career
Partial filmography
- H.R. Pufnstuf (1969) as Taylor
- ALF (1986) as ALF (credited as one of Alf's "Assistants")
- Waxwork (1988) as Hans
- Big Top Pee-wee (1988) as Andy
- Look Who's Talking (1989) as "baby stunt performer"
- Dear John (1991) Episode #66 Louise the Hero as Mishka
- Freaked (1993) as George Ramirez #3
- Warlock: The Armageddon (1993) as Augusto
- Death to Cupid (2015) as Leprechaun
References
- ^ "Michu Meszaros Obituary". Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ Dunbrow, Marsha (26 April 1982). "Only 33 Inches Tall, Mihaly 'Michu' Mezaros Is the Smallest Guy Under the Big Top". People. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ "A Street Called Michu". The Sun Sentinel. Ft. Lauderdale. 13 June 1987. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ^ "Michu Ln". Google Maps. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- ^ Rutter, Claire (12 June 2016). "ALF star Michu Meszaros, 76, fighting for his life after slipping into a coma". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ Melas, Chloe (13 June 2016). "Mihaly 'Michu' Meszaros, actor who played 'ALF,' dies at 76". CNN. Retrieved 8 May 2019.