Warwick Davis
Warwick Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 2007 | |
| Born | Warwick Ashley Davis 3 February 1970 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse |
Samantha Davis (m. 1991) |
| Children | Annabel Davis (b. 1997) Harrison Davis (b. 2003) |
| Website | warwickdavis.com |
Warwick Ashley Davis (born 3 February 1970)[1] is an English actor. He is most notable for playing the title characters in Willow and the Leprechaun film series, as well as for his roles in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the Harry Potter films. More recently, Davis starred as himself in 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 made a short mockumentary film about his experience as Wicket, titled Return of the Ewok, made with help from 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 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 scenes where Yoda was walking.
Davis played the role of Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films.[5] 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 installment 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.[6]
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 himself in Life's Too Short, written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who also starred.[7]
Other
In addition to his acting career, Davis is the co-founder, with fellow dwarf actor Peter Burroughs, of a talent agency (Willow Management, founded in 1995) that specialises in representing actors under five feet tall. As of 2004, his 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.[8]
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".
Davis is married and has two children, who live in Yaxley near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. His wife, Samantha (b. 1971) has achondroplasia, whilst his children Annabel (b. 1997) and Harrison (b. 2003) also have SED.[9] Samantha is the daughter of his business partner Peter Burroughs, and the sister of actress Hayley Burroughs.
Warwick Davis stated in interviews that Willow and Leprechaun are his favourite characters that he's played in his career.[citation needed]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Return of the Ewok | (unreleased film) | |
| 1983 | Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | Wicket W. Warrick | |
| 1984 | Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure | ||
| 1985 | Ewoks: The Battle for Endor | ||
| 1986 | Labyrinth | Goblin Corps | |
| The Princess and the Dwarf | |||
| 1987 | Conor Finan's Adventures in Naas | ||
| 1988 | Willow | Willow Ufgood | |
| 1989 | Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Reepicheep | BBC TV serial |
| 1990 | The Silver Chair | Glimfeather | |
| 1991 | Zorro One episode: The Jewelled Sword | Don Alfonso | US. TV series filmed in Spain |
| 1993 | Leprechaun | Leprechaun | |
| 1994 | Leprechaun 2 | ||
| 1995 | Leprechaun 3 | ||
| 1996 | Gulliver's Travels | Grildrig | television miniseries |
| Leprechaun 4: In Space | Leprechaun | ||
| 1997 | Prince Valiant | Pechet | |
| 1998 | A Very Unlucky Leprechaun | Lucky | |
| 1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | Yoda (live action suit), (Also as extra as a crowd member, watching pod race) | |
| The New Adventures of Pinocchio | dwarf | ||
| The White Pony | Edgar Rod | ||
| 2000 | The 10th Kingdom | Acorn the Dwarf | television miniseries |
| Leprechaun: In the Hood | Leprechaun | ||
| 2001 | Snow White | Saturday | |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Professor Flitwick / Goblin Bank Teller | ||
| 2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Professor Flitwick | |
| 2003 | Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood | Leprechaun | |
| 2004 | Ray | Oberon | |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Professor Flitwick (billed as "choir master") | ||
| Skinned Deep | Plates | ||
| 2005 | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Marvin the Paranoid Android | |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Professor Flitwick | ||
| Small Town Folk | Knackerman | ||
| Extras | himself | ||
| 2007 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Professor Flitwick | |
| 2008 | Agent One-Half | Agent One-Half | |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | Nikabrik | ||
| 2009 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | Professor Flitwick | |
| Tell Him Next Year | Santa's Elf | ||
| 2010 | Merlin[10] | Grettir | Series 3, Episode 8: "The Eye of the Phoenix" |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Griphook[11] | (Closing credits name him Warwick Davies) | |
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Griphook/Professor Flitwick[11] | Best Ensemble Performance - won |
| 2011 | Life's Too Short | Fictionalized version of himself | Lead role Creator |
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.
- ^ 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
- ^ 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) - ^ 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.
External links
