The Shortest Men In Hollywood
The Spanish-born, award-winning actor, who is just under 5 feet 9 inches tall, was actually a soccer protégé as a youth, according to his biography on Britannica. A serious foot injury when he was 14 dashed his dreams of becoming a professional soccer player and he developed a new interest in acting after playing a role in the rock musical Hair. He transitioned into Hollywood, taking intensive English lessons before landing the role of Tom Hanks’ lover in the 1993 movie Philadelphia. The international film star is also known for playing Zorro in the eponymous film series.
Actually, Humphrey Bogart was one of the tallest on our list, at 5 feet 8 inches. But Bogie was concerned that the audience would notice he was smaller than his Casablanca co-star Ingrid Bergman. She was told to slouch on the sofa in some scenes, while Bogart was perched on extra cushions so they appeared more level, according to The Telegraph.
Actor Jonathan Lipnicki was just 5 years old when he starred alongside Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire as Ray. (Remember how adorable he was in his eyeglasses?) He also starred in family-friendly movies like Stuart Little and Like Mike.
The actor, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall, says he doesn’t want to piggyback on his early success and wants to continue taking theater classes, according to an interview with the Huffington Post.
“I think the problem with a lot of child stars and why they don’t make the transition, they think, ‘Well, the world owes me something.’ But the world doesn’t, the world doesn’t owe you anything. You need to continue to improve your skills as you grow up.” More recently, he starred in the high school comedy Loserville.
Actor Giancarlo Esposito is well known for playing calculated drug kingpin Gustavo Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. In an interview with AMC, Esposito, who is 5 feet 8 inches, said that in real life, he’s energetic and excitable. Yoga and meditation have helped him get into the role of Gus, who is “cool as a cucumber”.
Esposito also plays Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars series. He’s also worked with acclaimed director Spike Lee in films like Do the Right Thing, School Daze, and Mo’ Better Blues.
The Boogie Nights and Entourage star, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall, comes from a big, close-knit family. You can get a glimpse into Wahlberg family life in the reality show Wahlburgers, which is about the family’s burger business. The show aired for 10 seasons before coming to an end in 2019.
If you grew up in the 1980s, you probably also know Mark Wahlberg as the kid brother of Donny from the boy band New Kids on the Block. Mark Wahlberg, who had a Calvin Klein modeling contract, started his own rap collective, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, in the early ’90s, but the group’s album flopped and he shifted to Hollywood, according to Rolling Stone.
Joaquin Phoenix, who — in 2020 — won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in Joker, is 5 feet 8 inches tall. While a lot of actors decide to change their names as they break into Hollywood, you might be surprised to know that Joaquin Phoenix, according to Vogue Paris, changed his name to Leaf at age 4 before going back to his birth name in 1991, at the age of 16. Also interesting is that the actor is a vegetarian and a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In fact, in 2019, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) named Phoenix its “Person of the Year“.
As a youth, Tobey Maguire got his start with small roles on shows like Roseanne and Blossom after his mom encouraged him to take acting lessons. Maguire, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall, is best known for his superhero role in the Spider-Man series. But he also played Nick Carraway, the writer who moves next door to millionaire Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), in the 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby and has had roles in movies like Cider House Rules and Seabiscuit.
Jack Black played a giant in Gulliver’s Travels. But in real life, the actor is 5 feet 7 inches tall. He’s in good company with his Jumanji costar, Kevin Hart, who’s also on this list.
Now You See Me actor Dave Franco measures in at about 5 feet 7 inches tall — significantly shorter than his older brother James Franco, who is 5 feet 11 inches tall.
Dave starred in Warm Bodies, a 2013 zombie drama, and when an MTV interviewer asked him how he would fare if the undead took over the world, his response was a fun one: “I’m a small shifty kind of guy, I think I would be up in the hills… shooting from above, while the big guys are going at it from below.” He went on to say that he’s played sports his whole life, so he’d be a good asset to humans.
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