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Jack Purvis (13 July 1937 – 21 November 1997) was a British film actor. Purvis had dwarfism, and at 4 feet 2 inches (1.27 m) [1] was mainly cast in roles requiring actors of short stature. He appeared in three of director Terry Gilliam 's early fantasy films, with significant roles in Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen .
YearTitleRole1966Snow White and the Seven DwarfsBashful1969Popdownmini photographer19771977Jack Purvis (1937-1997) was a British actor who appeared in films such as Time Bandits, Brazil and Star Wars. He also worked as a special effects artist and a performer on soundtracks.
- January 1, 1
- London, England, UK
- January 1, 1
- Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK
Mini Bio. Jack Purvis was born on July 13, 1937 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Time Bandits (1981), Brazil (1985) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). He was married to Marjie Purvis. He died on November 11, 1997 in Bushey, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- July 13, 1937
- November 11, 1997
- Overview
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Jack Purvis was an actor in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Original Trilogy's roles
Purvis began working in cinema with Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope in 1977. His partner, Baker, was in negotiations to act as R2-D2. As that would have forced him to cancel the rich summer season of his theater show, which would have been a blow to Purvis' career, Baker and Purvis convinced the producers to hire both of them for the movie. Purvis began acting as the Chief Jawa, seen as he attacked and disabled his friend's droid character. His other characters in the film include the cantina patron Kitik Keed'kak, who also was played by his son Andy Purvis during one day, and a power droid in Mos Eisley. Purvis was called upon again to act in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Although there were no Jawas in that movie, there was another role for a man of his size: the Chief Ugnaught. Later identified as Ugloste by the Expanded Universe, Purvis can be seen on Cloud City, where Han Solo was frozen in carbonite. Jack Purvis returned to the Star Wars saga for the final time in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Although there were Jawas in this installment, they only served as background characters. Instead, Purvis played a member of a new species, the Ewoks. His character, Teebo, was an axe-wielding gray Ewok using a skull as a helmet. Thus, he is the only person to be credited in the three original films as playing different characters in each installment. Purvis' then-teenage daughter Katie, who shared her father's dwarfism, also appeared in the film as an Ewok mother, holding a Wokling in her arms.
Later life and death
Jack Purvis later suffered an accident with his own vehicle after he'd parked it. The car's brakes failed and rolled backwards, crushing him between its bumper and a wall, breaking his neck, and paralyzing him for the rest of his life. Purvis died in November 1997 in Bushey Hertfordshire, England. He was sixty years old.
•••"Jack Purvis Remembered" — Star Wars Insider 37
•"When Artoo Met Wicket" — Star Wars Insider 39
•"Set Piece" — Star Wars Insider 61
•"Yub Nub!: 40 Years of the Ewoks" — Star Wars Insider 217
1.The Art of Star Wars (page 60)
2."Andy Purvis: A Bug's Life" — Star Wars Insider 218
•Jack Purvis on Wikipedia
•Jack Purvis at the Internet Movie Database
In other languages
•Deutsch
Nov 21, 1997 · Jack Purvis was a British film actor who played a different alien creature in each of the three films of the original Star Wars trilogy and also appeared in several fantasy films by Terry Gilliam. He died in 1997 at the age of 60 after breaking his neck in a car accident.
Nov 21, 1997 · Actor. Born in London, England, he was afflicted with dwarfism, attaining only the height in maturity of four foot one inch. He teamed with fellow performer Kenny Baker, another little person, with whom he appeared in nightclubs and theatres in a show called "The Mini Tones."
Jan 22, 2024 · For me, this epic journey is not just a cinematic phenomenon but a personal odyssey, intricately woven with the legacy of my father, Jack Purvis, whose presence in Star Wars shaped not only the trajectory of the franchise but also influenced the course of my own career.
