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IMDbPro

Felix Silla(1937-2021)

  • Actor
  • Stunts
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Felix Silla
CHARACTERz Official Trailer - Life as a costumed mascot becomes a bizarre experience for a new recruit who joins an offbeat team of amusement park Characterz for a summer job.
Play trailer1:14
Characterz (2016)
3 Videos
90 Photos
Felix Silla was born on January 11, 1937 in a small village outside Rome, Lazio, Italy. Silla trained as a circus performer, came to the United States in 1955, and toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Show. His multiple talents -- as a bareback rider, trapeze artist and tumbler -- brought him to Hollywood where he became a stuntman, starting with the Gig Young-Shirley Jones vehicle, A Ticklish Affair (1963).

His best-known roles are the maniacal, miniature "Hitler" who menaces George Segal in The Black Bird (1975) and Cousin Itt on The Addams Family (1964). He had doubled -- often for children -- in such hits as The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975) and Battlestar Galactica (1978). Between movies, he frequently appears in Las Vegas and Reno nightclubs with his own musical combo, "The Original Harmonica Band".

Silla and wife Sue Silla -- a "little person", like himself -- were married from 1965 until Felix's death on April 16, 2021, and had three children, Bonnie, Michael and Diana.
BornJanuary 11, 1937
DiedApril 16, 2021(84)
BornJanuary 11, 1937
DiedApril 16, 2021(84)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win & 1 nomination total

Photos90

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+ 84
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Known for

Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Daphne Zuniga in Spaceballs (1987)
Spaceballs
7.1
  • Dink
  • 1987
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Warwick Davis, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Carter, and Larry Ward in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
8.3
  • Ewok
  • 1983
Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child (1986)
The Golden Child
6.0
  • Stunts
  • 1986
Henry Thomas and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
7.9
  • Stunts
  • 1982

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • Felix Silla and Devon Bostick in Meet Slate (2018)
    Meet Slate
    TV Mini Series
    • Bitcoin
    • 2018
  • Characterz (2016)
    Characterz
    5.9
    • Don Cluff
    • 2016
  • The Legend of Galgameth (1996)
    The Legend of Galgameth
    6.0
    • Little Galgy
    • 1996
  • Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, and Christopher Walken in Batman Returns (1992)
    Batman Returns
    7.1
    • Emperor Penguin
    • 1992
  • Christina Applegate, David Faustino, Katey Sagal, and Ed O'Neill in Married... with Children (1987)
    Married... with Children
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Alien
    • 1990
  • Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters II (1989)
    Ghostbusters II
    6.6
    • Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
    • 1989
  • Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Daphne Zuniga in Spaceballs (1987)
    Spaceballs
    7.1
    • Dink
    • 1987
  • House (1985)
    House
    6.1
    • Little Critter
    • 1985
  • Catherine Bach, Ben Jones, Denver Pyle, John Schneider, and Tom Wopat in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)
    The Dukes of Hazzard
    7.1
    TV Series
    • The Visitor
    • 1985
  • The Dungeonmaster (1984)
    The Dungeonmaster
    4.6
    • Desert Bandit (segment "Desert Pursuit") (as Felix Cilla)
    • 1984
  • Meatballs Part II (1984)
    Meatballs Part II
    3.8
    • Meathead the Alien
    • 1984
  • Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, Warwick Davis, David Prowse, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Carter, and Larry Ward in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
    Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
    8.3
    • Ewok
    • 1983
  • The Sting II (1983)
    The Sting II
    4.9
    • Ringside man taking bets (uncredited)
    • 1983
  • Robin Williams and Pam Dawber in Mork & Mindy (1978)
    Mork & Mindy
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Orkan Porter (uncredited)
    • 1981
  • Under the Rainbow (1981)
    Under the Rainbow
    5.3
    • Hotel Rainbow Guest
    • 1981

Stunts



  • Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, and Christopher Walken in Batman Returns (1992)
    Batman Returns
    7.1
    • stunt penguin (uncredited)
    • 1992
  • James Le Gros, Paula Irvine, and Angus Scrimm in Phantasm II (1988)
    Phantasm II
    6.4
    • stunt player
    • 1988
  • Dennis the Menace (1987)
    Dennis the Menace
    4.4
    TV Movie
    • stunts
    • 1987
  • Tom Noonan, Brent Chalem, Michael Faustino, Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Ryan Lambert, Michael Reid MacKay, Duncan Regehr, Carl Thibault, and Tom Woodruff Jr. in The Monster Squad (1987)
    The Monster Squad
    6.9
    • stunts
    • 1987
  • Eddie Murphy in The Golden Child (1986)
    The Golden Child
    6.0
    • stunts
    • 1986
  • Weekend Warriors (1986)
    Weekend Warriors
    4.4
    • stunts
    • 1986
  • Howard the Duck (1986)
    Howard the Duck
    4.8
    • stunt duck (uncredited)
    • 1986
  • Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri, and Ke Huy Quan in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
    7.5
    • stunt double: Short Round
    • stunts (uncredited)
    • 1984
  • Henry Thomas and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
    7.9
    • stunts
    • 1982
  • Heather O'Rourke in Poltergeist (1982)
    Poltergeist
    7.3
    • stunts
    • 1982
  • William Holden, Paul Newman, and Jacqueline Bisset in When Time Ran Out... (1980)
    When Time Ran Out...
    4.6
    • stunts (uncredited)
    • 1980
  • Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)
    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
    6.5
    • stunts (uncredited)
    • 1979
  • Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, George C. Scott, William Atherton, Burgess Meredith, Jean Rasey, Roy Thinnes, and Gig Young in The Hindenburg (1975)
    The Hindenburg
    6.3
    • stunts (uncredited)
    • 1975
  • Fred Astaire, William Holden, Paul Newman, Richard Chamberlain, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, O.J. Simpson, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner, Susan Blakely, and Jennifer Jones in The Towering Inferno (1974)
    The Towering Inferno
    7.0
    • stunts (uncredited)
    • 1974
  • Charlton Heston, Victoria Principal, Geneviève Bujold, Ava Gardner, Lorne Greene, George Kennedy, Marjoe Gortner, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Roundtree, and Barry Sullivan in Earthquake (1974)
    Earthquake
    5.9
    • stunts (uncredited)
    • 1974

Additional Crew



  • Fol-de-Rol (1972)
    Fol-de-Rol
    7.5
    TV Movie
    • puppeteer
    • 1972

Videos3

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Trailer 0:22
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Trailer 0:23
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Trailer 0:23
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
CHARACTERz Official Trailer
Trailer 1:14
CHARACTERz Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative name
    • Felix Cilla
  • Height
    • 3′ 11″ (1.19 m)
  • Born
    • January 11, 1937
    • Abruzzo, Italy
  • Died
    • April 16, 2021
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA(pancreatic cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Sue Silla1965 - April 16, 2021 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
    • Diana
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was almost killed while working as the stunt double for "Short Round" in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) during the filming of the river rapids scene. The life raft in which he was riding flipped over in the turbulent water and he was trapped underneath it for some time with a faulty inflatable life vest, nearly drowning until a safety diver could reach him and pull him to safety.

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Felix Silla die?
    April 16, 2021
  • How did Felix Silla die?
    Pancreatic cancer
  • How old was Felix Silla when he died?
    84 years old
  • Where did Felix Silla die?
    Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
  • When was Felix Silla born?
    January 11, 1937

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