Billy Barty, Krofft Superstar

Billy Barty was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania on October 25, 1924.  When he was just three years old, his family moved to California and Barty never looked back.

By the end of the 1920s, he was already a working actor in Hollywood.  He co-starred with Mickey Rooney in the Mickey McGuire shorts, which ran from 1927 to 1936.

As a little person, Barty was often cast as an infant or toddler even though he was much older.  The first such role was in the film Gold Diggers of 1933, when nine-year-old Barty appeared as a precocious baby taking great delight at a bevy of scantily clad hotties.  You can watch that clip here.

In 1935, Barty was in the classic Universal horror film Bride of Frankenstein, appearing as one of the doctor's unique creations.  Although the role was uncredited, it would be his first in a genre that would later embrace him.

As he entered adulthood, Barty began appearing on television.  He teamed up with comedian Spike Jones and was a regular on his musical comedy show.  He proved to be quite a good impressionist, for despite his height, Barty did a near-perfect impression of piano man Liberace.  Check it out here.  It may be the funniest thing you see today. 

As Sigmund the sea monster,
with series lead Johnny Whitaker (1973).

Barty continued acting on television throughout the 1960s, appearing on such shows as Rawhide, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.  On the detective series Peter Gunn, Barty had a recurring role as a police informant named Babby.  Watch him hustle series
lead Craig Stevens here.   

He was also a children's TV-show host. 
In the mid-1960s, he starred on the self-
titled series Billy Barty's Bigtop, setting up classic episodes of The Three Stooges.  It aired locally in the Los Angeles area and
was for many children their first introduction to little people.

This genre also proved successful for Barty.  Throughout the 1970s, he appeared in a variety of Saturday morning TV shows, all from the world of producers Sid and Marty Krofft.  These included H.R. Pufnstuf, The Bugaloos, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and Dr. Shrinker, the latter of which being the only one in which his face was visible to the viewers.  Click on the titles for each series intro.

In primetime, Barty continued acting on such series as The Redd Foxx Show, on which he was a regular cast member. Here's a segment featuring them with guest star Don Knotts.  I take back what I said earlier.  This is the funniest thing you'll see today.  He'd also appear on such series as The Love Boat, Little House on the Prairie and the ill-fated Man From Atlantis.

In the 1980s, Barty returned to the big screen in a slew of memorable performances, including Masters of the Universe (1987), Willow (1988) and the cult comedy classic UHF (1989), starring Weird Al Yankovic.  Here's a clip featuring featuring Barty with future Nanny star Fran Drescher.  

Barty continued working throughout the 1990s and into the 21st century.  His final role was in the 2001 film I/O Error.

The film was released posthumously however.  Barty died of heart failure on December 23, 2000.  He was 76 years old.

He was entombed at Forest Lawn Glendale.

Inscription: In Loving Memory of Billy Barty
Who Always Thought Big
Location: Freedom Mausoleum, Patriots Terrace,
Columbarium of Blessedness, Map #ELH0,|Indoor Niche #38011

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• While Barty never published his memoirs, he did write the foreword for the 1996 retrospective The Munchkins of Oz by Stephen Cox.  In 2002, Barty's nephew Michael Copeland, along with his wife Debra, released the definitive Billy Barty biography, Within Reach: An Inspirational Journey Into the Life, Legacy and Influence of Billy Barty.  Both books are available from Amazon.
  
  
• As a student at Los Angeles State College, Barty was a prized athlete, lettering in both football and basketball.  Believe it or Not!
  
  
• In 1957, Barty founded Little People of America (LPA), a non-profit organization that provides support and information to people of short stature.  LPA is still in operation today with more than 6,800 members.  You can check out their web site here.
  
  
• In 1976, Barty appeared as a contestant on the reality show Celebrity Bowling, teamed with comedian Dick Martin.  They faced off against actors John Schuck and Michael Ansara.  Who won?  Check out the episode in its entirety on YouTube.  Note that Barty wears an LPA t-shirt during the match.
  
  
• When Walt Disney World opened its EPCOT Center in the 1980s, they introduced a dark ride called "Journey Into Imagination."  Barty was the original voice of one of the characters from the ride, a purple dragon named Figment.  Today, that same character is voiced by frequent Muppet actor Dave Goetz.
  
  
• Barty was a spiritual man, belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
  
  
• In the 1980s, Barty owned a roller rink in Fullerton, California.