Johnny Roventini

Johnny Roventini
Johnny Roventini as "Johnny the Bellboy" for Philip Morris, circa 1940s.
Born	John Louis Roventini (1910-08-15)August 15, 1910 Brooklyn, New York
Died	November 30, 1998(1998-11-30) (aged 88) Suffern, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York
Nationality	United States
Occupation	bellboy character actor
Known for	Character of Johnny the Bellboy for Philip Morris advertising.

Johnny Roventini, also known as John Louis Roventini and popularly as Johnny Philip Morris, (August 15, 1910 – November 30, 1998) was an American actor with dwarfism.

Less than four feet tall as a fully developed adult, Roventini was working as a bellboy at the New Yorker Hotel in 1933 when he was discovered by an advertising mogul, who had him perform a page, issuing a "Call for Philip Morris". He reportedly could always vocalize a perfect B-flat tone as he repeated those words, literally over a million times during his career, according to his own estimate.

He soon became famous as a product spokesman for Philip Morris brand cigarettes in radio, television and print advertising media. He was described by Philip Morris personnel as a "living trademark", and represented the company for over 40 years. He also played roles in the growth of broadcast media, most notably helping Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with the initial success of their innovative I Love Lucy comedy series beginning in 1951.

The child of Italian immigrants, he was born in Brooklyn, New York. Physically, Johnny Roventini was a little person. As an adult, he was only 47 inches tall and weighed 59 pounds. Employed as a bellman (or "bellboy") in the New Yorker Hotel in New York City, he was promoted by the hotel as the "smallest bellboy in the world".

The famous "Call for Philip Morris" advertising campaign predates Johnny Roventini's role and began during World War I. A drawing of a bellboy carrying a tray with a box of cigarettes on it was the original mascot. The campaign had been successful and was used for 15 years with artistic variations as the only significant changes.

In 1933, advertising executive Milton H. Biow, the principal of the Biow Agency in New York City, was managing the advertising account of Philip Morris cigarettes. Biow had an idea to bring new life (literally) to the mature "bellboy with tray of cigarettes" campaign. He had heard of the distinctive voice and appearance of Roventini. Biow and Philip Morris executive Alfred E. Lyons went to the hotel where Johnny worked. They sat in the lobby and observed him, noting both his diminutive size and distinctive voice.