Michael Dunn (actor)
| Michael Dunn | |
|---|---|
Dunn and Richard Kiel on The Wild Wild West.
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| Born |
Gary Neil Miller October 20, 1934 Shattuck, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | August 30, 1973 (aged 38) London, England, UK |
| Resting place | Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Actor and singer |
| Height | 1.17 m (3 ft 10 in) |
Michael Dunn (October 20, 1934 – August 30, 1973) was an American actor and singer. He inspired a number of actors that were smaller and shorter than most "average" people, including Zelda Rubinstein, Mark Povinelli, and Ricardo Gil.
Dunn had medical dwarfism, a result of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED, subtype unknown), a genetic defect of cartilage production caused by a mutation in the COL2A1 (type II collagen) gene. This disorder, classified as a skeletal dysplasia, caused distorted development of his limbs, spine, and ribcage and led to early, widespread osteoarthritis and constricted lung growth. As an adult, he stood 3' 10" and weighed about 78 pounds (117 cm, 35 kg). During Dunn's lifetime, his condition was described by the nonspecific term "progressive chondrodystrophy," or alternatively as "achondroplasia", a term that now refers specifically to a skeletal dysplasia caused by a defect in the gene for fibroblast growth factor receptor 3.
Dunn was born Gary Neil Miller to Jewell (née Hilly; died 1990) and Fred Miller (died 1981) during the time of the Dust Bowl drought. He chose his stage name in order to differentiate himself from another Gary Miller in Screen Actors Guild. ("Dunn" was his maternal grandmother's maiden name, but his reason for choosing "Michael" is unknown and not derived from his monastic experience in 1958.) An only child, when he was four years old, his family moved to Dearborn, Michigan.
Dunn started reading at age three, was champion of the 1947 Detroit News Spelling Bee—representing Wallaceville School in Wayne County—and showed early skill at the piano. He enjoyed singing from childhood, loved to draw an impromptu audience (even while waiting for a bus), and developed a pleasing lyric baritone and superb sight-reading skills. His parents defied pressure from school authorities to sequester him in a school for disabled children and staunchly supported his talents, independence, and integration into mainstream society. "I always got thrown out of classes for being too lippy", he commented about his experience with elementary school teachers. "I'd read more than they." His orthopedic condition greatly limited his mobility, but he swam and ice skated in childhood and remained a skilled swimmer throughout his life.
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