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Felix Silla

Felix Silla (January 11, 1937 – April 16, 2021) was an Italian-born American actor, stuntman, and former circus performer best known for his portrayal of the enigmatic, all-hair character on the 1960s sitcom . Born in , , Silla stood under four feet tall and began his career as a bareback rider, trapeze artist, and tumbler with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus after immigrating to the in 1955. He transitioned to in 1962, initially working as a stunt double for child actors before landing his breakthrough role as , appearing in 17 episodes from 1964 to 1966, where the character's "speech" consisted of unintelligible gibberish conveyed through Silla's physical performance. Silla's career spanned decades, encompassing both acting and stunt work in notable films and television series. He performed as the robot Twiki in the sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981), with the voice provided by Mel Blanc. In film, he appeared as an Ewok in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983), Dink in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs (1987), and a miniature version of Adolf Hitler in the comedy The Black Bird (1975). His stunt credits included high-profile projects such as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Poltergeist (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Howard the Duck (1986), and Batman Returns (1992), often leveraging his agility and compact stature. Later in life, Silla relocated to Las Vegas in 2003, where he performed harmonica in a local band until his death from pancreatic cancer at age 84; he was survived by his wife Sue and daughters Bonnie and Diana, while his son Michael predeceased him in 2020.

Early Life

Childhood in Italy

Felix Anthony Silla was born on January 11, 1937, in the small rural village of Roccacasale, in the , region, . He was the youngest of three children born to parents Felice Silla and Gaetana Silla. Roccacasale, a working-class community with a population of fewer than 1,000 residents during the mid-20th century, provided a modest, agrarian backdrop for his early years. Silla was born with , a condition that resulted in an adult height of approximately 3 feet 11 inches (1.19 meters), which shaped his physical experiences from childhood. This stature directed his early interests toward physical activities and performance, leading him to train as a performer in during his formative years. Details on his formal are limited, but it appears to have been basic and practical, aligned with the opportunities available in a rural Italian village of the era. His childhood in fostered an initial exposure to through local traditions, though specific family stories of performers are not well-documented. This background set the stage for his later in , where he continued developing his circus skills.

Immigration and Circus Career

At the age of 18, Felix Silla immigrated to the from in , arriving with no knowledge of English and seeking opportunities in the world. He quickly joined the prestigious Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, where he began performing on national tours across the country. His diminutive stature of 3 feet 11 inches, a trait evident from childhood, combined with his natural agility, enabled him to thrive in the demanding circus environment. Silla honed a range of acrobatic skills during his several years with the , including , trapeze artistry, tumbling, and general . These performances required exceptional physical precision and endurance, as he executed high-flying routines and feats before large audiences. As an immigrant, Silla faced significant challenges, particularly the that initially isolated him from fellow performers and . The circus troupe played a crucial role in his adaptation to American , providing immersion that taught him English alongside advanced performance techniques. By the early 1960s, as the Ringling Bros. circus toured through , Silla decided to transition out of the big top and into . In 1962, he settled in the city and leveraged his circus-honed agility and compact build to pursue stunt work, marking the beginning of his film and television career.

Professional Career

Stunt Work and Early Acting

After immigrating to the in 1955 and performing with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Felix Silla transitioned to in the early , applying his acrobatic and tumbling skills honed in the circus to work. His debut as a stuntman came in 1963 with the film A Ticklish Affair, marking the beginning of a career that capitalized on his compact stature of 3 feet 11 inches. Silla frequently served as a stunt double for child actors in high-risk sequences, allowing directors to utilize his agility without endangering minors; a notable example was his work in the disaster epic (1974), where he performed dangerous falls and fire-related s. This role exemplified his versatility in action-oriented scenes, drawing from his background in trapeze and . In parallel with stunts, Silla secured early acting opportunities, often uncredited or minor due to his physical build. He portrayed a Talosian observer in the 1965 : The Original Series pilot episode "The Cage," appearing in a brief corridor scene without dialogue, clad in distinctive alien makeup. Another early credit was as the Child Gorilla in the funeral sequence of (1968), where he embodied a young ape in the film's iconic chimpanzee society. By 1975, he landed a more eccentric minor role as Litvak, a maniacal miniature Hitler menacing the protagonist in the comedy-mystery The Black Bird, a part Silla later cited as a favorite for its blend of physicality and humor. Silla's diminutive height often led to in , child, or fantastical roles, limiting his range to non-human or specialized characters. However, he adeptly leveraged this constraint, infusing performances with unique and dynamic action sequences that highlighted his circus-honed precision and endurance.

Film and Television Roles

Felix Silla's career in film and television encompassed a wide array of live-action roles, leveraging his diminutive stature and acrobatic background to portray creatures and characters in fantasy and sci-fi productions. Beginning with uncredited stunt work in the mid-1960s, he amassed over 30 credits across both mediums by the time of his death in 2021, often embodying non-human entities that required physical agility and costume performance. In film, Silla transitioned from early stunt doubling—such as for child actors in disaster epics like (1974) and The Hindenburg (1975)—to more prominent character portrayals in genre fare during the 1970s and 1980s. A notable example is his appearance in the 1979 theatrical adaptation of in the 25th Century, where his physical performance contributed to the film's sci-fi spectacle. By the , he secured credited roles like the in Tim Burton's (1992), a whimsical yet menacing avian figure in the film's underworld, highlighting his suitability for fantastical, costumed parts. On television, Silla's contributions included recurring stunt work in genre programming. These television appearances underscored his evolution from background stunts to integral, if brief, character contributions in the evolving landscape of genre programming.

Voice Acting

In the 2000s, as physical acting roles became less frequent due to Silla's advancing age, he adapted by venturing into voice work, leveraging his unique timbre and accent in digital media. Silla's primary voice acting credit was Goth in the 2004 video game , developed by and published by . , a central pre-made in the game's Pleasantview neighborhood, embodies a archetype as a reclusive obsessed with the and family legacy, residing in the sprawling, eerie Goth mansion alongside his wife , daughter , and son . Silla's vocal performance infused the character with a gravelly, accented intonation that enhanced Mortimer's brooding, intellectual eccentricity, distinguishing it amid the game's diverse Sim voices. This role marked Silla's entry into interactive entertainment, where voice recording typically involved isolated studio sessions to capture nuanced dialogue for player interactions, aspirations, and narrative events. His Italian-inflected delivery added an exotic layer to Mortimer's persona, resonating with players and contributing to the character's enduring popularity in franchise. Though Silla's voice credits remained limited, his work on The Sims 2—the best-selling video game of 2005 with over 6 million units sold in its first year—underscored his adaptability and left a subtle imprint on gaming culture by voicing one of the series' most iconic family patriarchs.

Notable Performances

Cousin Itt in The Addams Family

Felix Silla portrayed the eccentric Cousin Itt in the original ABC sitcom The Addams Family, which aired from 1964 to 1966. Standing at just under four feet tall, Silla brought his circus-honed agility to the role of the family's furry, fast-talking relative, appearing in 17 episodes across the show's two seasons. Fully encased in a single, floor-length hairpiece made of real human hair, along with gloves, sunglasses, and a bowler hat, Silla's face and body were completely obscured, transforming him into the enigmatic character who communicated in rapid, unintelligible gibberish. Silla landed the role through a straightforward casting process in the mid-1960s, where producers hired him on sight without requiring a traditional audition. As he recalled, "They take one look at me and say, ‘You got the job,’" instructing him simply to report to the set the following . The character's voice was not provided by Silla but dubbed in by sound engineer Tony Magro, who delivered the high-pitched, mumbled dialogue that only could understand. To convey Itt's speech during filming, Silla relied on expressive body movements and improvised physical comedy, such as animated gestures and waddling walks, to suggest the ongoing chatter. The costume presented significant performance challenges, weighing as much as "a brick" and generating intense heat under studio lights, which made long shoots exhausting. With his vision severely limited by the dense hair covering his face, Silla navigated the sets cautiously, often requiring guidance from crew members to avoid obstacles. Additionally, the real-hair material posed a fire hazard in an era when was common on set, leading producers to switch to a synthetic, flame-retardant version midway through production. Despite these difficulties, Silla's stunt background allowed him to infuse the role with dynamic, comedic flair, turning Itt into a scene-stealer through pratfalls and exaggerated mannerisms. On set, Silla collaborated closely with the core cast, including John Astin as Gomez Addams, Carolyn Jones as Morticia, Ted Cassidy as Lurch, and Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester, fostering a familial atmosphere amid the show's macabre humor. He noted lighthearted disruptions, such as Coogan's snoring during quiet scenes, which occasionally required retakes but added to the ensemble's camaraderie. Silla reprised the role in the 1977 NBC television movie Halloween with the New Addams Family, reuniting with original cast members for a special that blended nostalgia with new storylines. Cousin Itt's portrayal significantly boosted Silla's fame and cemented the character as a pop culture , with the episode appearances enduring through decades of and inspiring parodies in later . The role highlighted Silla's versatility in physical performance, contributing to 's lasting legacy as a quirky staple of 1960s television.

Sci-Fi Roles Including Ewoks and Twiki

Felix Silla portrayed an unnamed piloting a hang glider during the pivotal battle sequences on the forest moon of Endor in Star Wars: Episode VI – (1983). Drawing on his extensive stunt experience, Silla executed the aerial maneuvers while encased in the film's signature fur costume, which was both hot and restrictive, exacerbating the physical strain of the wire work and forest navigation. Filming for these scenes took place amid the towering redwoods near , where the dense foliage and low light conditions were deliberately chosen to camouflage the suits' artificial texture and enhance the scene's immersive quality. From 1979 to 1981, Silla embodied the diminutive robot companion Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, providing the physical performance in 31 episodes of the series while Mel Blanc delivered the distinctive voice work. The role demanded expert suit acting, as the metallic costume—complete with limited visibility slits and rigid joints—posed significant mobility challenges, turning long shooting days into endurance tests for the performer. Silla's agile movements brought Twiki's comedic and adventurous personality to life, making the character a fan-favorite sidekick in the show's futuristic escapades. Silla's earlier forays into science fiction further cemented his niche in the genre, including an uncredited appearance as a Talosian in the Star Trek pilot episode "The Cage" (1965) and as a young gorilla child during the funeral scene in Planet of the Apes (1968). These roles, combined with his and performances, earned him a devoted among sci-fi enthusiasts. In later years, Silla embraced this legacy at fan conventions like and Space City Con, where he recounted the grueling physicality of his suit-bound work and expressed delight in connecting with fans over shared appreciation for the genre's imaginative worlds.

Personal Life and Legacy

Family and Later Years

Felix Silla married Evelyn Sue Silla, who was also a little person and worked in the entertainment industry, in 1965; the couple's union lasted 56 years and provided a stable foundation for their family amid Silla's demanding career. They had three children—daughters Bonnie and Diana, and son Michael, who predeceased him in 2020—who benefited from the security his professional success afforded, allowing the family to thrive together in the United States after his immigration from Italy. Silla was also survived by his brother Michael Silla and sister Vilma Scenna. Silla's career stability enabled him to prioritize family, with Sue offering companionship through shared experiences in show business. In his later years, Silla retired from full-time acting in 2004 and settled in , , where he enjoyed a more relaxed lifestyle as a longtime resident. He continued to perform occasionally in local nightclubs with his musical group, The Original Harmonica Band, blending his love of music with between convention engagements. Silla made sporadic appearances at fan s, where he delighted audiences with stories from his roles as and , fostering connections with generations of admirers. Silla cherished family time, often caring for his five granddaughters alongside his wife, which became a central part of his daily routine in . His hobbies included weekly social gatherings with friends over pizza and wine in , simple rituals that highlighted his outgoing personality and appreciation for camaraderie. In these years, he also confronted health struggles, though he remained active in his community until his condition worsened.

Death and Posthumous Recognition

Felix Silla died on April 16, 2021, at the age of 84 in his , home after a battle with . A Celebration of Life was planned for a later date, but no further public details were announced. Following his death, major entertainment outlets published obituaries that celebrated his contributions to and film, particularly his portrayal of the enigmatic . noted his transition from circus performer to a versatile whose work spanned decades, emphasizing his enduring appeal in family-oriented and sci-fi genres. Deadline highlighted his iconic gibberish-speaking role and stunt work, describing him as a beloved figure in pop culture. similarly focused on his legacy, crediting him with bringing whimsy to the character through physical . Posthumously, Silla received recognition through fan-driven memorials and tributes within genre communities. A dedicated entry on Find a Grave honors his life and career, serving as a lasting online memorial for admirers. In the Star Wars fandom, he was included in Wookieepedia's memorial page for creators, acknowledging his uncredited role as an Ewok in Return of the Jedi (1983) amid ongoing revivals of the franchise on streaming platforms like Disney+ through 2025. No formal induction into sci-fi halls of fame occurred, but his appearances in shows like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century continue to feature in retrospective documentaries and streaming collections, sustaining interest in his era of genre television. Silla's legacy endures as a pioneer for with in , demonstrating through his stunt and character work that performers of could excel in demanding physical and comedic roles, influencing subsequent generations in the industry. His characters, notably , remain cultural touchstones, frequently referenced in media and revivals of franchise on platforms such as and Paramount+ as of 2025, ensuring his whimsical portrayals continue to delight audiences.

Filmography

Selected Film Roles

Felix Silla appeared in approximately 20 films between 1968 and 1992, often leveraging his background as a acrobat and tumbler for work and character roles that required agility and physical expressiveness. In (1968), Silla portrayed a gorilla in an uncredited role, contributing to the film's depiction of ape society through his nuanced physical movements that captured the innocence and curiosity of the young . Silla served as a stunt double in The Towering Inferno (1974), performing daring sequences in the disaster epic that highlighted his expertise in high-risk , often doubling for child actors amid the film's intense fire and collapse action. As Litvak, a maniacal miniature Hitler, in The Black Bird (1975), Silla delivered a memorable villainous performance in the comedic thriller, using his compact stature and energetic physicality to menace the with exaggerated, satirical menace. Silla played an unnamed operating a hang glider in (1983), enhancing the film's climactic battle on Endor with his acrobatic prowess that brought dynamic motion to the furry warriors' aerial assault. In (1992), Silla embodied the Emperor Penguin during the film's opening circus parade, employing his stunt skills to convey the creature's waddling gait and eerie presence within the movie's dark, fantastical setting.

Selected Television Roles

Felix Silla's television career encompassed more than 15 series from 1964 through the 1980s, highlighting his adaptability across genres including comedy, fantasy, and . Silla's portrayal of in the ABC The (1964–1966) marked one of his earliest recurring roles, appearing in 17 episodes as the mysterious, entirely hair-covered family member whose communication consisted of grunts and gibberish, contributing to the character's enduring popularity in the show's macabre humor. In the series in the 25th Century (1979–1981), provided the physical performance for the recurring robot companion across 31 episodes, a role that showcased his ability to bring mechanical characters to life through movement, while supplied the high-pitched voice. appeared as a guest in a single episode of : The Original Series, playing an uncredited Talosian in the 1965 pilot "The Cage," where he embodied one of the telepathic alien inhabitants of Talos IV.

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