Hervé Villechaize

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Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (born April 23, 1943 in Paris , † September 4, 1993 in North Hollywood , USA ) was a French actor . The short actor played his best known roles in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun and as a tattoo, assistant to Mr. Roarke, in the television series Fantasy Island .

Life

Hervé Villechaize was born in Paris to a doctor. As a child he stopped growing. All treatment methods were unsuccessful and Villechaize remained 1.19 meters tall throughout his life. His lungs were underdeveloped. Villechaize studied art in Paris and presented his pictures in an exhibition. At the age of 21 he left France and went to the USA , where he worked as a painter and photographer. From the beginning of the 1970s he took on minor film roles.

In 1974 Villechaize played the role that made him famous in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun : he was Schnick Schnack, the insidious butler and helper of the super villain Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee . Schnick Schnack is one of the most popular villains in the Bond series.

From 1977 Villechaize was seen alongside Ricardo Montalbán in the successful television series Fantasy Island in the role of Tattoo. In 1983 he had an argument with the producers of the series because he was demanding higher fees. He lost his engagement.

In the same year Villechaize was left by his second wife, the actress Camille Hagen (* 1957). He suffered from depression and became an alcoholic . In 1985 he was sentenced to one year probation and a $ 425 fine for illegally carrying a loaded gun . As his health problems worsened, he could only sleep in a kneeling position or he would have suffocated. In 1992 he almost died of pneumonia .

Hervé Villechaize committed in 1993 at the age of 50 at his home suicide . He left a note and tape stating that he was despondent about his health problems. Villechaize's body was cremated and dumped into the sea at Point Fermin in San Pedro , a borough of Los Angeles.

The actor was socially engaged and campaigned for children and young people with problems.

Published in 2018 HBO with My Dinner with Hervé a television film about Villechaize in which he by Peter Dinklage is shown. It was directed by Sacha Gervasi , who Villechaize had met as a journalist.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Hervé Villechaize  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ nytimes.com: Herve Villechaize; Actor, 50, Commits Suicide at His Home Article from September 5, 1993 (English)
  2. ↑ findagrave.com: Herve Villechaize (English)
personal data
SURNAME Villechaize, Hervé
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Villechaize, Hervé Jean-Pierre (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French actor
DATE OF BIRTH April 23, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH 4th September 1993
Place of death North Hollywood , USA