Verne Troyer

Actor

Birthday January 1, 1969

Birth Sign Capricorn

Birthplace Sturgis, Michigan, U.S.

DEATH DATE 2018-4-21, Los Angeles, California, U.S. (49 years old)

Nationality United States

Height 2 ft 8 in

#5415 Most Popular

1969

Verne Jay Troyer (January 1, 1969 – April 21, 2018) was an American actor, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series.

He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and was 2 ft tall.

Troyer was born in Sturgis, Michigan, on January 1, 1969, the son of Susan, a factory worker, and Reuben Troyer, a repair technician.

He had two siblings, Davon and Deborah.

He stated that his parents "never treated me any different than my other average-sized siblings. I used to have to carry wood, feed the cows and pigs and farm animals."

Troyer was initially raised Amish, but his parents left the faith when he was a child.

During his childhood, Troyer spent much time visiting Amish relatives in Centreville, Michigan.

1987

He graduated in 1987 from Centreville High School, where a plaque was dedicated to him in 2003.

1990

He gained further work as a stunt double with some minor comedic roles in several films of the 1990s, including Dunston Checks In, Jingle All the Way (both 1996), Men in Black (1997), and My Giant (1998).

He first met with Jay Roach to discuss portraying Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series, directed by Roach and starring co-creator Mike Myers, before filming for the series' second film began.

1994

Troyer's film career began when a former president of Little People of America contacted him, looking for someone to serve as a stunt double for the infant character "Baby Bink" in John Hughes' film Baby's Day Out (1994).

1999

Myers was impressed with Troyer's performance, rewriting the script for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) to give Mini-Me more screen time and remove the character's death.

2001

After reaching a large audience as Mini-Me, Troyer portrayed Griphook in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), and played the role of Percy in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).

2002

Troyer reprised the role three years later in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and collaborated again with Myers on The Love Guru (2008).

2003

Kevin Blatt, the man responsible for brokering the deal for Paris Hilton's sex tape in 2003, tried to sell the video.

Troyer, through his long-time attorney, Ed McPherson, sued TMZ, Blatt, and online rental company SugarDVD, for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement.

2005

He also made several appearances as himself in reality television series, including The Surreal Life (2005), Welcome to Sweden (2007), and the British Celebrity Big Brother 6 (2009), in which he placed fourth.

2008

On June 25, 2008, a private home video was leaked of Troyer and his former live-in girlfriend Ranae Shrider having sex.

The video, recorded in 2008 in Beverly Hills, California, and Shrider's hometown of Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, was leaked to the public by Shrider and TMZ.

2015

In May 2015, Troyer, his girlfriend Brittney Powell, and her son Tyson appeared on Celebrity Wife Swap, where she switched places with Hines Ward's wife.

2018

In early April 2018, Troyer was admitted to a hospital after an incident in his home.

He had previously been admitted to rehab to undergo treatment for alcoholism.

Troyer died at a hospital in Los Angeles on April 21, 2018, aged 49.

His death was later ruled a suicide by alcohol intoxication.