Verne Troyer ✝

Verne Jay Troyer (January 1, 1969 – April 21, 2018) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series. He was notable for having been only 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) tall, the result of cartilage–hair hypoplasia; this made him one of the shortest men in the world.\n', ' Troyer was born in Sturgis, Michigan, 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. He graduated from Centreville High School in 1987, and a plaque was dedicated to him in 2003.\n', ' Troyer\'s film career began when a former president of Little People of America contacted him, looking for someone of a "certain size" to serve as a stunt double for the infant character "Baby Bink" in John Hughes\' film Baby\'s Day Out (1994). 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).\n', '