Felix Anthony Silla (January 11, 1937 – April 16, 2021), also credited as Felix Cilla, was an Italian character actor, circus performer, voice artist and movie stuntman, best known for his career in Hollywood in TV and film.
Felix Silla | |
|---|---|
.png) Silla in 2007 | |
| Born | Felice Anthony Silla January 11, 1937 |
| Died | April 16, 2021 (aged 84) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1955–2021 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Silla started his career in the circus, but is best known from television's The Addams Family as Cousin Itt, a costumed character. Itt was only in one of Charles Addams original comics and his demeanor was created for the show. The character's voice was provided by series director Nat Perrin and Anthony Magro.[1]
Silla featured in the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi as one of the hang glider Ewoks.
He was also a voice artist on The Sims 2 video game.[2][3]
Biography
editEarly life and circus career
editFelix Silla was born January 11, 1937,[4] in the small village of Roccacasale, Abruzzo, Italy. He trained as a circus performer and came to the United States aged 18, in 1955, touring with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. His multiple talents as a bareback horse rider, trapeze artist, and tumbler brought him to Hollywood, where he became a stuntman, appearing in the film, A Ticklish Affair.
Film and television
editHis best-known roles include Litvak, the maniacal, miniature Hitler who menaces George Segal in film The Black Bird (his favorite role). He was also responsible for the physical performance of the robot Twiki in the TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,[3] a role for which the voice was supplied by Mel Blanc or Bob Elyea.
In part due to his short stature of 1.19 m (3 ft 11 in), he often doubled for children in such movies as The Towering Inferno, The Hindenburg, and Battlestar Galactica as well as Meatballs 2 as the alien. Between movies, he frequently appeared in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, night clubs with his own musical combo, The Original Harmonica Band.[5]
Voice-art work
editSilla provided his voice for the character Mortimer Goth in the 2004 video game The Sims 2.
Famous characters
editThe Addams Family: Cousin Itt
editSilla became famous however as the recurring costumed character of Cousin Itt on television's The Addams Family. The character was only in one of Charles Addams original comics, but his demeanor was created for the original black and white television series by producer David Levy, debuting in the 1965 first-season episode "Cousin Itt Visits the Addams Family", and appearing in a total of 19 episodes, 17 of which featured Silla and Roger Arroyo, over the course of the show's two seasons. The character's voice was usually provided by studio sound engineer Anthony Magro (1923–2004). The character became so popular it was carried over to subsequent licensed media including film, stage and video games.[citation needed]
Star Wars: Ewoks
editHe played one of the hang glider Ewoks in the film Star Wars Return of the Jedi in 1983.[6]
He also appears to have done quite a bit of work with Glen A. Larson as he was the body actor for the robot Twiki in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as well as Lucifer in "Battlestar Galactica."
Death
editFelix Silla died on April 16, 2021, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 84, in Las Vegas, Nevada.[7][1]
Filmography (as actor)
edit| name | year | role |
| Bonanza (TV series) | 1963 | Sean |
| Grimdl (TV series) | 1963 | Flaged |
| Petticoat Junction (TV series) | 1965 | Baron Munchin |
| The Addams Family (original TV series) | 1965-1966 (17 episodes) | Cousin Itt. (costumed character) |
| Star Trek (TV series) | Talosian (uncredited) | |
| The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (TV series) | 1966 | Circus Performer |
| The Monkees (TV series) | 1967 | Willy the Midget in S1:E22, "Monkees at the Circus" |
| She Freak (film) | 1967 | Shorty |
| Point Blank (film) | 1967 | Bellhop |
| Planet of the Apes (film) | 1968 | Child Gorilla |
| The April Fools (film) | 1969 | Waiter at Safari Club |
| Justine | 1969 | Child Prostitute |
| H.R. Pufnstuf (TV series) | 1969-1970 | Polka Dotted Horse - Various Characters |
| Pufnstuf (film version, based on above) | 1970 | Polka Dotted Horse |
| Bewitched (TV series) | 1967/1970 | Goblin/Troll |
| Night Gallery (TV series) | 1971 | Baby New Year (uncredited) |
| Lidsville (TV series) | 1971-1972 | Colonel Poom |
| Little Cigars (film) | 1973 | Frankie |
| Sssssss (film) | 1973 | Sam Lee the Seal Boy |
| Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (TV movie) | 1973 | Creature |
| Lincoln (TV miniseries) | 1974 | General Tom Thumb |
| The Black Bird (film) | 1975 | Litvak |
| Mastermind | 1975 | Scahatzi |
| Black Samurai (film) | 1976 | Little Hitman Reinhardt |
| Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (TV series) | 1977 | Chuck |
| Demon Seed (film) | 1977 | Baby |
| The Kentucky Fried Movie (film) | 1977 | Crazed Clown |
| Halloween with the New Addams Family (TV movie) | 1977 | Cousin Itt. |
| The Manitou | 1978 | Misquamacus |
| The Lord of the Rings (voice) | 1979 | Character actor |
| Battlestar Galactica (TV series) | 1978-1979 | |
| Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | 1979-1981 | Twiki (body) |
| Under the Rainbow (film) | 1981 | Hotel Rainbow Guest |
| Mork and Mindy (TV series) | 1981 | Orkan Porter |
| The Sting II (film) | 1983 | Ringside man taking bets |
| Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (film) | 1983 | Ewok |
| Meatballs Part II | 1984 | Meathead the Alien |
| The Dungeonmaster(credited here as 'Felix Cilla | 1984 | Desert Bandit |
| The Dukes of Hazard (TV series) | 1985 | THe Visitor |
| House | 1985 | Little Critter |
| Spaceballs | 1987 | Dink |
| Ghostbusters II (film) | 1989 | Courtroom Spectator |
| Married... with Children | 1990 | Alien |
| Batman Returns (film) | 1992 | Emperor Penguin |
| The Legend of Galgameth | 1996 | Little Galgy |
| Characterz | 2016 | Don Cluff |
| Meet Slate (TV miniseries) | 2018 | Bitcoin |
References
edit- ^ a b Haring, Bruce (16 April 2021). "Felix Silla Dies: Cousin Itt On TV's 'The 'Addams Family' Was 84". Deadline.
- ^ Daniel, Jeff (7 March 2006). "They don't come much bigger". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. E1. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ a b Glionna, John M (2 November 2014). "Felix Silla, a.k.a. Cousin Itt, looks back on a kooky career". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ Tate, Marsha Ann; Houser, Eric (2022). What America Watched: Television Favorites From the Cornfields to the Cosmos, 1960s-1990s. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 118. ISBN 9781476680576.
- ^ "Talking With Felix Silla – June 2, 2016". Talk About Las Vegas with Ira. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Felix Silla, Cousin Itt on TV's 'Addams Family,' dies at 84". Associated Press. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ "Felix Silla, Cousin Itt on 'The Addams Family,' Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
External links
edit
- Felix Silla at IMDb