![]() ![]() When he demanded a salary equal to that of actual star Ricardo Montalban, the producers responded by firing him. #HERVE VILLECHAIZE FMAN WIUTH THE GOLDEN SERIES#Not for the first or last time, the novelty henchman stole the show, and his new fame saw him cast as Tattoo in Fantasy Island, where his line “ze plane! Ze plane!” quickly became a catchphrase of sorts – the only thing about the romantic drama series that anyone really remembers.ĭespite the fact that he was being cast entirely because of his physical size rather than due to any sort of innate talent – which astute viewers quickly came to realise was conspicuous by its absence – Villechaize apparently developed quite the ego during the Fantasy Island years, believing that the success off the show was entirely down to him. That’s when he had his big break, being cast in The Man With the Golden Gun in 1974, playing Scaramanga’s assistant Nick Nack. Alejandro Jodorowsky wanted him for Dune – well, of course he did – but as that project fell through, Villechaize found himself out of work and living in his car. His first film was Chappaqua in 1966 (where he was uncredited), and he would go on to have roles in films like the bizarre Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood, Oliver Stone’s horror film Seizure, and The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. Once he had mastered English (after a fashion at least, apparently learned from watching TV), he set out to become an actor – or else fell into it after being spotted by casting directors looking out for a dwarf. #HERVE VILLECHAIZE FMAN WIUTH THE GOLDEN MOVIE#However, his size – while a problem for him while growing up due to bullying, and a time bomb in terms of his personal health – would ensure that he found plenty of acting work in the 1970s, and thanks to appearances in a Bond movie and a hugely popular TV series, he became something of a celebrity for a while.īorn in 1943, Villechaize had dabbled in painting as a young man in his native France, before moving to the USA in 1964. ![]() His brother, Patrick Villechaize, directed episodes of the French co-production of Fraggle Rock.Hervé Villechaize was a man who, had he not been born a dwarf, would have most likely never been a success as an actor. His other movie credits included such varied titles as The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight (with Paul Benedict), Seizure, Forbidden Zone, and Airplane II: The Sequel. ![]() ![]() Outside of Fantasy Island and Sesame Street, Villechaize played Nick Nack, the murderous henchman to Scaramanga, in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. Hervé was an intellectual, very thoughtful, and quite an artist. Later Hervé became famous for the role of Tattoo on Fantasy Island, but I had actually first seen him in a very strange play at Manhattan's La Mama Theater, in which he was riding around on a tall, skinny guy who was making chicken sounds. A little person would be needed to get in this costume, and the man for the job was Hervé Villechaize, who I got to know. “The first time he got to move around was when one of the writers had the idea of cutting the bottom of the can and making legs out of Oscar's green fur. ![]()
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