Angelo Rossitto
Acting
Born February 18, 1908, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Angelo Salvatore Rossitto (February 18, 1908 – September 21, 1991) was an American actor and voice artist. He had dwarfism and was 2'11" (89 cm) tall, and was often billed as Little Angie or Moe. Angelo first appeared in silent films opposite Lon Chaney and John Barrymore. On-screen, he portrayed everything from dwarfs, midgets, gnomes, and pygmies as well as monsters, villains, and aliens, with appearances in more than 70 films. Rossitto was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Salvatore Rossitto and Carmela Caniglia, both born in Carlentini, Province of Siracusa, Sicily, Italy, and had a sister, Josephine Rossitto. He was discovered by John Barrymore and made his screen debut opposite Barrymore in The Beloved Rogue (1927). That same year he appeared in Warner Brother's Old San Francisco. He appeared in the controversial 1932 film Freaks directed by Tod Browning, and another controversial film, 1938's Child Bride. During the 1940s, he appeared in several poverty row movies starring Bela Lugosi. He appeared frequently in television series and mini-series, particularly best known for the police drama Baretta, and his later film roles included appearances in Alex in Wonderland (1970), Brain of Blood (1971), Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971), Little Cigars (1973), and Fairy Tales (1978). His last major role was as "Master" opposite Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Rossitto appears alongside singer/songwriter Tom Waits and Lee Kolima on the cover art of Waits' 1983 album Swordfishtrombones, which pays homage to his performance in Freaks. He also appears on the cover of Bob Dylan's album The Basement Tapes.
Filmography
- 2018The Other Side of the Wind — Angelo
- 1991Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook — Luigi / Indigo (archive footage)
- 1991Halloween Monster Bash — Toby (archive footage)
- 1987From a Whisper to a Scream — Tinker
- Star Trek: The Next Generation — Spectator (uncredited)
- Amazing Stories — Vaudevillian
- 1985Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome — Master
- 1983Something Wicked This Way Comes — Little Person #1
- 1981Smokey Bites the Dust — Desk Clerk
- 1980Galaxina — Monster from Egg
- 1979The Dark — Angie (uncredited)
- 1978Fairy Tales — Otto
- Jason of Star Command — Bork
- 1977Help Woodsy Spread the Word — Woodsy Owl
- The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries
- The Incredible Hulk — Tom Thumb (uncredited)
- Baretta — Little Moe (uncredited)
- 1975I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now? — Little Pianist
- Starsky & Hutch — Big Ben
- 1975The Master Gunfighter — Side show midget
- The Rockford Files — Dwarf Patient (uncredited)
- 1973Little Cigars — Angelo
- 1973The Clones — Man at Phone Booth
- The Snoop Sisters — Little Igor
- 1973The Stone Killer — Little Man in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
- Kung Fu — Angelo (uncredited)
- 1972The Other — Sideshow Performer (uncredited)
- 1971Brain of Blood — Dorro
- 1971Dracula vs. Frankenstein — Grazbo the Evil Dwarf
- Lidsville — Mr. Big
- 1971Mongo's Back in Town — Trembles
- 1970Alex in Wonderland — Fellini #1
- 1970Pufnstuf — Seymore Spider / Clang
- H.R. Pufnstuf — Seymore Spider
- 1967Doctor Dolittle — Dwarf (uncredited)
- 1967The Perils of Pauline — Pygmy Leader's Assistant
- 1967The Trip — Dwarf in Forest Fantasy (uncredited)
- T.H.E. Cat — Circus Dwarf (uncredited)
- Branded — Shooting Gallery Man (uncredited)
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — Blind Pencil Seller
- 1962Confessions of an Opium Eater — Newspaper Boy
- 1962Requiem for a Heavyweight — Midget Wrestler Outside Wrestling Ring (uncredited)
- 1962The Magic Sword — 2nd Dwarf
- 1962The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm — Dwarf
- 1961Pocketful of Miracles — Angie (uncredited)
- The Rebel — Godfrey
- 1959The Wild and the Innocent — Midget (uncredited)
- Shirley Temple's Storybook — Mouse, Dwarf
- 1957Invasion of the Saucer Men — Saucer Man
- 1957The Story of Mankind — Dwarf in Nero's Court
- 1955Dementia — Newsboy (uncredited)
- Gunsmoke — Billy (uncredited)
- 1955Jungle Moon Men — Smallest Moon-Man
- 1953Mesa of Lost Women — Dwarf Lab Assistant
- 1952The Greatest Show on Earth — Dwarf (uncredited)
- 1950Pygmy Island — Pygmy in Cave
- 1950The Bandit Queen — Nino
- 1950The Baron of Arizona — Angie -- Gypsy
- 1947Scared to Death — Indigo
- 1944Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves — Arab Dwarf (uncredited)
- 1943The Spider Woman — Obongo - Pygmy (uncredited)
- 1942Reunion in France — Citizen in Bomb Shelter (uncredited)
- 1942The Corpse Vanishes — Toby
- 1941Hellzapoppin' — Dwarf Devil (uncredited)
- 1941Spooks Run Wild — Luigi
- 1940Doomed to Die — Newsboy #3 in Montage
- 1939Mr. Wong in Chinatown — Mute Dwarf
- 1939The Wizard of Oz — Munchkin Villager (uncredited)
- 1938Child Bride — Angelo
- 1934Babes in Toyland — Elmer - Second Little Pig / 1st Sandman in Cave (uncredited)
- 1934I Believed in You — Greenwich Village Waiter
- 1933Carnival Lady — Dwarf
- 1932Freaks — Angeleno
- 1930The Big House — Inmate (uncredited)
- 1929One Stolen Night — The Dwarf
- 1929Seven Footprints to Satan — The Dwarf
- 1929The Mysterious Island — Underwater Creature
- 1928The Viking — Viking Little Person (uncredited)
- 1928While the City Sleeps — Member of Skeeter's Gang
- 1927Old San Francisco — Chang Loo - the Dwarf
- 1927The Beloved Rogue — Beppo - the Dwarf
Appearances as themselves (1)
- 1985The Making of 'Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome' — Self