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Mihaly "Michu" Meszaros ( Hungarian: Mészáros Mihály; 1 October 1939 – 12 June 2016) was a Hungarian actor, circus performer/entertainer, and stuntman. As an American citizen, he was best remembered as a performer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and for his role in the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
sitcom '' ALF''. He was tall. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Meszaros was a television and film actor, and he also appeared opposite pop singer
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
in a
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commercial. His last appearance was in 2015's ''Death to Cupid''. For the first season of the '' ALF'' television series, Meszaros donned a costume whenever a full-body shot was needed for scenes of the alien walking, running, or standing. For the most part, however, upper-body shots of a mechanical puppet were used instead, since the full-body costume was extremely hot and uncomfortable for the actor to wear for long periods of time under bright studio lights. The ALF puppet and costume can be distinguished on first view because the head proportions are slightly different.


Biography

Meszaros also was a member of the
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...
as the former "smallest man in the world". As a youngster, he attended a state-run school of circus arts, becoming well versed in such performing skills as
juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...
,
acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
and
pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...
. For many years, American circus producers
Irvin Feld Irvin Feld (April 19, 1918 – September 6, 1984) was a business entrepreneur who built a chain of record stores, promoted rock groups, produced concerts involving some of the biggest names in popular music. He was also the head of Ringling Bros ...
and
Kenneth Feld Kenneth Jeffrey Feld (born October 31, 1948) is the CEO of Feld Entertainment, which has operated the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (relaunched September 2023), Disney on Ice, Doodlebops Live, Disney Live, Monster Jam, Internati ...
had heard of the existence, somewhere in Hungary, of a man almost too small to believe. The producers finally located him in 1973; astonished at his size and talents, they made immediate arrangements to bring Meszaros from the Hungarian circus to the United States. As a circus performer, he trained and presented white standard
poodle , nickname = , stock = , country = Germany or France (see history) , height = , maleheight = , femaleheight = , weight = , maleweight = , femaleweight = , coat ...
s for his act. Standing on their hind legs, the dogs appeared much taller than their diminutive but commanding trainer. Circus audiences nationwide cheered his dignified though slightly comedic role, in which he was billed as the "Smallest Man in the World". In the so-called Grand Spectacle performance of 1982 and 1983, Meszaros would portray a character known as the Marshal of Marshmallow Gulch, resplendent in a well-tailored white, silver and gold costume encrusted with
rhinestone A rhinestone, paste or diamante is a diamond simulant originally made from rock crystal but since the 19th century from crystal glass or polymers such as acrylic. Original Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river ...
s, along with matching
cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the western and southern United S ...
and silver
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. In the 1980s
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, where he resided, named the shortest street in that city "Michu Lane" in his honor. On 12 June 2016, his manager Dennis Varga announced that Meszaros was in a
coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
tose state in a Los Angeles hospital, after Varga discovered him unconscious on his bathroom floor. He had numerous health issues since a stroke eight years earlier. He died at the Providence Little Company of Mary medical center in Torrance the following night. His memorial service was held at Dearly Departed Tours & Artifact Museum, where his remains are inurned and on public display along with items from his life and career.


Partial filmography

* '' ALF'' (1986) as ALF (credited as one of Alf's "Assistants") * '' Waxwork'' (1988) as Hans * ''
Big Top Pee-wee ''Big Top Pee-wee'' is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser. A stand-alone sequel to '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'' (1985), the film stars Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman with Susan Tyrrell, Kris Kristofferson, Penelope Ann Miller ...
'' (1988) as Andy * ''
Look Who's Talking ''Look Who's Talking'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling, and starring John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Bruce Willis plays the voice of Mollie's son, Mikey. The film features George Segal as Albert. P ...
'' (1989) as "baby stunt performer" * '' Dear John'' (1991) Episode #66 ''Louise the Hero'' as Mishka * ''
Freaked ''Freaked'' is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Tom Stern and Alex Winter, both of whom wrote the screenplay with Tim Burns. Winter also starred in the lead role. Both were involved in the short-lived MTV sketch comedy show '' The Idiot ...
'' (1993) as George Ramirez #3 * '' Warlock: The Armageddon'' (1993) as Augusto * '' Death to Cupid'' (2015) as Leprechaun


References


External links

*
Michu Meszaros
at
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meszaros, Michu 1939 births 2016 deaths Hungarian male film actors Hungarian male television actors Hungarian circus performers Actors with dwarfism Entertainers from Budapest Hungarian emigrants to the United States