Prince Denis (January 26, 1900 – June 20, 1984) was a French-born American actor of sideshows and film with dwarfism, best known for his role as the

Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in ...

Sergeant-at-Arms in the 1939 film " The Wizard of Oz".

Early life

Originally from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Denis moved to the United States and changed his name to Dennison before eventually legally changing it to Prince Denis.

Career

Denis toured various circuses, including the

Ringling Brothers The Ringling brothers (originally Rüngling) were seven American siblings who transformed their small touring company of performers into one of the largest circuses in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Four brothers ...

and Barnum & Bailey, with his two sisters, Princess Marguerite and Lady Little. Denis would later go on to appear in the 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz'' at the age of 25. His wife Ethel also had a minor role as a Munchkin in the film. He stated that he himself had played the role of the mayor of Munchkinland and that

Charlie Becker Karl Becker (November 24, 1887 – December 28, 1968), billed as Charlie Becker, was a German American actor. He was 3'9" in height, and is probably best known for appearing as the Munchkinland Mayor in '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939). Billy Bl ...

, who had played the mayor, was selected for playing the sergeant-in-arms. It was later learned that Denis had lied for more publicity. Denis later went on to appear in films such as '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' and '' Three Wise Fools''.

Death

Denis died at the Maricopa Medical Center in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, on June 20, 1984, at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denis, Prince 1900 births 1984 deaths Actors with dwarfism American actors with disabilities 20th-century American male actors French emigrants to the United States