August Clarence Swensen (December 29, 1917 – February 25, 2009) was an American actor and was one of 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 O ...

s in the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''.

Early life

Swensen was born in 1917 and grew up in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. He was not allowed to attend a public school until he was nine because of his size.

Biography

At 4ft 6in, he played one of the 25 Munchkin soldiers in the 1939 film ''The Wizard of Oz''. He also appeared in '' The Terror of Tiny Town'' as a preacher. Many of his ''Oz'' co-stars were cast members of this Western

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

. He wore a chimp suit for

Tarzan Finds a Son! ''Tarzan Finds a Son!'' is a 1939 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the fourth in the MGM ''Tarzan'' series to feature Johnny Weissmuller as the "King of the Apes" and the fourth of six films in which he ...

with Johnny Weissmuller. His wife Myrna was also up for a part in ''The Wizard of Oz'', but illness forced her to miss the opportunity. After experiencing a stroke in 2005, he was unable to walk and ended up in a wheelchair as a result. He experienced poor health then after but still attended many events with the other surviving Munchkins, including the presentation of the Munchkins' star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

in 2007.

Death

Swensen died on February 25, 2009, at the age of 91. He outlived every major cast member of ''The Wizard of Oz''.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Swensen, Clarence 1917 births 2009 deaths American male film actors Male actors from Austin, Texas 20th-century American male actors Actors with dwarfism