Hervé Villechaize

Hervé Jean- Pierre Villechaize ( born April 23, 1943 in Paris, † September 4, 1993 in North Hollywood, California ) was a French actor. The diminutive actor played his most famous roles in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun and as an assistant of Mr. Roarke Tattoo in the television series Fantasy Iceland.

Life and work

Hervé Villechaize, whose ancestors came from the Philippines, was born in Paris as the son of a doctor. Even as a child he stopped growing. All treatments were unsuccessful, and Villechaize remained lifelong 1.19 meters tall. His lungs were underdeveloped. Villechaize studied art in Paris and presented his paintings in an exhibition. At age 21, he left France and went to the USA where he worked as a painter and photographer. He took minor film roles.

1974 Villechaize played in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun the role that made ​​him famous: he was frills, the sneaky butler and helper of the super villains Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee. Frills is one of the most popular villains of the Bond series.

From 1977 Villechaize next to Ricardo Montalban in the successful television series Fantasy Iceland was seen in the role of the tattoo. In 1983 he had with the producers of the series a confrontation because he demanded higher salaries. He lost his commitment.

In the same year Villechaize was by his second wife, actress Camille Hagen ( born 1957 ), leave. He suffered from depression and became an alcoholic. When exacerbated his health problems, he could only sleep in a kneeling position, because otherwise he would have suffocated.

Hervé Villechaize shot himself on September 4, 1993. The actor was socially engaged and had been used for children and young people with problems.