Warwick Ashley Davis is an English actor and television presenter. He played the title
characters in Willow and the Leprechaun film series, the Ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi
and Professor Filius Flitwick and Griphook in the Harry Potter films. Davis has also
starred as a fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom Life's Too Short, written and
directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
Early life Warwick Davis was born in Epsom, Surrey, to
an insurance broker and his wife. Davis also has a younger sister. He was educated at Chinthurst
School and later the City of London Freemen's School. Davis was born with SED, an extremely
rare form of dwarfism. When Davis was 11, his grandmother heard a radio advert calling
for people who were 4 ft./1m 20 tall or shorter to be in Return of the Jedi. To Davis, who
was a fan of the Star Wars films, it was a dream come true. On the set of Return of the
Jedi, Mark Hamill bought Davis every single Star Wars figure he did not have.
Career
Davis was originally cast as an extra Ewok, but when Kenny Baker, who was originally going
to be Wicket, fell ill, George Lucas picked Davis to be the new Wicket after seeing how
he carried himself as an Ewok. Davis based his Ewok movements on his dog, who would tilt
his head from side to side whenever he saw something strange. During production on the
film, Davis was the subject of a short mockumentary film about his experience as Wicket, titled
Return of the Ewok, made by Return of the Jedi's first assistant director, David Tomblin.
The unreleased film was a fictional look at his decision to become an actor and act in
the film and his transformation into Wicket the Ewok. Davis reprised his role as Wicket
in the ABC made-for-TV films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for
Endor. In 1987, Davis was called to Elstree Studios
in London to meet with Ron Howard and George Lucas to discuss a new film project called
Willow, which was written with Davis specifically in mind. Willow was his first opportunity
to act with his face visible. He co-starred with Val Kilmer in the film, which received
a Royal Premiere before the Prince and Princess of Wales. He then moved to television to be
in the BBC Television adaptation of the classic The Chronicles of Narnia, specifically in
Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair and an episode of Zorro
filmed in Madrid. In 1993, he played the villainous Irish goblin in Leprechaun, alongside Jennifer
Aniston. He then returned to the Star Wars universe, playing three roles in Star Wars
Episode I: The Phantom Menace: Weazel, a gambler sitting next to Watto at the Podrace; Wald,
who was Anakin's Rodian buddy; and Yoda in some scenes where Yoda was seen walking.
Davis played the role of Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films. Davis
played a white-moustached Flitwick in the first two films, and then a black-haired unnamed
chorus conductor for the third instalment of the series. In the fourth film, Flitwick
is younger looking, with short, brown hair and a trimmed moustache. In addition to playing
Flitwick, Davis played the role of the goblin Griphook in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,
despite the role being played previously by fellow dwarf actor Verne Troyer.
In 2004, Davis played the character "Plates" in the indie film Skinned Deep, directed by
special effects artist Gabriel Bartalos. In 2006, Davis appeared, alongside fellow Harry
Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, in an episode of BBC's comedy series Extras as a satirical
version of himself. Davis starred in the film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
as the "body" of Marvin the Paranoid Android. In December 2006, Davis starred in the pantomime
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves at the Opera House, Manchester, and again in 2007–08
at the New Wimbledon Theatre. Davis appeared in The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian, in which he played Nikabrik the Dwarf, adding to his previous involvement
in TV adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia series. He also appeared as a contestant on
the 2007 series of Children in Need reality show Celebrity Scissorhands. Davis starred
as a fictional version of himself in Life's Too Short, written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen
Merchant, who also starred. In December 2012, Davis returned to New Wimbledon Theatre to
reprise his role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
In March 2013 he presented an episode of the ITV series Perspectives: Warwick Davis – The
Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz, in which he explored the story of the Ovitz family, a touring musical
troupe which included seven dwarfs who survived the Nazi Auschwitz concentration camp and
the experiments of Josef Mengele. In late 2013, Davis appeared for one month
as Patsy in musical comedy Spamalot, based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail
in London, At the same time, Davis hosted a press conference to announce the Monty Python
reunion. In April and May 2014, Warwick hosted a six-part
documentary series for ITV called Weekend Escapes with Warwick Davis. The show saw Davis
and his family travelling around Britain, enjoying short weekend holiday breaks.
In 2014, he will host a revived series of the hit ITV game show Celebrity Squares.
Other In addition to his acting career, in 1995
Davis co-founded, with fellow dwarf actor and father-in-law Peter Burroughs, the talent
agency Willow Management, that specialises in representing actors under five feet tall.
Many of Davis's co-stars and fellow dwarf actors from Star Wars, Willow, Labyrinth and
the Harry Potter series are represented by the agency. In 2004, the agency also began
representing actors over seven feet tall who had also suffered from being confined to "niche"
roles. Over 40 members of Willow Management were cast as goblins in Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows – Part 2. In April 2010, Davis published his autobiography, Size Matters
Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis, with a foreword by George Lucas.
In January 2013 he appeared in a Comic Relief episode of The Great British Bake Off, winning
that episode's title of "Comic Relief Star Baker".
Davis is a founder of the Reduced Height Theatre Company, which stages theatrical productions
cast exclusively with short actors and using reduced height sets. Their first production
was See How They Run, touring the UK in 2014. Personal life
Unlike most dwarfs who have a condition called achondroplasia, Davis' dwarfism is caused
by an extremely rare genetic condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. He
has said the only real drawback to being small was the associated health problems. Of his
own dwarfism, Davis has said, "As you get older, you can suffer from painful hips, and
our joints wear a lot quicker than for people of average height".
Davis is married to Samantha and has two children, daughter Annabelle and son Harrison. They
live in Yaxley near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Warwick's wife, Samantha has achondroplasia,
and his two children also have SED. Samantha is the daughter of his business partner Peter
Burroughs, and the sister of actress Hayley Burroughs. Davis met the Burroughs family
while filming Willow, where they had minor roles as Nelwyn villagers.
Filmography References
External links Official website
Warwick Davis at the Internet Movie Database Willow Management