Actor. He is best known as one of the munchkin actors in "The Wizard of Oz." He played the parts of four munchkins in the movie; a trumpeter, a soldier, one of the sleepy heads, and one of the cast who sang "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." At 4 feet 4 inches, he was the shortest of the munchkins who were cast in the movie. He was born Karl Kosiczky in Prakfalva (now Prakovce) in the former Kingdom of Hungary, a part of the Austria-Hungary Empire at that time. He was diagnosed at an early age with pitutary dwarfism, which was not a family trait as both his parents were over six feet tall. His father tried different unorthodox measures to make him taller, to include subjecting him to stretching machines. At the age of nine, his father sent him to work for a traveling midget show. He moved to the United States in his late 20s where he joined another traveling show and appeared in the films "The Terror of Tiny Town", "Block-Heads", "Bringing Up Baby", and "They Gave Him a Gun." He was working in Hawaii when his circus manager sent him to Hollywood where they were recruiting midgets for the upcoming film "The Wizard of Oz." After the filming was completed, he worked for the Original World Famous Singers Midget Show. When that show ended in 1942, he joined the Royal American Carnival and he took the last name Slover, which was the surname of his stage manager. He remained very active in his later years, participating in several celebrations related to "The Wizard of Oz." In November 2007, he joined seven other surviving munchkins in Hollywood for the dedication of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died from a cardiopulmonary arrest.
Actor. He is best known as one of the munchkin actors in "The Wizard of Oz." He played the parts of four munchkins in the movie; a trumpeter, a soldier, one of the sleepy heads, and one of the cast who sang "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." At 4 feet 4 inches, he was the shortest of the munchkins who were cast in the movie. He was born Karl Kosiczky in Prakfalva (now Prakovce) in the former Kingdom of Hungary, a part of the Austria-Hungary Empire at that time. He was diagnosed at an early age with pitutary dwarfism, which was not a family trait as both his parents were over six feet tall. His father tried different unorthodox measures to make him taller, to include subjecting him to stretching machines. At the age of nine, his father sent him to work for a traveling midget show. He moved to the United States in his late 20s where he joined another traveling show and appeared in the films "The Terror of Tiny Town", "Block-Heads", "Bringing Up Baby", and "They Gave Him a Gun." He was working in Hawaii when his circus manager sent him to Hollywood where they were recruiting midgets for the upcoming film "The Wizard of Oz." After the filming was completed, he worked for the Original World Famous Singers Midget Show. When that show ended in 1942, he joined the Royal American Carnival and he took the last name Slover, which was the surname of his stage manager. He remained very active in his later years, participating in several celebrations related to "The Wizard of Oz." In November 2007, he joined seven other surviving munchkins in Hollywood for the dedication of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died from a cardiopulmonary arrest.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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