On Wed, 25 Jan 2006, Miriam Ross wrote:
> I'm trying to compose a list of films/ documentaries which feature actors
> (not just characters) with physical or visually obvious disabilities. by
> this i mean disabilities that can be easily identified on the body such as
> down syndrome or autism as opposed to say depression or schizophrenia
> (although the boundaries obviously aren't clear).
> off hand my first example is Murderball, about quadriplegics in an Olympics
> rugby team
Tod Browning's infamous _Freaks_ is perhaps the most obvious example, but
there are many others. _The Best Years of Our Lives_, _Inside Moves_, and
_Dogtown_ all feature an actor named Harold Russell, who lost both hands
in a WWII demolition accident. Lionel Barrymore, who started using a
wheelchair in the 1930s, appeared in many films during the 30s and 40s
(_It's a Wonderful Life_, _Key Largo_, all 15 of the 'Dr. Kildare'
movies, etc.). _Something Wicked This Way Comes_ stars an actor
named James Stacy, who lost two limbs in a motorcycle accident.
Danny Murphy, who uses a wheelchair, is one of the most prominent disabled
actors working today, largely through his association with the Farrelly
brothers (_There's Something About Mary_, _Me, Myself and Irene_, etc.).
He has appeared in supporting roles in many of their films. The Farrellys
have also employed Rene Kirby, an actor with spina bifida, in at least
two films: _Shallow Hal_ and _Stuck on You_.
Movies with war themes (_Coming Home_, _The Men_) have occasionally used
actual disabled veterans in background roles. And, of course, many films
have employed short-stature actors, including such otherwise diverse
productions as _The Wizard of Oz_, _Saboteur_, and _High Plains Drifter_.
In recent times, a short-stature actor named Peter Dinklage has enjoyed
some success in movies such as _Living in Oblivion_ and _The Station
Agent_.
Shameless plug alert: For more information on many of these films and
actors, please see my book, _The Cinema of Isolation: A History of
Physical Disability in the Movies_ (Rutgers, 1994).
--Marty Norden
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Martin F. Norden
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