Gone are the days in Hollywood when actresses wore ballet flats, stood on lower steps or in ditches, or slouched, to hide the fact that they were taller than the leading man. Stars like Alan Ladd (who was 5’6”), a leading actor in the 1940s, would often stand on a box to appear taller and Humphrey Bogart’s (who was 5’8”) female co-stars had to hunch down when seated so they looked shorter.
There is no height requirement for being a movie star. These days, the average American male is 5’9” tall. Tom Cruise, one of the highest-paid and most popular stars in Hollywood, comes in at just 5’7”, two inches shorter than the average. Actors such as Peter Dinklage, of “Game of Thrones” fame, are even famous for playing shorter characters, or have roles written for them, as the title role in “Willow” was for Warwick Davis.
Here are our picks of the top 50 shortest actors.