Top 50 Shortest Actors

Just how short are Hollywood’s shortest male actors?

Just how short are Hollywood’s shorter male actors?

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.

50. Tom Cruise

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 58

Tom Cruise is one of the top paid, most high profile actors working today. Cruise starred in some of the biggest box office hits of the 1980s, including “Top Gun,” “Rainman,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “The Color of Money.” By the 1990s, he was one of the top-paid actors in the world, and cemented his leading man fame with roles in films such as “Jerry McGuire,” “Interview with the Vampire” and the Mission Impossible franchise. Cruise has also produced the Mission Impossible films. There is speculation that Cruise may actually be shorter (5’5”) and wears heeled boots and shoe lifts to appear taller.

49. Billy Crystal

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 72

Billy Crystal is an actor, comedian, writer and director. His breakthrough acting role was on the TV series, “Soap” in the 1980s. His was the first openly gay character on TV. He was a regular guest on “Saturday Night Live” in the same era and known for his trademark phrase, “You look mahvelous.” Crystal founded Comic Relief with Robin Williams and Whoopie Goldberg to raise money for the homeless. He became one of Hollywood’s top stars with roles in hit movies such as “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Throw Momma from the Train,” “City Slickers” and “Analyze This.”

48. Jesse Eisenberg

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 37

Jesse Eisenberg is an actor who began his career while in high school. He is best known for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network” and has appeared in other films, including “The Squid and the Whale,””Zombieland,” ”Adventureland” and “Now You See Me.” Eisenberg is one of only five actors born in the 1980s nominated for an Academy Award.

47. Dave Franco

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 35

Dave Franco is an actor and director. He’s the younger brother of actor James Franco. Dave Franco is best known for his roles on the series “Scrubs” and the film “21 Jump Street.” He’s appeared in several horror and zombie films, including the re-make of “Fright Night” and “Warm Bodies,” and missed out on the role of Edward Cullen in “Twilight.” Like his older brother, Dave Franco has moved to directing, starting with the horror film, “The Rental.”

46. Zach Galifianakis

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 51

Zach Galifianakis is an actor and comedian. He has played a range of supporting roles in comedy films. Galifianakis is best known for his role in the popular “Hangover” movie series. He also hosts an interview-style web series, called “Between Two Ferns.” Galiifanakis’ most notable guest was former President Barack Obama.

45. Jonah Hill

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 37

Hill began his film career with a role in “I Heart Huckabee.” He secured an introduction to Dustin Hoffman, who helped Hill get an audition for the part. Hill is best known for his role in the teen hit, “Superbad.” He is one of only three actors born after 1980 to have received two Academy Award nominations for acting. Hill is not sensitive about his height, but he is famously sensitive about his weight and recently slimmed down.

44. Wayne Knight

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 65

Wayne Knight is an actor best known for his role on “Seinfeld” as Newman the mailman. He is known for his trademark glasses and high-pitched voice. Knight is a leading character actor and has appeared in numerous films, including “Jurassic Park” and “JFK” and TV series, including “The Exes” and “3rd Rock from the Sun.”

43. James McAvoy

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 41

James MacAvoy is a Scottish actor who juggles both film and stage roles. He frequently appears on stage in London’s West End. McAvoy is best known for acting in the films “Atonement,” the X-Men franchise, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” and the thrillers “Split” and “Glass.” Apart from his role in “Atonement,” MacAvoy doesn’t play traditional leading men. He originally wanted to be a missionary or a naval officer, so he could travel the world, which he presumably gets to do now when he makes movies.

42. Al Pacino

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 80

Al Pacino is one of Hollywood’s most iconic actors. He had an extensive stage career in the 1960s and 1970s, and moved into films, playing gritty troubled characters in supporting roles until he was chosen to play Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” and his star began to rise. He continued to play troubled characters through the 1970s and 1980s in movies such as “Scarface,” “Serpico” and “Dog Day Afternoon.” Despite his shorter stature, Pacino is renowned for playing characters in films who are wealthy or powerful. Ironically, his height almost cost him the role of Michael in “The Godfather.” The film’s producers wanted a taller actor and famously called Pacino a “midget.” But director Francis Ford Coppola stood firm and Pacino won his most famous role.

41. Ben Stiller

Height: 5’7” (1.73 m)

Age: 54

Ben Stiller is an actor, comedian, producer, director and writer. He is the son of famous comedians and actors, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller’s father, Jerry Stiller, was even shorter than him, at 5’4”. Stiller is best known for roles in hit comedic movies such as “There’s Something About Mary,” “Meet the Parents,” “Night at the Museum” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “Meet the Fockers.” Stiller often plays cocky, arrogant, sarcastic characters who find themselves in awkward or embarrassing situations.

40. Marc Anthony

Height: 5’6 ½” (1.72 m)

Age: 52

Marc Anthony is a Grammy-winning singer, producer and actor. As an actor, he is best known for his role in the movie thriller “Man on Fire.” Anthony also appeared in other films including “Hackers” and “The Substitutes.” As a singer, he has won two Grammys and six Latin Grammys. He is the best-selling tropical salsa artist of all time.

39. Martin Freeman

Height: 5’6 ½” (1.72 m)

Age: 49

Martin Freeman is an English actor who is best known for playing mild-mannered “everyman” characters who are thrust into unusual situations. He is best known for his roles as Bilbo Baggins in the “Lord of the Rings” movies and Dr. John Watson in the TV series “Sherlock.” Freeman often plays literary characters from classic books: the Lord of the Ring series, Sherlock Holmes and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

38. Jet Li

Height: 5' 6¼" (1.71 m)

Age: 57

Jet Li is a Chinese actor and martial arts star. Originally trained in the national Chinese martial art, wushu, Li won a successive five gold medals as a national champion, starting in his teens. While still a teenager, Li starred in “Shaolin Temple” which instantly made him a hit in China. He went on to star in a number of well-known martial arts films, including “Tai Chi Master” and “Once Upon a Time in China.” Li’s breakout Hollywood role was as a villain in “Lethal Weapon 4.” HIs Hollywood film roles include “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and the recent remake of “Mulan.”

37. Aziz Ansari

Height: 5’6” (1.7 m)

Age: 37

Aziz Ansari is an actor and stand-up comic known for his trademark high-pitched voice. He is best known for his long-running role on the TV comedy “Parks and Recreation” and for wearing well-tailored suits. Ansari has also appeared in smaller roles in movies including “I Love You, Man” and “Get Him To The Greek.”

36. Jack Black

Height: 5’6” (1.7 m)

Age: 51

Jack Black is an actor, comedian and singer, best known for playing immature man-child characters who mock authority. He is known for his roles in “Shallow Hal,” “School of Rock,” the “Jumanjii” films, “Tropic Thunder,” “Be Kind Rewind” and others. He’s played opposite a number of taller actresses, including Cate Blanchett, Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Kidman. Black is probably best known for his role in “School of Rock” in which most of his co-stars were much shorter than him: they were kids.

35. Jonathan Taylor Thomas

Height: 5’6” (1.7 m)

Age: 39

Thomas is an actor and voice actor. He started modelling and acting in commercials when he was seven. At the age of nine, Thomas landed a role in the long-running TV series, “Home Improvement,” as the middle of three sons of comedian Tim Allen’s character on the show. Since then, he has voiced a number of animated characters and appeared in several feature films including “Tom and Huck” and “Man of the House.”

34. Elijah Wood

Height: 5’6” (1.7 m)

Age: 39

Elijah Wood is an actor who started out acting in films as a child. He appeared in films such as “Paradise,” “The Good Son,” “North” and “Radio Flyer.” Wood is best-known for his role as Frodo Baggins in the film series of the literary classic Lord of the Rings. A big music fan, Wood owns thousands of music CDS and is also a record producer who set up the music label, SImians, in 2005. He is often mistaken for fellow star, Daniel Radcliffe, of the Harry Potter movie series, who is almost the same height (and also on this list.)

33. Martin Lawrence

Height: 5’6” (1.7 m)

Age: 55

Martin Lawrence is an actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is known for playing either a cop or a thief, sometimes in the same movie, and for using karate moves. Lawrence is best known for his roles in the “Bad Boys” movies, starring with Wil Smith. He had his own sitcom, called “Martin,” for five years in the 1990s.

32. Martin Sheen

Height: 5’6” (1.7 m)

Age: 80

Martin Sheen is a veteran Hollywood actor who comes from an acting family: his brother and all three of his sons act or direct, or both. He has appeared in more than 65 feature films. Sheen is also a political activist for liberal causes, and has been arrested over 70 times for protesting. Sheen played the American President on the long-running series, “West Wing,” and frequently plays the President or a political figure in films.

31. Dustin Hoffman

Height: 5' 5¾" (1.69 m)

Age: 83

Hoffman is a veteran actor best known for playing difficult, challenging roles. He played a crippled street hustler in “Midnight Cowboy,” a severely autistic man in “Rain Man,” a man pretending to be a woman in “Tootsie” and has a reputation as being such a perfectionist as an actor that he is a challenging co-worker. On stage, he has played roles in plays by Beckett, Pinter and Brecht.

30. Woody Allen

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 85

Woody Allen is a veteran actor, comedian, director and writer. He writes, directs, and sometimes acts in, his own films. Allen is best known for his romantic comedies, including “Annie Hall,” “Manhattan,” “Midnight in Paris” and “Purple Rose of Cairo.” When Allen acts in films, he plays characters — often writers — who are neurotic and insecure. He has won numerous Academy and other awards for his films and has been nominated for the Best Screenplay Oscar 16 times.

29. Scott Caan

Height: 5' 5" (1.67 m)

Age: 44

Scott Caan is an actor, director, photographer and hip hop singer. He is the son of veteran actor James Caan. Scott Caan has appeared in movies including “Friends With Money,” “Into the Blue,” “Gone in 60 Seconds” and the “Ocean’s 11” series, He is well-known for his role as Danno on the remake of TV series “Hawaii 5-0.” Caan also had a recurring role on the TV series, “Entourage.” He directed the film “Dallas 362.”

28. Emilio Estevez

Height: 5' 5” (1.67 m)

Age: 58

Actor, writer and director Emilio Estevez comes from an acting family: his father, Martin Sheen, and both of his brothers, including Charlie Sheen, are actors. He is best known for his roles in classic 1980 films, such as “The Outsiders,” “The Breakfast Club” and “St.Elmo’s Fire.” In recent years, Estevez has moved into making independent films, such as “Bobby” and “The Public.”

27. Johnny Galecki

Height: 5’5”(1.67 m)

Age: 45

Johnny Galecki is an actor, known mostly for his work on the stage and on TV. He started out as a child actor (7) in Chicago in plays such as “Fiddler on the Roof.” Galecki moved to Hollywood at 14 for a role in the TV show “American Dreamer.” He is best known for his geeky role as a physicist on the TV sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

26. Jackie Earle Haley

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 59

Jackie Earle Haley is an actor who started acting as a child, at five. By his teens, he had appeared in several classic teen films including “The Bad News Bears” and “Breaking Away.” Haley took a long break from acting and made a comeback in 2006. He has since appeared in films including “The Watchmen,” “All the King’s Men” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

25. Josh Hutcherson

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 28

Josh Hutcherson is an actor and producer. He started acting in TV films and series when he was just ten. Hutcherson made his movie debut at at 11, and his career took off after his role in the popular movie, “Bridge to Tarabitha.” He is best known for his role as Peeta in the “Hunger Games” movies.

24. Ken Jeong

Height: 5’5”(1.67 m)

Age: 51

Ken Jeong is an actor, comedian and doctor. He is registered as a physician in the state of California and keeps his license current. Jeong made his acting debut as a doctor in the comedy film “Knocked Up.” He is known for his trademark high-pitched voice. Joeng has appeared in “The Hangover,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and the TV comedy, “Community.”

23. Toby Jones

Height: 5’5”(1.67 m)

Age: 54

Toby Jones is an award-winning English actor who comes from an acting family -- his parents and one brother are actors and another brother is a director. He started out on the stage and has had a long and extensive career in film, on the stage and in television. Jones played both Alfred Hitchcock and writer Truman Capote in well-received films. He was also the voice of Dobby the elf in the Harry Potter movie series.

22. Nathan Lane

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 64

Nathan Lane is a comedic actor best known for movies such as “The Producers” and “The Bird Cage.” He is known for playing characters that are high-energy and odd. Lane has also had an extensive Emmy and Tony award-winning career on the stage. He often works with fellow actor Matthew Broderick.

21. Breckin Meyer

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 46

Breckin Meyer is an actor, producer and musician. He went to high school with actress Drew Barrymore, who helped start his acting career by introducing him to her agent. Meyer has appeared in films such as “54,” “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Child’s Play.” He formed a production company together with fellow actors Seth Green and Ryan Phillippe. Meyer is also a drummer in a punk band.

20. Frankie Muniz

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 35

Frankie Muniz is an actor and musician who began his career as a child. He is best known for his role on the long-running TV series, “Malcolm in the Middle.” Muniz has also appeared in films such as “Big Fat Liar” and “Agent Cody Banks.” He was also the drummer for a band called Kingsfoil.

19. Daniel Radcliffe

Height: 5’5”(1.67 m)

Age: 31

Daniel Radcliffe is an English actor who started performing in school plays and landed a role as the young version of the hero in “David Copperfield.” As a teenager, he was chosen for the role of the hero in the Harry Potter movies series which brought him fame. Radcliffe also acts on the stage, being best-known for his role in the West End play, “Equus.” He has appeared in a number of horror films, including “The Woman in Black” and “Victor Frankenstein.”

18. David Spade

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 56

David Spade is an actor, writer and comedian. He first became known during his six-year run with “Saturday Night Life”. Spade left SNL to act in feature films and TV. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role on “Just Shoot Me!” Spade is best known for playing obnoxious sarcastic characters. He has a reputation for being a prankster.

17. Danny Trejo

Height: 5’5” (1.67 m)

Age: 76

Danny Trejo is an actor and boxer, who won lightweight and welterweight titles. He was once an addict who served 11 years for robbery and drug charges. Trejo then turned his life around using the AA 12-step model. He was hired to teach boxing to actors on the set of “Runaway Train” and was offered a role in the film. Trejo has appeared in numerous films since then, usually playing a villain.

16. Kevin Hart

Height: 5’4½” (1.66 m)

Age: 41

Kevin Hart is an actor, producer and comedian. He has appeared in such films as “Ride Along,” Central Intelligence,” “Grudge Match” and “The Upside.” Before getting his break in movies, Hart worked full-time in comedy clubs.

15. BD Wong

Height: 5' 4½" (1.66 m)

Age: 60

BD Wong is a stage and TV actor. He has had recurring roles on TV series such as “Law & Order” SVU,” “Gotham” and “Mr. Robot.” Wong is best known for his appearances in the “Jurassic World” movies.

14. Richard Dreyfus

Height: 5' 4¼" (1.65 m)

Age: 73

Richard Dreyfus is a veteran actor, with a long career, spanning the 1960s to now. He works in movies, on TV and on the stage. Dreyfus is best known for his roles in such films as “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “The Goodbye Girl,” “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” “Tin Men” and “W.” He is still actively working, appearing most recently in 2019 in “The Last Laugh” and “Daughter of the Wolf.” Dreyfus works frequently with director Steven Speilberg.

13. Jason Alexander

Height: 5’4” (1.64 m)

Age: 61

Jason Alexander is an actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing the character of George Costanza on the hit comedy TV series, “Seinfeld.” Alexander often plays neurotic characters who are socially awkward.

12. Michael J. Fox

Height: 5’4” (1.64 m)

Age: 59

Michael J. Fox is a Canadian actor who started acting as a child and had his first role in a TV series at 10. His breakthrough role was on the TV series, “Family Ties.” Fox is best-known for his role as Marty McFly in the “Back to the Future” movies. He tended to play nice guy characters. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, a neurological disorder, when he was 30 and has retired from acting. He established a foundation that has raised almost $1 billion for research into treatment of the disease.

11. Seth Green

Height: 5’4” (1.64 m)

Age: 46

Seth Green is an actor, producer and director. He has appeared in such films as the Austin Powers series, “Dear Dictator,” “The Italian Job,” “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Sexy, Evil Genius.” Green has been the voice of a character on the TV show“Family Guy” since the series began. He was a writer, producer, director and voice actor on the movie “Robot Chicken”. Green is fascinated by space travel and once made a public service announcement for NASA.

10. Simon Helberg

Height: 5’4” (1.64 m)

Age: 39

Simon Helberg is an actor and comedian. He started acting at 19 in small roles on TV, becoming known as a character actor and sketch comedian. Helberg is best known for his role on the long-running TV series, “The Big Bang Theory.” He’s the second shorter actor on our list to work for that series.

9. Tom Hollander

Height: 5’4” (1.64 m)

Age: 53

Tom Hollander is an English actor who began his career on the stage as a child. He first appeared in a BBC TV movie, “John Diamond” at 14. After graduating from university, Hollander began to act in films. He is considered a character actor with good comedic qualities and often plays difficult, trouble characters. Hollander often appears in period dramas, and is known for his roles in “Pride & Prejudice” “Gosford Park” and “Dr. Thorne.” He has also appeared in political satires such as “In the Loop” and “In the Thick Of It.”He is currently starring in the BBC comedy, “Rev.”

8. Joe Pesci

Height: 5’4” (1.64 m)

Age: 77

Joe Pesci is a veteran actor, who’s best known for playing tough guys and mobsters. He started out as a child actor and first appeared on the TV series “Star Time Kids.” Pesci is best known for roles in the movies “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “My Cousin Vinnie,” “Once Upon a Time in America” and the “Home Alone” and “Lethal Weapon” series. He also plays guitar and has recorded an album. Pesci often works with fellow actor Al Pacino and director Martin Scorsese.

7. Nathan McMullen

Height: 5' 3¾" (1.63 m)

Age: 32

Nathan McMullan is an English actor, best known for his roles on TV series “The Driver,” “Casualty,” “Dr. Who” and “The Misfits.” He has also appeared on the stage in productions including “Macbeth,” “A Clockwork Orange” and “Paint Your Wagon.”

6. David Faustino

Height: 5’3” (1.61 m)

Age: 46

David Faustino is an actor, writer and singer. He is best known for his role on the long running TV series, “Married with Children.” Fasutino has also appeared in films including “Pucked,” “Robodoc” and “ The Legend of Korra.” He performed as a rap musician, under the name Lil’ Gweed, which may be a reference to his shorter stature.

5. Patton Oswalt

Height: 5’3” (1.61 m)

Age: 51

Patton Oswalt is an actor, comedian and screenwriter. He has had his own comedy specials on HBO and Comedy Central. Oswalt has also appeared on TV and in feature films. He is known for playing nerdy characters. Oswalt is best known for his roles on the TV series “King of Queens” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

4. Rob Schneider

Height: 5’3” (1.61 m)

Age: 57

Rob Schneider is an actor, writer, comedian and director. He started out doing stand-up as the opening act for well-known comedians such as Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld. Schneider start his acting career as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live.” He has appeared in comedic films including “Men Behaving Badly,” “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Hot Chick” and “Big Daddy.” He often appears in films with fellow comic actor Adam Sandler.

3. Danny DeVito

Height: 4’10” (1.25 m)

Age: 76

Danny DeVito is an actor, producer and director, with a long career that includes acting on stage, movies and TV. He is best known for his breakout role on the TV series, “Taxi” as the foul-mouthed dispatcher Louie DePalma, one of the most hated characters in TV history. DeVito is also well-known for his comedic roles in movies such as “Romancing the Stone,” “Twins,” “Ruthless People” and “Throw Momma from the Train.” He has directed films including “The War of the Roses” and “Hoffa.” DeVito currently stars in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” a sitcom that is now in its 15th season and the longest-running live TV series.

2. Peter Dinklage

Height: 4’4” (1.34 m)

Age: 51

Peter Dinklage is an actor who has dwarfism. In his first film, “Living in Oblivion,” he played an actor frustrated with the lack of roles for actors with dwarfism. Dinklage has appeared in films such as “The Station Agent,” “Death at a Funeral”and “Elf.” He’s also appeared in several TV series including “Entourage,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Life as We Know It.” Dinklage is best known for his Emmy-award winning role as Tyrion Lannister in the series “Game of Thrones.”

1. Warwick Davis

Height: 3’6” (1.08 m)

Age: 50

Warwick Davis is an English actor who has dwarfism. He started his acting career with a role in “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” playing an Ewok. Davis is best-known for his role in the movie “Willow.” He has also appeared in the Narnia, Harry Potter and Leprechaun movies.