Hervé Villechaize

Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (French: [ɛʁve vilʃɛz]; April 23, 1943 – September 4, 1993) was a French American actor. He is best remembered for his roles as the evil henchman, Nick Nack, in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, and for playing Mr. Roarke's assistant, Tattoo, on the 1977–1984 American television series Fantasy Island, where his catch phrase was "Ze plane! Ze plane!"

Hervé Villechaize
Villechaize in 1977
Born	Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (1943-04-23)23 April 1943 Paris, France
Died	4 September 1993(1993-09-04) (aged 50) North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Suicide by firearm
Resting place	Ashes spread into the Pacific Ocean
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1966–1993
Notable work	Nick Nack in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) Spider in Seizure (1974) King Fausto in Forbidden Zone (1980) Smiley in Two Moon Junction (1988)
Height	3 ft 11 in (119 cm)
Television	Fantasy Island
Spouse(s)	Anne Sadowski ​ ( m. 1970; div. 1979) Camille Hagen ​ ( m. 1980; div. 1982)

Early life

Villechaize was born in Nazi-Occupied Paris, France, on April 23, 1943,[1] to English-born Evelyn (Recchionni), and André Villechaize, a surgeon in Toulon.[2] The youngest of four sons,[2] Villechaize was born with dwarfism, likely due to an endocrine disorder, which his surgeon father tried unsuccessfully to cure in several institutions.[3] In later years, he insisted on being called a "midget" rather than a "dwarf".[2][4] Villechaize was bullied at school for his condition and found solace in painting. He also had a brief modeling career. In 1959, at age 16, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts to study art. In 1961, he became the youngest artist ever to have his work displayed in the Museum of Paris.[5][6]

In 1964, Villechaize left France for the United States.[7] He settled in a Bohemian section of New York City and taught himself English by watching television.

Career

Villechaize initially worked as an artist, painter and photographer. He began acting in Off-Broadway productions, including Werner Liepolt's The Young Master Dante and a play by Sam Shepard, and he also modeled for photos for National Lampoon before moving on to film.

His first film appearance was in Chappaqua (1966). The second film was Edward Summer's Item 72-D: The Adventures of Spa and Fon, filmed in 1969.[8] This was followed by several films, including The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971); Christopher Speeth's and Werner Liepolt's Malatesta's Carnival of Blood (1973); Crazy Joe (1974); and Oliver Stone's first film, Seizure (1974). He was asked to play a role in Alejandro Jodorowsky's film Dune, which had originally begun pre-production in 1971 but was later cancelled.

His big break was getting cast in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), by which time he had become so poor he was living in his car in Los Angeles. Prior to being signed up by Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, he made ends meet by working as a rat catcher's assistant near his South Central home. From what his co-star Christopher Lee saw, The Man with the Golden Gun filming was possibly the happiest time of Villechaize's life: Lee likened it to honey in the sandwich between an insecure past and an uncertain future. In addition to being an actor, Villechaize became an active member of a movement in 1970s and 1980s California to deal with child abuse and neglect, often going to crime scenes himself to help comfort abuse victims. Villechaize's former co-workers recalled that despite his stature, he would often confront and chastise spousal and child abusers when he arrived at crime scenes. In the 1970s, Villechaize performed Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street as a pair of legs peeping out from a trash can, for scenes which required Oscar to be mobile. These appearances began in the second season and included the 1978 Hawaii episodes.

Though popular with the public, Villechaize proved a difficult actor on Fantasy Island, where he continually propositioned women and quarreled with the producers. He was eventually fired after demanding a salary on par with that of his co-star Ricardo Montalbán. Villechaize was replaced with Christopher Hewett, of Mr. Belvedere and The Producers fame.

In 1980, Cleveland International Records released a single by the Children of the World, featuring Villechaize as vocalist: "Why", with B-side "When a Child Is Born".[9]

Villechaize starred in the movie Forbidden Zone (1980), and appeared in Airplane II: The Sequel (1982), and episodes of Diff'rent Strokes and Taxi. He later played the title role in the "Rumpelstiltskin" episode of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre.

In the 1980s, he became popular in Spain due to his impersonations of Prime Minister Felipe González on the television show Viaje con nosotros (Travel with us), with showman Javier Gurruchaga.

His final appearance was a cameo as himself in an episode of The Ben Stiller Show.

Personal life and death

Villechaize was married twice. He met his second wife, Camille Hagen, an actress and stand-in double, on the set of the pilot for Fantasy Island.[2] They resided at a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) San Fernando Valley ranch which also was home to a menagerie of farm animals and pets.[2]

He had a few Hollywood friends, most notably country music singer Johnny Lee, whose concerts Villechaize would often attend in the 1980s.

In 1983, Haywood Nelson, star of the sitcom What's Happening!!, interviewed Villechaize for the television program That Teen Show—which included messages directed at depressed and suicide-prone teenagers—about his many suicide attempts. Villechaize said that he had learned to love life, even though the pain was severe and intense.[10]

In the early morning hours of September 4, 1993, Villechaize is believed to have first fired a shot through the sliding glass patio door to awaken his longtime girlfriend, Kathy Self, before shooting himself at his North Hollywood home. Self found Villechaize in his backyard, and he was pronounced dead at a North Hollywood facility. Villechaize left a suicide note saying he was despondent over longtime health problems.[11][12] Villechaize was suffering from chronic pain due to having oversized internal organs putting increasing pressure on his body. According to Self, Villechaize often slept in a kneeling position so he could breathe more easily.[11]

At the time of his suicide, Cartoon Network was in negotiations for him to co-star in Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which was in pre-production at the time. Villechaize would have voiced Space Ghost's sidekick on the show.[13]

His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean off Point Fermin in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California.

Depictions in media

In a March 2012 New York Times interview, Peter Dinklage revealed that he and Sacha Gervasi spent several years writing a script about Villechaize. Gervasi, a director and journalist, conducted a lengthy interview with Villechaize just prior to his suicide; according to Dinklage, "After he killed himself, Sacha realized Hervé's interview was a suicide note".[14] The film, My Dinner with Hervé,[15] which is based on the last few days of Villechaize's life, stars Dinklage in the title role,[16] and premiered on HBO on October 20, 2018.[3][17]

Filmography

Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Chappaqua	Little Person	Uncredited
1970	Maidstone
1971	The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight	Beppo
1972	The Last Stop	Deputy
1972	Greaser's Palace	Mr. Spitunia
1973	Malatesta's Carnival of Blood	Bobo
1974	Seizure	The Spider
1974	Crazy Joe	Samson
1974	The Man with the Golden Gun	Nick Nack
1977	Hot Tomorrows	Alberict
1978	The One and Only	Milton Miller
1980	Forbidden Zone	King Fausto of the Sixth Dimension
1982	Airplane II: The Sequel	Little Breather
1988	The Telephone	Freeway	Voice
1988	Two Moon Junction	Smiley
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1977–1984	Fantasy Island	Tattoo	132 episodes
1982	Faerie Tale Theatre	Rumpelstiltskin

References

1. "Hervé Villechaize Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
2. Jackovich, Karen G. (October 13, 1980). "Tattoo and His Bride Begin Their Marriage with a Plea: 'We Are as Normal as Anyone'". Retrieved August 31, 2018.
3. Mangan, Lucy (22 October 2018). "My Dinner with Hervé review – a glorious and tragic romp in 90s Lalaland". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
4. Evanier, Mark (2001-01-19). "Victor & Billy". News From ME. Comics Buyer's Guide; republished at newsfromme.com.
5. Rose, David (2006-11-28). They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads from the London Review of Books. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781416545040.
6. Miller, Julie. "The Tragic, Beautiful True Story Behind Peter Dinklage's My Dinner with Hervé". HWD. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
7. Adelson, Betty (2005). The Lives of Dwarfs: Their Journey from Public Curiosity Toward Social Liberation. Rutgers University Press. p. 251. ISBN 9780813535487.
8. IMDB (n.d.). "Item 72-D: The Adventures of Spa and Fon". USA: IMDB. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
9. Children of the World, "Why"
10. "Documondo Film". 5mtl.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
11. Wilkins, Frank. "The Suicide of Herve Villechaize - Tattoo". Reel Reviews. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
12. "Herve Villechaize; Actor, 50, Commits Suicide at His Home". The New York Times. September 5, 1993.
13. "Space Ghost Coast to Coast: The Second Pilot". C4vct.com. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
14. Kois, Dan (2012-03-29). "Peter Dinklage Was Smart to Say No". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
15. "James McAvoy Reading Sacha Gervasi's 'My Dinner With Hervé'". The Playlist. 2011-04-19. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
16. "Sacha Gervasi — Peter Dinklage: 'Herve Villechaize Biopic Is Based On Director's Final Interview'". Contact Music. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
17. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 9, 2017). "Peter Dinklage and Jamie Dornan Team Up for HBO Film". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2017.

External links

• Hervé Villechaize on IMDb
• "Herve Villechaize; Actor, 50, Commits Suicide at His Home". Associated Press/The New York Times September 5, 1993.