Prince Denis

Prince Denis
Born (1892-01-26)January 26, 1892
Barritz, France
Died June 20, 1984(1984-06-20) (aged 92)
Phoenix, Arizona
Other names Prince Dennison
Spouse(s) Ethel W. Denis
(m.1939-1968)

Prince Denis (January 26, 1892 – June 20, 1984) was an American actor with dwarfism, best known for his role as the Munchkin Sergeant-at-Arms in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz".

Biography

Originally from France, Denis moved to the United States and changed his name to Dennison before eventually legally changing it to Prince Denis.

Denis toured various circuses, including the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, with his two sisters, Princess Marguerite and Lady Little.[1] Denis would later go on to appear in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz at the age of 25. His wife Ethel also had a minor role as a Munchkin in the film.[2] He stated that he himself had played the role of the mayor of Munchkinland and that Charlie Becker, who had played the mayor, was selected for playing the sergeant-in-arms. It was later learned that Denis had lied for more publicity.[3]

He later went on to appear in films such as The Greatest Show on Earth and Three Wise Fools.

Denis died in 1984 at the age of 92 at the Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona.[4]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/24/obituaries/prince-denis-84-performer-who-played-munchkin-mayor.html
  2. ↑ http://phreeque.tripod.com/marechal.html
  3. ↑ Stephen Cox. The Munchkins of Oz. Cumberland House Publishing. 2002. 173-174.
  4. ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19840623&id=VukLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z1kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3099,1968022
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