Warwick Davis

Warwick Davis

Active - 1983 - 2019  |   Born - Feb 3, 1970 in Epsom, Surrey, England  |   Genres - Fantasy, Action, Adventure

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Biography by AllMovie

Actor Warwick Davis is best known for portraying the title character -- a role written especially for him by story writer George Lucas -- in Ron Howard's sword and sorcery fantasy Willow (1988). Davis made his film debut at age 11 playing the Ewok Wicket W. Warrick in Return of the Jedi (1983). Then only 2'11" tall, he auditioned the role after his grandmother overheard a casting call for little people on the radio. During production he began a friendship with director George Lucas and went on to reprise the role in a pair of made-for-television movies: The Ewok Adventure (1984) and The Battle of Endor (1986). When Davis married in 1991, he and wife, Samantha Burroughs, honeymooned on Lucas' Skywalker Ranch. Fans of horror fare will recognize Davis as the murderous, magical little person in the five Leprechaun (1993) films. In addition to his feature film work, which includes Prince Valiant (1997) and Star Wars: Episode 1, Davis has also appeared on television in movies and miniseries such as the BBC's popular Chronicle of Narnia and the American-made Gulliver's Travels (1996). In addition, he works occasionally on the British stage. Davis owns a production company, Inch High Productions, and for it has directed and produced musical and industrial videos. In 1994, he co-founded Willow Personal Management Ltd. with former castmate Peter Burroughs. They bill it as "The Largest Agency for Short Actors in the World."

In the first decade of the 21st century Davis was cast as Professor Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter films and he would go on to appear in every film in that highly successful franchise. He appeared in the 2004 biopic Ray, and in 2011 he joined forces with Ricky Gervais for the sitcom Life's Too Short.

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Factsheet

  • Got the part of the Ewok Wicket in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi after Kenny Baker (who played R2-D2) became ill and couldn't play the role. 
  • Following two made-for-TV Ewok movies, George Lucas and director Ron Howard cast him as the lead in Willow (1988).
  • Leprechauns have been good for his career. In addition to playing the villainous titular creature in the Leprechaun horror-movie franchise, he also starred in an unrelated film, A Very Unlucky Leprechaun.
  • Cofounded Willow Personal Management Ltd., a talent agency representing actors under five feet and over seven feet tall.
  • Published his autobiography Size Matters Not: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Warwick Davis in 2010
  • Played himself in the 2011-12 BBC comedy Life's Too Short, a mockumentary that chronicled his life and work as an actor and little person.
  • Appeared in all eight films in the Harry Potter franchise.