Angelo Rossitto

Known for ActingBorn 1908-02-18Died 1991-09-21Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Angelo Salvatore Rossitto (February 18, 1908 – September 21, 1991) was an American actor and voice artist. He had dwarfism and was 2'11" (89 cm) tall, and was often billed as Little Angie or Moe. Angelo first appeared in silent films opposite Lon Chaney and John Barrymore. On-screen, he portrayed everything from dwarfs, midgets, gnomes, and pygmies as well as monsters, villains, and aliens, with appearances in more than 70 films. Rossitto was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Salvatore Rossitto and Carmela Caniglia, both born in Carlentini, Province of Siracusa, Sicily, Italy, and had a sister, Josephine Rossitto. He was discovered by John Barrymore and made his screen debut opposite Barrymore in The Beloved Rogue (1927). That same year he appeared in Warner Brother's Old San Francisco. He appeared in the controversial 1932 film Freaks directed by Tod Browning, and another controversial film, 1938's Child Bride. During the 1940s, he appeared in several poverty row movies starring Bela Lugosi. He appeared frequently in television series and mini-series, particularly best known for the police drama Baretta, and his later film roles included appearances in Alex in Wonderland (1970), Brain of Blood (1971), Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971), Little Cigars (1973), and Fairy Tales (1978). His last major role was as "Master" opposite Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Rossitto appears alongside singer/songwriter Tom Waits and Lee Kolima on the cover art of Waits' 1983 album Swordfishtrombones, which pays homage to his performance in Freaks. He also appears on the cover of Bob Dylan's album The Basement Tapes.Read more

Movies & web series

Dracula: A Cinematic Scrapbook

One Stolen Night

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Kung Fu

The Rockford Files

Amazing Stories

The Snoop Sisters

Freaks

Starsky & Hutch

The Wizard of Oz

The Incredible Hulk

Pocketful of Miracles

The Other Side of the Wind

The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries

T.H.E. Cat

Requiem for a Heavyweight

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

H.R. Pufnstuf

Hellzapoppin'

The Spider Woman

Branded

Dementia

I Believed in You

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Baretta

Gunsmoke

The Other

The Baron of Arizona

The Making of 'Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'

The Beloved Rogue

The Viking

Shirley Temple's Storybook

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Pufnstuf

The Stone Killer

The Greatest Show on Earth

Doctor Dolittle

The Big House

The Wild and the Innocent

Fairy Tales

Reunion in France

Jason of Star Command

Babes in Toyland

From a Whisper to a Scream

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Mongo's Back in Town

While the City Sleeps

Seven Footprints to Satan