Mickey Carroll
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| Mickey Carroll | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Finocchiaro July 8, 1919 St. Louis, Missouri |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Crestwood, Missouri |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1938–1939 |
Mickey Carroll (July 8, 1919 – May 7, 2009) was an American actor and was one of the last surviving munchkins from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Early life and career
Born Michael Finocchiaro in St. Louis, Missouri, Carroll was the son of Italian immigrants.[1] He was born along with a twin sister, who, unlike Carroll, was of average size.[2]
As a child Carroll began dance lessons at the Fox Theater in St. Louis.[3] At 17 he was one of six bellhops in the 'Call for Phillip Morris' live radio ads, and at 18 was appearing in shows with Mae West.
While under contract to MGM, he went to school with Judy Garland[3] and Mickey Rooney. It was Garland herself who offered him a part in The Wizard of Oz.[citation needed] He stayed with her during filming.[citation needed] Carroll was cast as Munchkinland's "Town Crier". His costume consisted of a purple cloak with a yellow flower sticking out of his striped vest. He also marched as a "Munchkin Soldier", and as one of the candy-striped "Fiddlers" who escorted Dorothy down the yellow brick road towards the Emerald City.[4]
In addition to portraying a Munchkin in that film, he dubbed over Clara Blandick's character Aunt Em in the Kansas scene where she calls out to Dorothy when the tornado approaches the farm.
Soon after the success of the film, Carroll left show business. In the mid-1940s, he returned to St. Louis to run the family business making cemetery monuments, known as Standard Monument Company (founded 1911), which operated a shop and showroom on St. Charles Rock Road in Wellston. After Carroll sold it in 1996, he filled his time with charity work.[5]
In November 2007, Carroll, along with six of the other remaining Munchkins, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[6] Thanks to the popularity of The Wizard of Oz, Carroll made many appearances that year, serving as a grand marshal in parades, appearing on nationwide radio and TV shows, and signing thousands of autographs for fans. He helped raise money for several different charities.
Death
On May 7, 2009, Carroll died in his sleep at the home of his caretaker in Crestwood, Missouri. He suffered from a heart ailment and complications from Alzheimer's disease. After his death, his family sued his caretaker, whom Carroll had transferred all assets to four months before his death.[7]
After a funeral Mass at the New Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis on Lindell Blvd., he was entombed at Calvary Cemetery Shrine Mausoleum in St. Louis.[8]
References
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- ↑ "Munchkins of 'Oz' get a star on Walk of Fame". USA Today. 11/21/2007. Retrieved 08/08/2013.
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External links
- AP Obituary in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- Mickey Carroll at the Internet Movie Database
- Official Mickey Carroll web site
- Pages using infobox person with unknown parameters
- Infobox person using numbered parameter
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009
- 1919 births
- 2009 deaths
- American male child actors
- American male film actors
- American male radio actors
- Actors with dwarfism
- American people of Italian descent
- Male actors from St. Louis, Missouri
- Burials at Calvary Cemetery (St. Louis)
- 20th-century American male actors
- Male actors of Italian descent
