Verne Troyer, the actor who played Mini-Me, Dr. Evil’s miniature clone, in two of the Austin Power’s films, is dead at the age of 49. The cause of death is not publicly known, but he had been hospitalized after emergency responders were called to his home earlier this month. Troyer suffered from cartilage-hair hypoplasia, a rare type of dwarfism that limited his maximum height to two feet, eight inches tall. After gaining fame following his 2002 role as Mini-Me, he jokingly told Wolf Blizter that he tried to disguise himself in public with a hat and sunglasses, “but it just doesn’t seem to work.” A statement posted to Troyer’s social media account said: “Verne was an extremely caring individual. He wanted to make everyone smile, be happy, and laugh. Anybody in need, he would help to any extent possible. Verne hoped he made a positive change with the platform he had and worked towards spreading that message every day.”
See Steve Almasy, Verne Troyer, ‘Mini-Me’ in Austin Powers Films, Dies at 49, CNN, April 23, 2018.
