Jerry Maren

Jerry Maren (born Gerard Marenghi; January 24, 1920 – May 24, 2018) was an American actor who played a Munchkin member of the Lollipop Guild in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz. He became the last surviving adult Munchkin (A small number of female extras who portrayed Munchkins are known to survive, but they were children, rather than adults with dwarfism.)

Early life Gerard Marenghi, eventually known as Jerry Maren, was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the youngest of eleven or twelve children. His father, Emil Marenghi, worked at a shoe factory. His four brothers were six feet (182.88 cm) or taller by 1939.

At the age of 12, Maren started taking dancing lessons with his sister. He toured around New England with his dance instructor with an act called Three Steps and a Hop and was noticed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer scouts who were looking for three little people who could sing and dance.

Career Maren received a telegram, just after graduating from high school, asking him to come to California to work on a film. He was offered nearly $100 per week plus expenses.

In The Wizard of Oz, he played the green-garbed member of the Lollipop Guild (between Jakob "Jackie" Gerlich and Harry Earles), handing a lollipop to Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland). Maren was 18 or 19 years old when he shot his scenes for The Wizard of Oz in the latter part of 1938 and early 1939. At that time he stood just . (Hormone treatments allowed Maren to reach a height of later in life.)

From 1969 until 1971, Maren appeared on The Andy Williams Show on a regular basis as the Little General. In the late 1970s, Maren was the dapper little man in top hat and tuxedo on The Gong Show, heralding each show's big finish with an onslaught of confetti as Milton DeLugg's band played "Hoop Dee Doo". He made a notable appearance in the episode "Felix the Horseplayer" of The Odd Couple as Harry Tallman, a racehorse exerciser who gives Oscar tips on winning horses. In 1982 he played Morris the bellboy, a regular character in the ABC sitcom No Soap, Radio.

Maren had a walk-on role in an episode of Seinfeld ("The Yada Yada") and played a mime in the 2010-released comedy horror movie Dahmer vs. Gacy. He also starred in the Eric Swelstad-directed horror movie Frankenstein Rising (2009). In February 2009, Maren performed in Project Lodestar Sagas as Thaddeus, opposite former MGM child actress Margaret O'Brien in the lead role of Livia Wells.

Promotional appearances

On November 21, 2007, Maren appeared with six other Munchkin actors at the unveiling of a Hollywood Star for the Wizard of Oz Munchkins on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The other actors were Mickey Carroll, Ruth Duccini, Margaret Pellegrini, Meinhardt Raabe, Karl Slover, and Clarence Swensen.

On June 3, 2010, Maren appeared at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, to promote a new Wizard of Oz slot machine.

After 2011, Maren stopped traveling or appearing at any of the Oz Festivals held throughout the country, but he did appear for a handprint and footprint ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on September 18, 2013.

Personal life Maren was married to Elizabeth Barrington from 1975 until her death at age 69 on January 27, 2011. He lived in southern California.

On February 29, 2016, it was reported that Maren had died of pancreatic cancer, but these reports were false. He posted a video on Instagram to say that he was alive and well, and according to friend Steve Cox, he didn't have cancer.

When The Hollywood Reporter attempted to contact Maren for a story on little people in Hollywood in August 2016, Maren's caretakers informed the reporter that he was too frail to make further appearances or conduct interviews.

Death Maren died at a nursing facility center in La Jolla, California on May 24, 2018, at the age of 98, from a combination of old age-related diseases including cachexia, heart failure and senile dementia. He outlived all the major cast members as well as the original Tin Man Buddy Ebsen. Maren left no immediate survivors.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1938 The Terror of Tiny Town Townsperson Uncredited 1939 Tiny Troubles Light Fingered Lester Short The Wizard of Oz Green Member of the Lollipop Guild Uncredited At the Circus Little Professor Atom As Jerry Marenghi 1940 The Golden Fleecing Midget in Phone Booth Uncredited 1941 Maisie Was a Lady Midget Uncredited 1942 True to the Army Col. Delaroy Uncredited Fingers at the Window Small Boy Uncredited Beyond the Blue Horizon Native Uncredited Here We Go Again Body Double for Charlie McCarthy in Motion Also stand-in for Charlie McCarthy 1943 Flesh and Fantasy Midget Uncredited 1944 Silent Partner Messenger Uncredited Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore Gremlin 1945 Bring on the Girls Midget in Fireman Skit Uncredited The Great John L. Midget That's the Spirit Midget Uncredited Duffy's Tavern Midget Uncredited An Angel Comes to Brooklyn Midget Baby Uncredited 1946 Three Wise Fools Sir Boulder Uncredited 1948 Are You with It? Midget Uncredited When My Baby Smiles at Me Midget Uncredited 1949 Samson and Delilah Jester Uncredited 1951 Superman and the Mole Men Mole-Man Uncredited 1968 Planet of the Apes Child Ape Uncredited 1969 Hello, Dolly! Midget Uncredited 1970 Bigfoot Baby Creature 1971 Outlaw Riders Bartender Dirty Harry Stunts Uncredited 1973 Little Cigars Cadillac 1978 The Return of Captain Nemo Caesar TV movie The Bad News Bears Go to Japan Page Boy The Lord of the Rings Character Actor Voice 1979 Americathon Act Prophecy Stunts The Making of The Wizard of Oz Himself 1980 Where the Buffalo Roam Bell Man 1981 Side Show Tom Tiny TV movie Under the Rainbow Hotel Rainbow Guest 1982 Tron Uncredited 1983 Something Wicked This Way Comes Demon Midget Uncredited High School U.S.A. Robot TV movie The Being Monster As Jerry Marin 1984 Hot Moves Arcade Vendor It Came Upon the Midnight Clear Elf #3 TV movie 1985 Petronella George TV movie House Little Critter Graffiti Citizen Short 1987 Spaceballs Uncredited 1988 The Great Outdoors The Old Man Stranger Uncredited 1990 The Dreamer of Oz Mr. Munchkin TV movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic Himself 1993 We're Off to See the Munchkins 1994 The Bible According to Hollywood Himself In Search of Oz Himself I Married a Munchkin Himself 1998 Glorious Technicolor Himself 1999 A Tribute to The Wizard of Oz Himself 2000 Bit Players Oompa Loompa Short 2001 Memories of Oz Himself 2004 Todd Browning's 'Freaks': The Sideshow Cinema Himself Also "Special Thanks" credit 2005 Best Ever Family Films Himself The 100 Greatest Family Films Himself 2009 The Yellow Brick Road and Beyond Actor / Munchkin Also "Special Thanks" credit, credited as Jerry Marin Hollywood Celebrates Its Biggest Little Stars! Himself The 78th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade Himself To Oz! The Making of a Classic Himself (Archive footage) 2010 Frankenstein Rising Manlon Dahmer vs. Gacy Mime Heroic Ambition Himself 2011 Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time Himself 2016 The Hollywood Shorties Himself (Archive footage)

Television Title Year Role Notes 1953 Adventures of Superman Mole-Man #3 2 episodes, archive footage 1954 Smilin' Ed's Gang 1 episode 1955 Andy's Gang Buster Brown Voice 1956 Producers' Showcase 1 episode 1960 This Is Your Life Himself 1 episode 1965 Bob Hope Christmas Show Sketch Performer Uncredited 1966 The Beverly Hillbillies Spaceman #2 1 episode 1967 Bewitched Gremlin 1 episode The Wild Wild West Coco 1 episode 1968 The Bob Hope Special Santa's Elf 1 episode 1969-1971 The Andy Williams Show The Little General 1970 Julia Little Green Man 1 episode Get Smart Lower Gemini 1 episode 1971 Here's Lucy Milton 1 episode Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Himself 1 episode 1971-1972 Lidsville Boris/Rah-Rah 17 episodes 1975 The Odd Couple Harry Tallman 1 episode When Things Were Rotten Archer 1 episode 1976 The Gong Show Confetti Thrower Van Dyke and Company Midget Basketball Player 1 episode 1977 Switch Shoe Shiner 1 episode Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Dash 5 episodes Charlie's Angels Circus Worker 1 episode 1978 Hollywood Greats Himself 1 episode 1982 Lou Grant Man on Street 1 episode No Soap, Radio Morris 5 episodes 1983 Wizards and Warriors Floyd the Feather 1 episode 1986 The Twilight Zone Creature 1 episode, segment: "Personal Demons" 1989 Short Ribbs 1 episode 1992 MGM: When the Lion Roars Himself 1 episode 1997 Seinfeld Dad 1 episode Biography Himself 1 episode 1998 E! Mysteries & Scandals Himself 1 episode 1999-2000 The Daily Show Himself 2 episodes 2007 TV Land: Myths and Legends Himself 1 episode