Pat Bilon

Michael Patrick Bilon (August 29, 1947 – January 27, 1983) was an American actor best known for his performances in Under the Rainbow and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. At no taller than , he was considered one of the smallest adult dwarfs in the US, but never characterized himself as disabled. Through much of his adult life, he was an active member of Little People of America, and was its District 5 director in his final years.

Early years Bilon was born in the mid-sized industrial town of Youngstown, Ohio, to Michael and Esther Bilon.

He attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, and graduated from Youngstown State University's school of speech and drama. Of over 400 auditionees, Bilon was among 150 selected to appear in the film. Four mechanical E.T.s were created for the production. The puppets, constructed of fiberglass, polyurethane and foam rubber, were designed for different functions. A newspaper article reported: "One of the 'bodies' contained mechanical controls for large body movements and was operated by cables, the second had electronic controls and the third was operated by a combination of controls".

Personal life and death

Bilon was passionate about his ethnic heritage; he once hosted a Ukrainian Radio Hour on WKTL-FM, based in Struthers, Ohio,

Bilon died in his home at 1 a.m. on January 27, 1983, aged 35, of complications from a blood infection after a bout of pneumonia.