David Rappaport
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David Stephen Rappaport (November 23, 1951 – May 2, 1990) was a diminutive British actor, probably one of the best known little people in television and film, standing at 3' 11".
Rappaport was born to a Jewish family in London, and soon developed talents in both music and theatre. One of his most popular roles was as Randall, the leader of the thieves in the Terry Gilliam film Time Bandits, and he also starred opposite Clancy Brown and Sting in The Bride. He played the lead role of Simon McKay in the television series The Wizard, and made notable guest appearances on such television shows as The Young Ones and L.A. Law. He appeared alongside Sylvester McCoy as an O-Man in the 1970s BBC children's series Jigsaw. In the early 1980s he also played the character of "Shades" on the anarchic Saturday morning kids TV shows Tiswas and The Saturday Show.
Prior to becoming a known actor, Rappaport was a resident of the squatter "nation" of Frestonia, acting as Foreign Minister.
Rappaport struggled with depression later in his life, eventually leading to his suicide by gunshot in 1990. He had recently been cast in the role of Kivas Fajo in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Most Toys". Scenes he had recorded were later replaced, with actor Saul Rubinek in the role.
[edit] Trivia
In 1989 David was Best man at the wedding of Hazel O'Connor and artist Kurt Bippert which took place on Venice beach, California, the wedding was covered in HELLO magazine.
