Patty Maloney

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Patty Maloney

Born	unknown Perkinsville, New York
Spouse(s)	Joseph Vitek (deceased)
Notable roles	Far Out Space Nuts as Honk The Little Rascals as Darla Hood

Patty Maloney is an American actress with dwarfism. She was born in Perkinsville, New York. Her birthdate is not publicly known. She stands 3 feet 11 inches (119 cm) and weighs 60 pounds (27 kg). Maloney is best known as Honk from Far Out Space Nuts, as Lumpy from The Star Wars Holiday Special, and as Darla Hood from the animated TV series version of The Little Rascals.

Maloney began her show business career at age 3, performing on Broadway. At the age of 7, she moved with her family to Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, Florida. When Edith Royal first opened her studio in Winter Park, Maloney became a featured dancer. She attended Park Avenue High School and graduated from St. James High School. While in high school she spent one summer traveling with a carnival and, later, one year with Ringling Brothers Circus. It was not until she joined the Nate Eagle Troupe that she became aware that she could indeed lead a truly cosmopolitan life — and her family suddenly realized she was an adult. Here she grasped the many nuances of entertaining, learning to use make-up, to dress and to hobnob with high society and government officials. Maloney met the president of Honduras, and she has been photographed with numerous dignitaries. Her mother insisted that even if she became successful, she should have another profession. So Patty attended the University of Florida and became a key punch operator.

Maloney returned to New York and obtained a position with National Airlines, where she met her future husband: Joseph Vitek, a printer from Chicago who was 4 feet 8 inches tall. After several years of correspondence they were married at the Actor's Chapel in New York. During her pre-marriage days she traveled to Europe, Cuba and South America. Back in North America, she married and moved to Chicago, residing happily with her husband until his untimely death. Her sorrow was deep as she also lost her premature baby at the same time.

Maloney's friends forced her back into the world she loved, show business, and for this she was very grateful. She met Sid and Marty Krofft, who were putting together a new puppet show, Far Out Space Nuts, and they promptly hired her. Maloney moved to Los Angeles and she has been working ever since, as she is much sought after for entertaining skills. She has always maintained that little people must live in a big people's world, and she really does — her home is furnished with normal-sized furniture.

Maloney is a model fashion plate, always dressed in high fashion, whether it be boots and slacks or beautiful evening dress. She has appeared in all media, from nightclubs to feature films, and she really loves people, parties and life in general. She is also an avid knitter. Her most frequent co-star was Billy Barty, founder of the Little People of America. Since 1982, she has also been an animation voice actor, worked on the Monopoly game show pilot, and even operated the Crypt Keeper puppet on Tales from the Crypt. In 2005, she had a cameo role in an episode of My Name Is Earl.